Kansas City Royals Shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. has his sights set on history with the homestretch of the regular season about to get underway. He is leading Major League Baseball in hits(137), runs(82), and games played(101). This type of performance puts Witt Jr. in rarified air. If he can finish the regular season leading in all three categories, he would be the first player since Jesse Burkett did so in 1896. Burkett is a hall of famer that played from 1890-1905.
Witt Jr. is having a career season that resulted in him being named to his first MLB All-Star Game earlier this season. He went 0-of-1 in last week’s game. He is hitting .341 this season with 18 home runs and 69 RBI. Witt Jr. is second in the league in batting average, eighth in RBI, third in Wins Above Replacement, and ninth in On Base Percentage. Witt Jr. currently sits third in AL MVP voting(+800) behind Aaron Judge and Gunnar Henderson. Will Bobby Witt Jr. be able to keep his torrid pace as the Kansas City Royals battle for a playoff spot in a loaded American League?
Bobby Witt Jr. Career Summary
The @Royals' Bobby Witt Jr. is currently leading MLB in hits, runs & games played this season.
The only player to finish a season leading MLB in all three categories was Jesse Burkett in 1896. pic.twitter.com/zb6tjsDnZ9
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) July 23, 2024
Witt Jr. made his debut in 2022 as a member of the Kansas City Royals and has taken the league by storm ever since. He finished fourth in Rookie of the Year voting in 2022 and seventh in MVP voting last season. Julio Rodriguez bested him for Rookie of the Year honors while Shohei Ohtani won the American League MVP last year. Witt Jr. is assured to best his seventh-place finish MVP finish from last season if he continues playing this well over the final 60 games of the regular season. He is a career .284 hitter with 68 home runs, 245 RBI, and 101 stolen bases.
Kansas City Royals Season Summary
Kansas City(56-45) is tied for second place in the American League Central and holds the third and final American League Wild Card spot. Their offense has been strong this season. They are 10th in batting average, 17th in home runs, and ninth in runs scored. Their offense is led by the aforementioned Witt Jr. and Catcher Salvador Perez. Perez is top 30 in the league in batting average, home runs, and RBI.
The pitching staff of the Kansas City Royals has also been stellar this season. They are seventh in ERA, have surrendered the second-fewest home runs, and are 17th in opposing batting average. Their staff is paced by Starting Pitcher Seth Lugo. He is tied for second in the league with 12 wins and tied for third with an ERA of 2.38. Starting Pitcher Cole Ragans is also third in the league in strikeouts.
Royals Upcoming Schedule
The Kansas City Royals play the middle game of their three-game set with the Arizona Diamondbacks this afternoon. Kanas City begins a three-game series with the Chicago Cubs on Friday. The Royals are in prime position in the second half of the season to make the MLB Playoffs for the first time since they won the World Series in 2015.
Witt Jr. will need to keep up his MVP-caliber play for the Royals to nab one of the three American League Wild Card spots. He is trying to do something that has not been done in over a century, and if he can do so, there may well be postseason baseball in Kansas City, Missouri.
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