Fastball

Kansas City Royals Star Up For Hank Aaron Award Because of Great Season

Bobby Witt Jr. will be up for the MVP Award in the American League, and this Hank Aaron Award could be the precursor to it.
Brady Farkas|
Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (7) hits a single in the third inning against the Baltimore Orioles in game two of the Wild Card round for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on Oct 2.
Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (7) hits a single in the third inning against the Baltimore Orioles in game two of the Wild Card round for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on Oct 2. | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

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Kansas City Royals

Kansas City Royals leader Bobby Witt Jr. was named a finalist for the prestigious Hank Aaron Award on Monday afternoon.

The award has been around since 1999 and is described as:

The Hank Aaron Award is awarded annually to the best overall offensive performer in each league. The award was introduced in 1999 to mark the 25th anniversary of Hank Aaron breaking Babe Ruth's all-time home run record. A panel of Hall of Famers will combine with a fan vote to determine the winners.

While not the same as the MVP Award, Witt Jr.. is listed alongside several MVP candidates on this ballot. He's joined by the likes of Jarren Duran (Red Sox), Gunnar Henderson (Orioles), Jose Ramirez (Guardians), Brent Rooker (A's), Yordan Alvarez (Astros), Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Blue Jays), Aaron Judge and Juan Soto (Yankees). All of those players figure to finish inside the Top Ten of AL MVP voting. Witt Jr. is expected to finish in the top three of the voting.

The 24-year-old Witt Jr. put together an incredible regular season for the Royals, who made the playoffs for the first time since 2015 this year. He hit .332 to win the American League batting title while also connecting for 32 homers and 109 RBI. He stole 31 bases and posted a .389 on-base percentage.

An All-Star this year, Witt Jr. is a career .288 hitter. He also led the majors in hits this year with 211.

The Royals and Yankees will meet in Game 2 of the ALDS on Monday night.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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