KANSAS CITY, Mo.—Major League Baseball tonight announced the finalists for the All-MLB Team presented by MGM Rewards, which recognizes and commemorates the top performances by players during the regular season. The selections for the All-MLB team, which was established in 2019, will be announced on Saturday, Dec. 16.
For the second consecutive season, Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr. is on the All-MLB Team ballot at shortstop.
Beginning today and continuing through Sunday, Nov. 19 at 7:00 p.m. CT, fans may vote for their 2023 All-MLB choices at https://www.mlb.com/all-mlb/ballot. Fan voting will count for 50% of the official vote, and a media panel vote will determine the other half.
Fans and panelists will vote for their top choice at catcher, first base, second base, third base, shortstop, three outfielders (without regard for left/center/right) and designated hitter, along with five starting pitchers and two relief pitchers on both the first and second teams. All choices will be based on the regular season, without regard for American League or National League affiliation.
Witt Jr., who last week was named a finalist for the American League Louisville Silver Slugger Award, recorded 30 home runs and 49 stolen bases during his age-23 season in 2023, becoming the first player in Royals history with a 30-homer, 30-steal campaign. Only four other players in Major League history have matched Witt Jr.’s combination of home runs and stolen bases in a season, a feat that was also achieved by Eric Davis (1987), Barry Bonds (1990), Mike Trout (2012) and Ronald Acuña Jr. (2023).
Witt Jr. ranked 3rd in the American League in 2023 with 177 hits, trailing Marcus Semien (185) and Julio Rodríguez (180), and he led the Majors with 11 triples, the most by a Royal since Carlos Beltrán had 12 triples in 2001. Witt Jr. became the sixth American League player in the last 75 years with at least 30 home runs and 10 triples in a season, following Joe DiMaggio (1950), Mickey Mantle (1955), Jim Rice (1977 and 1978), Nomar Garciaparra (1997) and Curtis Granderson (2011).
Witt Jr. led Major League shortstops in stolen bases and total bases (317), tied World Series MVP Corey Seager for 2nd in RBI (96), ranked 2nd to Seager in extra-base hits (69) and 3rd in home runs to Seager (33) and Francisco Lindor (31).
On defense, Witt Jr. ranked 4th among Major League shortstops with 14 Baseball Savant’s Outs Above Average metric, trailing three National League players at the position in Dansby Swanson (20), Willy Adames (16) and Ezequiel Tovar (16).
Witt Jr. is hoping to join teammate Salvador Perez, who was named All-MLB First Team at catcher in 2020 and 2021, as Royals to earn All-MLB honors since the award was established in 2019.
