Kansas City Royals young superstar Bobby Witt Jr. on Tuesday night went where no MLB shortstop has ever gone before.
In the first inning of his club’s game against the Detroit Tigers (DET-KC GameTracker), Witt Jr. swiped his 30th base of the season. Those 30 stolen bases in tandem with his 32 homers give him a second straight 30-30 season. Now here’s a list of all the primary shortstops who have authored 30-30 seasons, via the inestimable Sarah Langs:
- Bobby Witt Jr., Royals, 2024
- Bobby Witt Jr., Royals, 2023
- Francisco Lindor, Mets, 2023
- Hanley Ramirez, Marlins, 2008
- Jimmy Rollins, Phillies, 2007
- Alex Rodriguez, Mariners, 1998
- Barry Larkin, Reds, 1996
As you can see, Witt is the first primary shortstop ever to achieve the feat twice. Speaking of which, here’s a look at his history-making theft from Tuesday:
It should be noted that the Mets’ Lindor also has a chance to join Witt in the newly minted club of “shortstops with multiple 30-30 seasons.” At this writing, Lindor has 31 home runs and 27 stolen bases. He’s obviously close, but it must be noted that he’s been dealing with back problems lately. Even if he plays through the pain, that’s the kind of injury that might cut down on his daring on the bases.
As for Witt Jr., more impressive still is that the 24-year-old has notched that second 30-30 campaign in just his third big-league season. In addition to all those homers and steals, Witt Jr. this season boasts an OPS+ of 169 and a WAR of 8.6. While Yankees slugger Aaron Judge is probably the favorite to win the American League MVP award, Witt Jr. is very much in the discussion. In a related matter, his Royals are in line to return to the postseason for the first time since 2015, when they won the World Series.
