On Opening Day, the Kansas City Royals had a 13% chance to make the 2024 MLB postseason, according to FanGraphs. Fast-forward to today and the Royals are about to open their American League Wild Card series against the Orioles in Baltimore.

The surprising season, of course, was no accident. Bobby Witt Jr. has had a historic 2024 season that would have him as the MVP favorite if not for Aaron Judge. The third-year Royal, still just 24 years old, is one of the most exciting athletes in all of Kansas City — not just in baseball.

Royals general manager J.J. Picollo had the perfect comparison for his shortstop.

“Bobby is our version of Patrick Mahomes. That’s what he is,” he said in a piece in The Athletic by Rustin Dodd and Jayson Jenks.

That's high praise. To most, Mahomes is a three-time Super Bowl champion with the Kansas City Chiefs — and a three-time Super Bowl MVP. To Kansas City sports fans, he's practically an icon.

Witt still has a ways to go to match what Mahomes has done in his sport, but his 2024 has been a good start. Witt has taken a 106-loss team last year and helped carry them to the postseason. This year, Witt won the American League batting title with a .332 average, 211 hits, and 32 home runs, all career highs. He also hit for a .977 OPS and combined speed and power with 31 stolen bases and 11 triples.

Former Royals GM says Bobby Witt Jr. is more talented than George Brett

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If Mahomes is an icon in Kansas City, George Brett might as well be President of Kauffman Stadium, where the Royals call home.

So when former Royals general manager Dayton Moore says Witt is the most talented player in franchise history, it carries some weight. Moore told The Athletic that Witt is more talented than legends like Carlos Beltran and Amos Otis, teammate Salvador Perez, and even Brett himself.

“By a little bit,” Moore said. “Not a lot. George was pretty damn good. But let’s face it. … There’s very few players in the history of the game that can help a team win in that many ways.”

There are some similarities between Witt and Brett. The Royals Hall of Famer is a former batting champion himself, hitting an otherworldly .390 in 1980. He also led the league in triples three times while hitting 20-or-more home runs eight times.

Like with Mahomes, Witt still has a long way to go to even approach Brett's accolades, but he can take one step forward this October. Brett won the 1985 World Series with Kansas City. Witt has a shot to raise his first trophy as well.