‘Bobby Witt owns the Heartland.’ MLB Network host raves about Royals star
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- MLB Network ranks Bobby Witt Jr. as baseball’s No. 3 player and top shortstop.
- Witt posted .501 slugging, 38 steals, plus‑20 fielding run value in 157 games.
- Witt enters age‑26 season with back‑to‑back top‑four AL MVP finishes and awards.
Fans will miss out on seeing shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. at Saturday’s Royals Rally at Kauffman Stadium, but they’ll be able to watch him 162 times during the upcoming season.
And what a blessing that is for Royals fans.
The MLB Network recently ranked Witt as the third-best player in the game, so it’s little wonder where he landed on the list of top shortstops, as revealed Thursday night.
Yep. No. 1.
In addition to being ranked as the third-best player in the game right now, behind the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani and Yankees’ Aaron Judge, Witt has the second-best odds to win the AL MVP award this season. That’s according to BetMGM.
MLB Network host Brian Kenny was effusive in his praise of Witt while unveiling him as the best shortstop in the world.
“No. 1, yes, Bobby Witt Jr. He has emerged as one of the leading superstars in the sport,” Kenny said. “While the behemoths rule the coasts — that’s Ohtani and Judge — Bobby Witt owns the Heartland. He followed up his breakout year by playing 157 games, slugging a robust .501. Stealing 38 bases, playing stellar defense. He was a whopping plus-20. Plus-20! In fielding (run value). I’m throwing these absurd numbers out there. Plus-20.
“Witt is going into his age 26 season, and we now have two years of dominance. Best batting average, slugging, OPS+ at the position, and No. 1 defensively, as measured by the Statcast defensive metric, that’s fielding run value. Put it all together in WAR, that’s what No. 1 looks like.”
Witt has finished in the top four of American League MVP voting in each of the last two seasons, and he’s won a Silver Slugger and Gold Glove award both years.
Here is the video from the MLB Network.
This story was originally published January 30, 2026 at 10:59 AM.
