Bobby Witt Jr. finished second in AL MVP voting last season behind Aaron Judge’s monster 58-homer campaign. But the Kansas City Royals’ star made MLB history in 2024, becoming the first player to start their career with three straight 20/20 seasons. He also became the only shortstop with multiple 30/30 seasons.

While Witt has fallen a bit off his remarkable 2024 pace this year, he’s still making history. The two-time All-Star crushed a two-run homer against the Guardians on Saturday. The blast made Witt the first player ever with at least 15 home runs and 25 stolen bases in each of his first four seasons, per MLB’s Sarah Langs.

Witt absolutely wrecked a hanging breaking ball, sending Tanner Bibee’s 2-2 offering 449 feet to left center. The fifth-inning bomb got the Royals back in the game after Cleveland jumped out to an early lead. But it wasn’t enough as the Guardians hung on for the 6-4 victory.

Bobby Witt Jr. makes MLB history in Royals’ loss to Guardians

Jul 26, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (7) hits a two run home run against the Cleveland Guardians in the fifth inning at Kauffman Stadium.
Denny Medley-Imagn Images

The 25-year-old superstar nearly became the first player to start his career with 15 homers and 20 steals in four straight seasons but Julio Rodriguez accomplished the feat first. The Mariners center fielder went yard and stole a base against the Angels on Thursday to reach the milestone.

J-Rod also edged out Witt for Rookie of the Year honors in 2022. But the Royals shortstop outshined him with back-to-back 30/30 seasons in 2023 and 2024.

Witt is now hitting .287 with an .829 OPS this season. A strong showing but obviously a big drop-off from 2024 when he won the batting title with a .332 average and finished with a .977 OPS. He has 15 home runs, 58 RBI, 62 runs scored, 27 stolen bases and 4.3 bWAR in 104 games this season.

Despite the drop, Witt has wowed Royals fans in 2025. He produced a historic five-game span in May, becoming the first player with 10 hits, eight RBI, six extra-base hits, four stolen bases, two home runs and a walk-off in just five games. The Gold Glover also compiled a 22-game hitting streak earlier this year.

Witt’s heroics aside, the Royals have struggled. After snapping an eight-year playoff drought in 2024, Kansas City is three games under .500 this season. The Royals are 8.5 games behind the Detroit Tigers in the AL Central and 4.5 games back in the Wild Card standings with a 51-54 record following Saturday’s loss.

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