The American League MVP race is heating up, and it’s largely a battle between two absolute showstoppers—Aaron Judge and Bobby Witt Jr. But there is no bad blood among them—the Kansas City Royals ace even called Judge the ‘King of New York’ in an interview recently. But by the way that Witt Jr.’s stats are swinging, he’s not far from making his case as a king of the diamond. The Kansas City Royals ace is the frontrunner for taking the team to great heights this season.

Bobby Witt Jr. did it yet again against their game with the Detroit Tigers, delivering a stellar performance that left everyone awestruck. But despite his powerful performance, the Royals suffered a painfully close 7-6 loss against the Tigers at Kauffman Stadium. Sure, any loss at this time when playoffs are knocking on the door is a pinch, but for Witt Jr. – it wasn’t the worst day of the season. Because he managed to etch his name in history with his performance!

Bobby Witt Jr. loses the game but adds another star to his MVP resume

The game against the Tigers didn’t go as the Royals expected. But Bobby Witt Jr.’s performance, well, that was something to talk about. In the third inning, the Royals loaded the bases, and Witt came in and smashed his 32nd home run of the season. And well, not just another home run, but a grand slam nonetheless—plus his fourth grand slam of his career. This put the Royal’s ace in an exclusive club with Carlos Beltran for the furthest grand slams in the franchise’s history. But Witt Jr. was far from done!

During the fifth inning, Bobby Witt Jr. helped widen the gap with an infield single up the first base line. He became the only third player in Royal’s history to record 200 hits in one season before turning 25. Their ace joins the list of some icons like George Brett (1976) and Willie Wilson (1980). After the game, Witt Jr. was all smiles and said, “It’s cool any time you do that, but you obviously want to win those games.” And they would have if not for some mistakes.

Despite the grand slam and 200 hits, the Kansas City Royals fell because of their errors and struggles in pitching. Carlos Lugo couldn’t match up to the Tigers’ lineup and then the change to Cole Keith was another mistake. Even Witt’s one errant throw led to Detroit getting the leg up in this race. There were several loopholes, which led to the team losing. But while they may have lost the race, Bobby Witt Jr. just added another star to his MVP resume, and it might just pay off.

The WAR showdown that could crown the next AL MVP

This season’s AL MVP race is getting everyone to the edge of their seats — nail-biting, almost. Aaron Judge and Bobby Witt Jr are having a phenomenal season. While in between the season, it did seem that Aaron Judge’s 16-game-long slump may have diminished his chances of this MVP race, but he is back and now—his grand slam recently was a testament! But to figure out the MVP and who is number one — WAR might be the deciding factor. 

Now, the New York Yankee ace is sitting at an insane 9.7 bWAR while a full 10.0 according to FanGraphs. He is the only third player in the last two decades to hit the number joining Mike Trout and Mookie Betts. And the chants of M-V-P, by which fans greet him in the stadium nowadays, show he is a clear favorite. But he does have competition!

Bobby Witt Jr. is giving the 32-year-old Yankee star a huge fight. The 24-year-old has had an incredible season of his own, and he hasn’t even reached 25 yet—no less a feat. He has a 9.0 bWAR and 9.9 fWAR. The Royals star has got the speed, defensive skills, and just enough pop in this bat to keep this MVP battle going. With more games still left to be played, only their performance can help decide who comes out as the winner of the crown. But WAR is becoming ‘the’ stat for MVP talks. So, who do you think will win this battle? Let us know in the comments.