Bobby Witt Jr. is the Most ‘Valuable’ Player in Baseball

Is this a hot take, you might ask? It shouldn’t be if you’ve been paying attention to the season that Kansas City Royals’ shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. is having.

What does it mean to be the most ‘valuable’ player in sports? Typically, the honor is awarded to the highest-performing player from a statistical perspective. Bonus points if you play an important position, like quarterback in football.

But for the sake of this article, ‘valuable’ goes beyond what Bobby Witt Jr. has done statistically (and don’t worry, those numbers are quite gaudy – MVP-like, if you will).

Allow us to explain.

Bobby Witt Jr. is a legitimate contender for 2024 AL MVP

For the record, Bobby Witt Jr. deserves to be in the actual MVP discussion this season.

Sometimes, the case makes itself, such as in this highlight from Wednesday’s Royals win over the Minnesota Twins.

Beyond the highlight-reel plays on the field, though, are numbers that simply don’t lie. 24 home runs, 25 stolen bases, a 1.009 OPS, an on-base percentage of nearly .400 and a Baseball Savant profile that’s covered in red.

We could keep going, but the gist is there: Witt Jr. is a phenomenal talent. He might even be the best at his position, though it’s close between him and the Baltimore Orioles’ Gunnar Henderson.

More of a betting type? According to BetMGM, Witt Jr. actually has the second-highest odds to win AL MVP as of August 12, trailing only the presumptive favorite Aaron Judge.

The fact Witt Jr. trails Judge is not a surprise. Judge is on pace for another historic season and will likely capture his second career MVP this season. The latter has it all working for him: the statistics, the market size (the lights are brightest in New York) and the brand he represents (Yankees).

All we’re saying is that Witt Jr. deserves his due.

It’s also worth mentioning that Witt Jr. is the only player standing in the way of an Aaron Judge triple crown chase, with the former trouncing the latter in the AL batting title race by 16 points as of August 15 (.349 to .333).

Batting average may mean little in general (and especially in MVP voting), but triple crowns are nonetheless rare in baseball. And there’s no reason to believe Witt Jr. is going to let Judge make that history in 2024.

Witt Jr. is valuable in more ways than one

Accolades and statistics alone don’t do Witt Jr. proper justice, however. There are levels to the 24-year-old’s greatness, such as his being the new face of his franchise.

The Kansas City Royals have had something of a renaissance in 2024, proving to the baseball world that they’re legitimate contenders in the American League and subsequently buying at the trade deadline. Want to guess who might be leading the charge?

Make no mistake: veteran catcher Salvador Perez is still beloved amongst fans and within the organization. But the Royals are effectively Bobby Witt Jr.’s team at this point.

You only need to take one look at the hefty 11-year, $289 million contract extension Kansas City gave its franchise shortstop prior to the start of this season.

So when people say money talks, they’re right: The Royals paid Witt Jr. like the superstar he is, a testament to his value (there’s that word again). And that’s not easy to do as a small-market team. Just ask the Tampa Bay Rays, for example.

Comparatively, let’s look at the top five highest-paid shortstops in the sport (excluding Mookie Betts, because his position is fluid) and their respective fWARs to this point:

• 1. Corey Seager, Texas Rangers: $35 million (3.5 fWAR)

• 2. Carlos Correa, Minnesota Twins: $33.3 million (3.6 fWAR)

• 3. Francisco Lindor, New York Mets: $32.4 million (5.6 fWAR)

• 4. Trea Turner, Philadelphia Phillies: $27.7 million (2.4 fWAR)

• 5. Dansby Swanson, Chicago Cubs: $26 million (2.4 fWAR)

Of those listed, only Francisco Lindor comes close to Bobby Witt Jr.’s position-leading 8.3 fWAR in 2024. Talk about value at a premium spot like shortstop.

Furthermore, the Royals are only paying Witt Jr. $2 million this season before his extension officially kicks in starting with the 2025 campaign. So, eight wins for $2 million? That’s basically robbery. Dodgers-like, if you will.

And to really bring the point home, Kansas City doesn’t even begin paying Witt Jr. $30 million annually until 2028 in another stroke of brilliance.

There might not be a more team-friendly extension across baseball. Not Julio Rodriguez, not Corbin Carroll. Maybe not even any of the Atlanta Braves’ core. We might’ve opined differently before the season, but now? This feels pretty safe to say given the respective injuries and struggles of the others mentioned.

Conclusion

Bobby Witt Jr. might not win the American League MVP award in 2024. In fact, he likely won’t. But that doesn’t make him a less valuable player than someone like Aaron Judge.

In fact, there is certainly a case to be made that Witt Jr. edges out Judge in terms of “being valuable.”

While the Yankees are tied to paying their superstar in excess of $30 million per season, they’re extracting 8.5 fWAR for that money.

As we pointed out above, the Royals are getting roughly the same value out of Witt Jr. for a fraction of the cost. And every dollar counts when we’re talking about Kansas City versus New York.

This is not to suggest malpractice by the Yankees, but rather observe two different approaches to paying superstar players. Neither is wrong, but it sure does make Witt Jr. look more valuable.

And before you bring up fellow stud shortstop Gunnar Henderson and his 6.5 fWAR, it’s important to remember he’s on his rookie contract and the Baltimore Orioles have a stacked young team around Henderson. The Royals don’t really have the same around Witt Jr. despite their record, which makes his production all the more heroic.

When combining the market Witt Jr. plays in and the comparisons to other similar players in 2024, it all looks upon the 24-year-old quite favorably.