Witt headlines Royals’ awards bids as AL MVP finalist

KANSAS CITY -- When the Royals signed Bobby Witt Jr. to a long-term contract extension last winter, they believed that they were going to have a perennial MVP candidate at shortstop for the next decade.

In that regard, Year 1 of the extension was a success.

Witt was announced as a finalist for the American League Most Valuable Player Award on Monday night, alongside the Yankees’ power duo of Aaron Judge and Juan Soto.

And Witt was not the only Royal among the finalists that the Baseball Writers’ Association of America announced for their slate of individual awards on Monday.

Royals starter Seth Lugo is a finalist for the AL Cy Young Award, along with Detroit’s Tarik Skubal and Cleveland’s Emmanuel Clase.

The AL Manager of the Year Award will also be a race among the AL Central, with Royals manager Matt Quatraro a finalist alongside Tigers skipper A.J. Hinch and Guardians manager Stephen Vogt.

Being a finalist guarantees a finish in the top three of voting, with the winners announced next week. Manager of the Year will be announced on Tuesday, followed by Cy Young on Wednesday and MVP on Thursday, all beginning at 5 p.m. CT each day on MLB Network.

• Witt, Lugo win Royals’ first Gold Gloves since 2021

Despite Judge’s otherworldly offensive season, Witt certainly is a qualified candidate and remained so throughout the summer. Witt, who won an AL Gold Glove at shortstop this season, played 160 games at the position and 161 total games this year. He posted a 10.4 WAR, according to FanGraphs, which ranks second in MLB behind Judge’s 11.2.

The 24-year-old Witt was the batting champion in 2024 with a .332 average and a Majors-best 211 hits -- the first 200-hit season in his career. A first-time All-Star in '24, Witt posted a .389 OBP and a .588 slugging percentage. He hit 32 homers and 45 doubles while stealing 31 bags. His second-consecutive 30-30 campaign made Witt the first shortstop to have multiple 30-30 seasons.

Arguably the most well-rounded player in the game, Witt got it done this year in the field, at the plate and on the bases as MLB’s fastest player (30.5 ft/sec sprint speed).

Witt’s MVP finish -- whether it’s a first, second or third place -- has 2025 MLB Draft implications, too. This was Witt’s third and final season with Prospect Promotion Incentive eligibility, so a top-three finish in award voting nets the Royals an extra pick in next year’s Draft.

This is Lugo’s first time as a finalist for a BBWAA award, marking another “first” for the longtime pitcher who has now established himself as one of the best in the game. In his first season with the Royals, Lugo posted a 3.00 ERA -- which ranked sixth in the AL -- and he was one of four pitchers in the league to make 33 starts -- a career-high for the 34-year-old. Lugo’s career-best 206 2/3 innings ranked second in MLB, behind only Seattle’s Logan Gilbert (208 2/3 innings).

Lugo ranked among the AL leaders in quality starts (tied for first at 22) and wins (tied for second at 16). His ERA was the lowest single-season mark by a Royals starter since Zack Greinke’s 2.16 ERA in his 2009 Cy Young Award-winning season.

Lugo was selected to his first All-Star Game in 2024, he won his first career Gold Glove and he threw his first career complete game on July 21 against the White Sox in Kansas City.

All three finalists for Manager of the Year come from what was believed to be a weak AL Central at the beginning of the season. Instead, the Guardians, Royals and Tigers all made the postseason, and their managers helped them get there.

In his second year as Kansas City’s skipper, Quatraro managed the Royals to an 86-win campaign just one year after matching a franchise record in losses (106). Over two vastly different seasons, Quatraro has remained a steady presence for his coaching staff and players, earning respect throughout the clubhouse. There was one day late in 2023, as the losses kept piling up, when Quatraro held a meeting to encourage his players to only focus on the day ahead of them and getting better.

He and the Royals brought the “today” mindset into 2024, and it became somewhat of a team motto as the wins, rather than losses, accumulated throughout the summer.

The 2024 Royals were the sixth team in the 162-game era to have a 30-win improvement from one season to the next (excluding shortened seasons), according to the Elias Sports Bureau. They were also the third team to make the postseason following a 100-loss season, joining the ’17 Twins and ’20 Marlins.