Earlier this week, Kansas City Royals star Bobby Witt Jr. learned he was a finalist for the American League MVP award. Witt Jr. is battling for the crown with Aaron Judge (New York Yankees) and Juan Soto (Yankees).

Witt Jr. should finish second, but even being named in the bottom three, he did a lot of good for the Royals. As part of the last collective agreement (2022), teams were encouraged not to retain prospects. Part of those incentives included giving teams additional draft picks for high-performing young players.

In Witt Jr.’s case, a top-three MVP finish will give the Royals an extra draft pick late in the first round.

Baseball America’s Matt Eddy had the information:

With the announcement of the MLB Award finalists, we know the Royals are officially getting a draft pick for the prospect promotion incentive after the first round in 2025.

Bobby Witt Jr. is locked into the top three MVPs.

Since these incentives were designed, additional compensation for draft picks has only been given to Rookie of the Year candidates, so Witt Jr.’s run to MVP is historic, as is his season 2024.

THE Royals The shortstop appeared in his first All-Star Game and earned Gold Glove and Silver Slugger honors. He also won the American League batting title, posting a solid .332 average to win the American League batting title. He hit 32 home runs, 109 RBIs and 45 doubles, leading the majors with 211 hits.

Witt Jr. added 31 stolen bases.

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