Bobby Witt Jr. may end up empty-handed this award season

Bobby Witt Jr. can only be described as a top-two shortstop in the game of baseball at the moment, with a very strong case that he is the best. Even in a down season, he posted an .800 OPS, 119 WRC+, and 7.0 fWAR. He is a true five-tool player.

That's why the 26-year-old has been a finalist for all of the major awards this offseason. Gold Glove, AL MVP, and most recently, he was named a finalist for the Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger. Unfortunately for Witt, he already lost the Gold Glove to Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Taylor Walls, and he isn't the favorite to win either of the other two.

Yordan Alvarez is the clear favorite to win the AL MVP this season, beating out Witt and Junior Caminero of the Rays. Despite being a DH, his 181 WRC+ was 30 points better than the next best AL hitter, and his 1.033 OPS was 100 points better. He was second in the league in home runs and RBIs, third in runs scored, and fifth in doubles. He had a historic offensive season, and there wasn't another player able to match it with offense plus defense.

A Silver Slugger Award is the Royals star's best chance, but he is not the clear choice

Even scaled down to just his position, Witt is going to have a hard time beating Detroit Tigers' rookie shortstop Kevin McGonigle. For the entire season, McGonigle had a WRC+ 10 points higher than Witt, with the same number of home runs and 18 more RBIs. The Tigers' rookie had just five fewer doubles, but made up for it with four more triples. He also drew 95 walks, 28 more than Witt did.

Witt's one saving grace is that McGonigle was not a shortstop for the entire season. He played 50 fewer games in the six-hole than Witt did, which is why McGonigle is also a finalist for the utility Silver Slugger. The Angels' Zach Neto will steal some votes, though, after his 27 home runs, 31 doubles, and 77 RBIs. Neto's 116 WRC+ was only three behind Witt.

Despite leading the American League in fWAR and finishing fourth in bWAR, there is a real possibility that Bobby Witt Jr. walks away from this season without a major award to his name, a stark change from each of the last two seasons.

Sometimes greatness gets overlooked, and when a player becomes the gold standard, a down season can look bad, even when it's comparable to or better than the competition. Witt may leave this award season without a trophy, but that shouldn't take away from just how good he his. The Royals have one of the best players in the game on their hands, and any lack of awards shouldn't diminish his value.

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