Bobby Witt Jr.'s AL MVP Odds Soaring Amid Royals' Surge

The Royals won four of their last five games and now sit just a half-game out of the AL Central lead. Kansas City suddenly has legitimate playoff aspirations, largely thanks to superstar MVP candidate, Bobby Witt Jr.

Betting markets agree, and Witt Jr. sits with the second-best odds to win AL MVP. After opening the year with the seventh-best odds to win AL MVP, Witt Jr. has climbed all season and now sits just behind Juan Soto of the Yankees.

If he keeps this pace up, Bobby might just earn his first MVP trophy by the end of the season.

Bobby Witt Jr. AL MVP Odds Soaring at Sportsbooks

George Brett is the only player in Royals history to win the prestigious award. That was back in 1980, so Witt Jr. has an opportunity to become the first Royal in 44 years to win MVP.

He's currently hitting .305 with an .896 OPS, five home runs, 21 RBI, 16 walks and 15 stolen bases while leading all shortstops in Defensive Runs Saved. His power numbers aren't what they were a year ago yet, but Witt Jr. still has 21 extra base hits and a 2.9 WAR.

Odds of +260 give Witt Jr. an implied probability of 27.78% to win AL MVP. Considering where he started, that's a massive win and I'd expect the odds to continue shifting in his favor. Just a month ago, Witt Jr. was +700.

The Royals are becoming the biggest story of MLB's season. If they continue stunning the world as Witt Jr. stays hot, it'll be difficult to ignore Kansas City's star with the award. No matter what happens, it's incredible to see a Royals player have a real chance.

Even the World Series team of 2015 didn't have a true MVP candidate like Witt Jr. Lorenzo Cain finished third in 2015 but didn't earn a first-place vote and was 160 points behind Josh Donaldson. Witt Jr. can finish much closer and perhaps even overcome Juan Soto.

This is shaping up to be a special season. If Witt Jr. keeps this up, the magic is only getting started.

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