By Goody Tate

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Major League Baseball announced today that Bobby Witt Jr. has been named American League Player of the Month for July.

He’s the 12th different Royals player (17th instance) to win American League Player of the Month, and the first since Billy Butler in September 2009. Witt Jr. is the first Royals shortstop to win the honor.

Witt Jr. led the Majors last month in hits (44), runs (26), total bases (75), batting average (.489), on-base percentage (.520) and OPS (1.353), and led the American League in slugging (.833). His 44 hits in July were 10 more than the next closest players, and were the most by a Royal in any month since Johnny Damon had 47 hits in August 2000.

Bobby’s .489 batting average in July was the 2nd-highest in any month in franchise history (min. 50 plate appearances), trailing only George Brett, who hit .494 (42-for-85) in July 1980. Witt Jr. is the first Major League player to record at least 44 hits and a .489 batting average in any month since Lou Gehrig in June 1930.

Witt Jr. recorded a hit in 22 of Kansas City’s 23 games in July, including 13 multi-hit efforts, 8 games with at least 3 hits and a 4-hit game. He recorded 4 consecutive 3-hit games from July 19-22, becoming the first player in Major League history, according to Elias, to do so in a player’s 1st 4 games after the All-Star break. It also matched the 2nd-longest streak in franchise history at any point, trailing only Brett’s run of 6 games with at least 3 hits from May 8-13, 1976.

In a 10-4 win on July 22 vs. Arizona, Witt Jr. doubled, tripled and homered, finishing a single shy of the cycle. Last Monday night in Chicago, Bobby hit his 3rd career grand slam, a go-ahead shot in the 8th inning that propelled Kansas City to an 8-5 win vs. the White Sox.

Witt Jr. was named American League Player of the Week for the period of July 15-21, during which he went 9-for-11 (.818) in the 1st 3 games after the All-Star break. He began that week by finishing as the runner-up in the 2024 Home Run Derby in Arlington, Texas. Bobby hit a derby-high 50 home runs, including 20 homers in the 1st round, then bested José Ramírez, 17-12 to advance to the finals. Witt Jr. hit 13 HR in the final round, and his last batted ball landed at the base of the wall, leaving him 1 shy of matching Teoscar Hernández, who hit 14 HR in the final round to be crowned Home Run Derby champion.

The following night, Witt Jr. made his first All-Star Game appearance, playing the last 4.0 innings at shortstop in the American League’s 5-3 win. He was the fourth Royals shortstop to be selected to the All-Star Game, following Fred Patek (1972, 1976, 1978), Kurt Stillwell (1988) and Alcides Escobar (2015).

COURTESY ROYALS MEDIA RELATIONS