The Kansas City Royals missed out on the MLB playoffs in 2025, finishing third in the AL Central with an 82–80 record. Despite a frustrating finish to the regular season, the organization’s outlook remains promising with Bobby Witt Jr. leading the way. The 25-year-old has emerged as one of the best shortstops in MLB after a breakout 2024 that saw him finish runner-up for AL MVP.
Witt appeared in 157 games for the Royals this year and owned a .295 batting average, .351 on-base percentage, .852 OPS, 23 home runs and 88 RBIs. He led the major leagues in hits (184) and doubles (47), batting at the top of Kansas City’s order.
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Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr.© Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
As Witt enters the offseason and looks ahead to the 2026 campaign, he received an exciting nomination on Friday. Louisville Slugger revealed the American League finalists for the Silver Slugger award, and Witt was named a finalist at shortstop.
The other finalists are Jeremy Pena of the Houston Astros and Bo Bichette of the Toronto Blue Jays. The Royals took a moment to congratulate Witt on X, along with teammates Vinnie Pasquantino, Salvador Perez and Maikel Garcia. “Congratulations to our four Silver Slugger Award finalists!” the Royals wrote.
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Silver Slugger finalists and winners are chosen by MLB managers and coaches, with each team casting four votes. Selections are based on offensive stats and overall impact. The NL winners will be announced Thursday, Nov. 6, at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the AL winners on Nov. 7 at the same time, both on The Baseball Insiders YouTube stream.
Witt has met all expectations for Kansas City since the organization selected him second overall in the 2019 MLB Draft. Although his nomination highlights his bat, Witt continues to excel in every aspect of the game.
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He is elite on the base paths with 148 career steals and was also nominated for another Gold Glove award in 2025 after winning his first last year. Fortunately for the Royals, Witt is locked in long term on a 11-year, $288.7 million contract. While Kansas City faces several decisions this offseason in retooling the roster for a postseason push, shortstop is not one of them.
Related: Congratulations Pour in for Royals Star Bobby Witt Jr. After News on Wednesday
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Oct 23, 2025, where it first appeared in the MLB section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.