Kansas City Royals star Bobby Witt Jr. named finalist for 2024 Hank Aaron Award
Kansas City Royals star Bobby Witt Jr. was named a finalist for the prestigious Hank Aaron Award on Monday.
Witt, 24, has produced a historic season. He won the American League batting title and finished the regular season hitting .332 with 32 homers, 109 RBIs, 211 hits, 125 runs scored and 31 stolen bases.
He also became the first MLB shortstop to have multiple 30-30 campaigns. In July, Witt was named AL Player of the Month and he played in his first All-Star Game.
Now, Witt can add another accomplishment to his résumé. The Hank Aaron Award recognizes the most outstanding regular season offensive performer in each league.
Witt joins New York Yankees stars Aaron Judge and Juan Soto as finalists.
Other AL finalists: Yordan Alvarez (Houston Astros), Jarren Duran (Boston Red Sox), Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Toronto Blue Jays), Gunnar Henderson (Baltimore Orioles), Anthony Santander (Baltimore Orioles), Jose Ramirez (Cleveland Guardians) and Brent Rooker (Oakland Athletics).
This is the 25th anniversary of the Hank Aaron Award. Last season, Ronald Acuña Jr. and Shohei Ohtani received the honor. Both were also named Most Valuable Player in their respective league.
Witt is in consideration for the AL MVP as well. He is considered among the top candidates with Judge after a stellar 2024 campaign.
This season, Witt posted a 10.4 fWAR (FanGraphs Wins Above Replacement). He also joined Royals Hall of Famers George Brett and Willie Wilson as the only Royals to lead the majors in batting average.
Fans can vote for their favorite Hank Aaron Award finalist. The official ballot opened on Monday and will run through Sunday, Oct. 13, on MLB.com.
The 2024 Hank Aaron Award winners will be announced on Nov. 14 during a special presentation of the “All-MLB Team Show presented by MGM Rewards.”
Previous Hank Aaron Award recipients include Derek Jeter, David Ortiz, Barry Bonds, Mike Trout and Bryce Harper.
