Bobby Witt Jr.'s mind-blowing July among best months ever in MLB history

This offseason, Kansas City Royals locked down their young star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr, with the biggest contract ever offered by the franchise. The Royals knew they had a budding superstar on their hands and wanted to lock him in for as many years as they possibly could. Now that deal looks team-friendly.

After a decent rookie season in which Witt finished fourth in the Rookie of the Year voting, he started slowly in 2023. He hit just .222 in April, and .234 in May before picking it up in June, when he hit .280.

From the second half on, he blossomed, showing the Royals what he was capable of. From July 1 on, Witt earned a slash line of .310/.351/.578/.929. He hit 18 home runs, drove in 57 runs, scored 54, and stole 26 bases. Those numbers convinced the Royals they needed to make the then 23-year the cornerstone of their franchise.

He hasn't disappointed. He is .315 in March/April, then again in May. He "dipped" in June to a paltry .306. It turns out, the first half of the season was merely a precursor for what was to come.

Just how good was Bobby Witt Jr. in July for the Royals?

Witt's numbers in the month of July are just mind-boggling. He seems like a cheat code for a video game at times.

in 100 plate appearances during July, Witt's slash line is ludicrous — .489/.520/.833/1.353. He had 44 hits, including eight doubles, one triple, and seven home runs. He scored 26 runs and had 22 RBI.

If you want to find a negative, he only walked six times, but on the other hand, he only struck out 10 times. In 100 plate appearances, and that is flat-out fantastic. There was only one game in July in which Witt did not have a hit. MLB Network tweeted that the .489 average was the fifth-highest calendar month average since 1930.

Ten years ago, Jonah Keri from Grantland compiled a list of the best single-month performances in the history of the game. While this list is a bit older. there can't be many monthly performances that could possibly crack the list over the last decade. Barry Bonds holds down six of the 10 spots, all from his 2001-04 seasons. Bob Bailey, Frank Thomas, Babe Ruth, and Todd Helton are also there.

Witt's July average falls as the second best on that list behind Helton's .512 in May 2000. His other numbers are still terrific, but because he's not the home run hitter the rest of those fellows were, his Slugging Percentage and OPS do fall short a bit. Still, his 1.353 OPS is sensational and not far off those historic marks.

OptaStats also dug up this doozy:

Aaron Judge is still probably the frontrunner for the AL MVP. He's having another fantastic, beastly season, leading the league with 39 home runs and 99 RBI, while sitting at third in batting average. He plays under the most intense spotlight in New York, and voters love the power hitters.

Make no mistake about it. Judge is more than worthy, but Witt plays a different game than Judge. He relies on speed and contact, rather than sheer power. The Royals' star has 19 more stolen bases than Judge, five more doubles, 29 more hits, and Witt has passed Judge in WAR — 7.5 to 7.3. Witt also has four hitting streaks this season of at least 10 games, including two in July!

No one knows how the last two months will unfold. If the season ended today, both the Royals and Yankees would have wild card spots. If the Royals can stay in the race, and Witt can continue to play at a high level, he has to get some consideration for the MVP.

Regardless, Witt's July has catapulted him from a viable MVP candidate to maybe a co-frontrunner with Judge. You will be lucky if you get to watch a player as hot as Witt was in July ever again.