Royals star Bobby Witt Jr. may've given fans preview of MVP season during WBC

If the World Baseball Classic has taught us anything, it's that the Kansas City Royals should command your respect. The WBC has been pure, unadulterated theater on a nightly basis, and Royals players are making real contributions for their respective squads.

Vinnie Pasquantino had a three-homer game against Mexico, Jac Caglianone posted a 1.071 OPS, and Maikel Garcia took home tournament MVP honors after Venezuela somewhat shocked the world and defeated the United States in the finals.

At the top of Mark DeRosa's U.S. lineup is our chosen son, Bobby Witt Jr, 25 years young. Junior had himself a solid WBC as well, posting a respectable .733 OPS, but it's the glove that has captivated the hearts and minds of baseball fans.

It's kind of nuts to think about how inconsistent Witt Jr. was at shortstop in his early years as a Royal. Now he makes web gem-worthy plays look routine.

And Witt has gained a wave of praise from his teammates and from notable names around the country. His stardom has never been hotter than right now.

"Bobby's play, that's one of the best plays I've ever seen"

Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh Pirates

"He makes plays like that that win you a ballgame, there's only maybe one or two individuals in the game that can do that, and he's one of them."

Aaron Judge, New York Yankees

"He is one of, if not my favorite, player to watch."

Derek Jeter, Baseball Hall of Famer

"To be sitting back and watching it on TV, it’s like a different lens. And then you see all the guys that don’t play with him all the time -- Skenes is smirking, you’re watching [Bryce] Harper, all the guys. Those are the best of the best watching the best of the best. Seeing them getting fired up like that -- I mean, Bob’s unbelievable."

Cole Ragans, Kansas City Royals

All this recognition begs the question, can he finally break through for that illustrious MVP award this season?

Bobby Witt Jr's elite performance in WBC can propel him to top of early MVP race

Unfortunately for Witt Jr. he plays in the same era as Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge who if not for them, Bobby would be the best player in baseball pound-for-pound. He's finished 7th, 2nd, and 4th in the AL MVP voting since 2023.

In the season he placed 2nd, his numbers were MVP-worthy. He led the league in hits and batting average and set a career-high with 32 homers (The only problem was Judge hit 58), but it was the Royals winning 86 games and making the postseason in 2024 that set him apart from his counterparts.

Regarding 2025 though, Witt has admitted that he fell short of his expectations in a "down season"

"I thought it was a bit of a learning curve, but it was a good year", said Witt Jr. to MLB Network. "You look back at it and for me it's like maybe it was a down year or whatever but I gotta keep getting better and better."

Witt currently has the second-best odds to win MVP at +500 on DraftKings behind Aaron Judge. With the fences at Kauffman moved in, the Royals' lineup stronger than ever, and momentum from the WBC, I expect Witt Jr. to have the best season of his young, impressive career.

I expect him to get back to the 30 home run mark as he did in 23' and 24'. If he can boost his power just a tad by pulling the ball in the air more often, he could even flirt with a 40-40 season.

Witt Jr. had a 15.8 Pull AIR % in 2025, down from his 17.1% mark in '24 and 16.8% finish in '23. He also didn't hit the fastball as well or with as much power as he did in the past. He hit .295 with a .512 SLG against fastballs in 2025 but mashed heaters in 2024 to the tune of .342 and a .625 SLG.

On top of that the Royals have real expectations again. It's postseason or bust.

The Royals have responded to the their failure in '25 with more experienced hitters around Bobby and the crew. If the Royals can avoid the annual month of doom, Bobby Witt Jr. could finally get the widespread recognition as THE MVP candidate to beat.

If he can improve on those swing metrics and still provide platinum-glove-level defense at short, he has a better chance to win MVP in 2026 than he ever has.