The exclusive club that MVP candidate Witt cracked in '24

Bobby Witt Jr. hit 30 home runs and stole 49 bases in 2023. Yet somehow, he had an even better ’24 season. The superstar shortstop, who turned 24 in June, had an MVP-caliber campaign, ultimately getting named as one of three AL MVP finalists. He led the Majors with a .332 batting average and 211 hits while belting 32 home runs and swiping 31 bases. He also won his first career Gold Glove Award.

Witt became the third player in Royals history to have back-to-back 25-25 seasons (also Bo Jackson in 1988-89, and Carlos Beltrán in 2002-03). But that’s not the only way in which Witt made franchise history in 2024.

He eclipsed franchise icon and Hall of Famer George Brett for the highest single-season FanGraphs WAR in Royals history, with 10.4 -- Brett produced 9.1 fWAR in 1980 (Witt also tied Brett for the highest single-season Baseball Reference WAR in franchise history, at 9.4).

Ahead of the MVP Award announcement on Thursday, it’s a great time to look at the Modern Era (since 1900) single-season record holder for fWAR of each Major League club:

American League East

Blue Jays: Roger Clemens (10.7 fWAR in 1997)
The 1997 season was Clemens’ first in a uniform other than that of the Red Sox, for whom he pitched 13 seasons over which he won three Cy Young Awards. Then he signed with the Blue Jays and promptly turned in one of the greatest single-season performances by a starting pitcher in AL/NL history. The man they called “The Rocket” went 21-7 with a 2.05 ERA, nine complete games (three shutouts) and 292 strikeouts over 264 innings to win the fourth of seven career Cy Young Awards.

Position player fWAR leader: Josh Donaldson (8.7 in 2015)

Orioles: Cal Ripken Jr. (10.6 in 1991)
Ripken’s 1991 campaign was the finest of his record-breaking career. The “Iron Man,” who broke Lou Gehrig’s once-thought-unbreakable mark of 2,130 consecutive games, posted a .940 OPS with 34 home runs, 114 RBIs and an MLB-leading 368 total bases. He also won the All-Star Home Run Derby at Toronto’s Skydome for icing on the cake in what would become his second career MVP campaign.

Pitcher fWAR leader: Jim Palmer (6.9 in 1975)

Rays: Ben Zobrist (8.7 in 2009)
Zobrist played 14 seasons in the Majors and was a three-time All-Star, but the 2009 season was his best. He finished that campaign with a .948 OPS, 27 home runs, 91 RBIs and 17 steals for the Rays, earning his first All-Star selection. He also appeared at seven different positions during the season, proving invaluable with his defensive versatility.

Pitcher fWAR leader: Charlie Morton (6.0 in 2019)

Red Sox: Ted Williams (11.6 in 1946); Pedro Martinez (11.6 in 1999 -- all-time record for pitchers)
The season most people think of when hearing Williams’ name is 1941, when the Splendid Splinter hit .406 -- Williams is still the last man to hit over .400 in a season. But it was the ’46 campaign that was his best in terms of fWAR. Incredibly, it was his first season back in the Majors after serving three years in the military during World War II. In his age-27 season, Williams hit .342/.497/.667 with 38 home runs, 123 RBIs, 156 walks and 142 runs scored.

Williams is considered by many to be the greatest hitter who ever lived. And Martinez, particularly from 1997-2003, is one of the most dominant pitchers of all time. At no time was he more dominant than at the peak of his powers in 1999 and 2000. In '99, the diminutive right-hander won the second of three career Cy Young Awards thanks to an overpowering campaign in which he posted a 2.07 ERA (243 ERA+) with 313 strikeouts and an incredible 8.5 strikeout-to-walk ratio for the Red Sox.

Yankees: Babe Ruth (14.7 in 1923 -- all-time record)
While some players, most recently Barry Bonds and Mike Trout, have made bids to challenge Ruth’s single-season fWAR record, no one has come particularly close in the end. Ruth’s 1923 season was, in a word … well, there may not be a word to sufficiently describe it. He posted a 1.309 OPS with 41 homers, 130 RBIs, 170 walks, 151 runs scored and 399 total bases. In a career packed with memorable moments and unparalleled achievements, it was in 1923 that Ruth produced the most fWAR, a record that still stands more than 100 years later.

Pitcher fWAR leader: Ron Guidry (9.1 in 1978)

AL Central

Guardians: Lou Boudreau (10.9 in 1948)
A Hall of Fame shortstop who spent all but two of his 15 MLB seasons with Cleveland (including nine as a player-manager), Boudreau’s best year came in 1948, when he led Cleveland to a World Series title. Boudreau turned in a slash line of .355/.453/.534 and was fantastic in the field, winning the AL MVP Award.

Pitcher fWAR leader: Bob Feller (9.6 in 1946)

Royals: Bobby Witt Jr. (10.4 in 2024)
Witt's tremendous 2024 performance made Royals history, with the 24-year-old shortstop topping a 30-homer/49-steal campaign just the year prior by surpassing George Brett's 1980 record of 9.1 fWAR. Given his youth and trajectory, Witt might even have a shot at eclipsing his own franchise record in the years to come.

Pitcher fWAR leader: Zack Greinke (8.7 in 2009)

Tigers: Ty Cobb (11.5 in 1917)
Cobb, one of the greatest hitters and most aggressive all-around players of all time, led the Majors in hits (225), doubles (44), triples (24), steals (55), batting average (.383), on-base percentage (.444), slugging (.570) and total bases (335) in 1917, his age-30 season.

Pitcher fWAR leader: Hal Newhouser (9.3 in 1946)

Twins: Bert Blyleven (10.8 in 1973)
Rod Carew? Kirby Puckett? Joe Mauer? Nope, it’s Blyleven who holds the single-season fWAR record for the Twins. As a 22-year-old in 1973, the Hall of Fame right-hander made 40 starts over which he pitched 325 innings, posted a 2.52 ERA, threw 25 complete games (nine of which were shutouts), struck out 258 batters and led the AL with a 156 ERA+. He earned his first All-Star selection and even garnered some MVP consideration.

Position player fWAR leader: Rod Carew (8.6 in 1977)

White Sox: Eddie Collins (9.3 in 1915)
While you might have guessed Frank Thomas, it’s Collins who holds the single-season fWAR record for the storied White Sox franchise. A year after he was named AL MVP in 1914, Collins posted an .896 OPS with 44 steals and an MLB-leading 119 walks for Chicago while playing a strong second base.

Pitcher fWAR leader: Ed Walsh (9.1 in 1908)

AL West

Angels: Mike Trout (10.1 in 2012 and ’13)
Trout was the consensus best player on the planet for several years. Among the numerous accolades and incredible stats that we’ve seen from his career, this one’s quite amazing: he set the Angels' record for highest single-season fWAR as a rookie in 2012, and then produced the exact same value the next year. He had a .963 OPS with 30 homers and 49 steals in just 139 games in ’12, before posting a .988 OPS with 27 homers and 33 steals for a second straight runner-up finish in AL MVP voting in ’13.

Pitcher fWAR leader: Nolan Ryan (8.7 in 1973)

Astros: Craig Biggio (9.3 in 1997)
Jeff Bagwell’s 1994 MVP campaign (7.8) and another outstanding season in ’97 (8.0) were close, but Biggio is the single-season fWAR king in Astros history. The other member of the “Killer B’s” led the Majors with 146 runs scored in ’97, posting a .916 OPS with 22 homers and 47 steals. The Hall of Famer did all of that while playing Gold Glove-caliber defense at second base.

Pitcher fWAR leader: J.R. Richard (8.9 in 1979)

Athletics: Rickey Henderson (10.2 in 1990)^
Coming off a tremendous postseason performance in 1989, when he had a 1.509 OPS, three home runs and 11 steals, not to mention the AL Championship Series MVP Award, Rickey was never more valuable than in 1990. That’s when he won the AL MVP Award after leading the Majors in runs (119), steals (65), on-base percentage (.439), OPS (1.016) and OPS+ (189). The legendary leadoff man also tied a career-high with 28 home runs that season.

Pitcher fWAR leader: Vida Blue (8.8 in 1971)^

^Franchise history: Jimmie Foxx (11.3 fWAR for 1932 Philadelphia A’s); Rube Waddell (9.2 pitcher fWAR for 1904 Philadelphia A’s)

Mariners: Ken Griffey Jr. (9.7 in 1996)
Griffey was the game’s most iconic player in the 1990s, and while he won the AL MVP Award in 1997, it was ’96 that was his best season by fWAR, a Mariners record. He had a monster year at the plate, launching 49 home runs, driving in 140 runs and producing a 1.028 OPS. Defensively, Griffey -- who won 10 straight Gold Glove Awards from 1990-99 -- had perhaps his best season in center field.

Pitcher fWAR leader: Randy Johnson (9.5 in 1995)

Rangers: Alex Rodriguez (10.0 in 2002)
In his second season with Texas after inking a record 10-year, $252 million contract, A-Rod had a jaw-dropping season offensively, posting a 1.015 OPS with 57 home runs, the most in the AL since Roger Maris hit 61 in 1961. While playing all 162 games that season, Rodriguez not only led the Majors in homers, he also led with 142 RBIs and 389 total bases. All the while, he played great defense at shortstop, winning his first Gold Glove Award.

Pitcher fWAR leader: Fergie Jenkins (7.4 in 1974)

National League East

Braves: Darrell Evans (9.7 in 1973)
You might have guessed one of the big three Braves starters of the 1990s -- Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine or John Smoltz -- would top the list for the Braves, but it’s actually Evans, who hit a career-best 41 homers and drove in a career-high 104 runs in 1973. He also led the Majors with 124 walks while producing a .959 OPS. He played strong defense at the corner infield positions for Atlanta, primarily at third base.

Pitcher fWAR leader: Phil Niekro (8.6 in 1978)

Marlins: Hanley Ramirez (7.4 in 2008)
Ramirez, the 2006 NL Rookie of the Year, had a prodigious season two years later. In his age-24 campaign, the shortstop produced a 30-30 season, smashing 33 homers and swiping 35 bases while hitting .301/.400/.540. He also led the Majors with 125 runs scored for the Marlins.

Pitcher fWAR leader: Kevin Brown (6.7 in 1996)

Mets: Tom Seaver (9.1 in 1971)
The 1971 season was the best of Seaver’s Hall of Fame career. “Tom Terrific” was more than terrific, pitching to a 1.76 ERA with a 0.95 WHIP and 289 strikeouts over 286 1/3 innings. He threw 21 complete games and had a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 4.7. The Cubs’ Fergie Jenkins had an ERA more than a run higher than Seaver’s, but he pitched 325 innings and won 24 games to win the 1971 NL Cy Young Award.

Position player fWAR leader: David Wright (8.4 in 2007)

Nationals: Bryce Harper (9.3 in 2015)
The first of Harper’s two MVP performances remains the most productive season, by fWAR, in Nationals/Expos history. In his age-22 season, the 2012 NL Rookie of the Year produced a .330/.460/.649 slash line with an NL-leading 42 home runs and 118 runs scored. He became the fourth-youngest player to in an MVP Award, behind Vida Blue (1971), Johnny Bench (1970) and Stan Musial (1943).

Pitcher fWAR leader: Max Scherzer (7.5 in 2018)^

^Franchise history: Pedro Martinez (8.5 fWAR for 1997 Montreal Expos)

Phillies: Steve Carlton (11.1 in 1972)
In 1972, Carlton put together one of the greatest single-season performances by a starting pitcher in MLB history. In his first season with the Phillies, the left-hander went 27-10 with a 1.97 ERA over 346 1/3 innings. He led MLB with 30 complete games, eight of which were shutouts. He struck out 310 batters and won the NL Cy Young Award, also garnering enough MVP votes to finish fifth in the NL.

Position player fWAR leader: Mike Schmidt (9.4 in 1974)

NL Central

Brewers: Robin Yount (9.8 in 1982)
Yount led the Brewers to the World Series in 1982, which was the best individual season of his Hall of Fame career. He led the Majors with 210 hits, 46 doubles, a .578 slugging percentage, a .957 OPS and 367 total bases. He was named the AL MVP and won a Gold Glove Award for his stellar defense at shortstop. He followed that up with a big postseason -- he hit .414 with three doubles and a homer in the World Series, which Milwaukee lost to the Cardinals.

Pitcher fWAR leader: Ben Sheets (8.0 in 2004)

Cardinals: Rogers Hornsby (12.2 in 1924)
Though he had a higher fWAR than anyone in either the AL or the NL in 1924, Hornsby finished second in NL MVP voting behind the Brooklyn Robins’ Dazzy Vance. Hornsby’s ’24 season was spectacular -- he hit .424/.507/.696 with 227 hits and 373 total bases. It was the most productive season in a career that included two MVP Awards, two Triple Crowns and seven batting titles.

Pitcher fWAR leader: Bob Gibson (9.8 in 1970)

Cubs: Rogers Hornsby (11.0 in 1929)
Hornsby is the only player who appears twice on this prestigious list, producing the highest single-season fWAR in the long and storied history of the Cubs five years after accomplishing the same feat with the Cardinals. In 1929 with Chicago, Hornsby posted a slash line of .380/.459/.679, leading the Majors with 156 runs scored to go along with 229 hits, 47 doubles, 39 home runs and 149 RBIs. The performance earned him his second career MVP Award.

Pitcher fWAR leader: Fergie Jenkins (9.6 in 1971)

Pirates: Honus Wagner (11.8 in 1908)
An eight-time batting champion in a Hall of Fame career, Wagner’s finest season came in 1908, when he hit .354/.415/.542 and led the Majors with 201 hits, 39 doubles, 19 triples, 109 RBIs, 53 steals, a .957 OPS and 308 total bases.

Pitcher fWAR leader: Bob Veale (8.0 in 1965)

Reds: Joe Morgan (11.0 in 1975)
The “Big Red Machine” Reds of the mid-1970s were stacked with such luminaries as Johnny Bench, Pete Rose, Tony Perez and George Foster. But the player who produced the highest fWAR among them in the first of back-to-back World Series championship seasons was Morgan, who would also win the NL MVP Award in both years. In ’75, the superstar second baseman led the Majors in on-base percentage (.466) and OPS (.974) to go along with 17 home runs, 67 stolen bases and 94 RBIs.

Pitcher fWAR leader: Mario Soto (7.4 in 1982)

NL West

D-backs: Randy Johnson (10.4 in 2001)
The 2001 season was a special one for the D-backs, who won the World Series in a seven-game thriller over the Yankees. The driving force of that team was the starting pitching duo of Johnson and Curt Schilling. Johnson was at the peak of his powers, overpowering opposing hitters with a devastating fastball-slider combination that produced 372 strikeouts -- the most since Nolan Ryan’s 383 in 1973. The Big Unit also had an MLB-best 2.49 ERA and 1.01 WHIP before being named co-MVP of the World Series with Schilling.

Position player fWAR leader: Luis Gonzalez (8.9 in 2001)

Dodgers: Sandy Koufax (10.0 in 1965)
Koufax is considered by some to be the greatest left-handed pitcher in baseball history, and his best year was 1965, when he helped lead the Dodgers to their second World Series title in three years. Koufax, in his penultimate Major League season, posted a 2.04 ERA over 335 2/3 innings while striking out 382 and leading MLB with 27 complete games. He then went on to be named MVP of the World Series against the Twins.

Position player fWAR leader: Adrián Beltré (9.7 in 2004)

Giants: Barry Bonds (12.7 in 2002)
In the season following his record-breaking 2001 campaign, when he set a single-season record with 73 home runs, Bonds had become one of the most feared hitters in baseball history, if not the most feared. The only reason he didn’t crush more than his 46 homers that year was that he walked an incredible 198 times (68 intentional walks). Still, Bonds’ slash line was .370/.582/.799 to produce the highest fWAR in any season in Giants history.

Pitcher fWAR leader: Christy Mathewson (10.8 in 1908)

Padres: Kevin Brown (9.6 in 1998)
In an era that featured Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson and others, Brown was overshadowed. But his 1998 campaign was exceptional, proving to be a key element in the Padres’ run all the way to the World Series. The hard-throwing right-hander finished with a 2.38 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP over 257 innings. He gave up just eight home runs all season and struck out 5.2 batters for every batter he walked.

Position player fWAR leader: Dave Winfield (7.8 in 1979)

Rockies: Larry Walker (9.1 in 1997)
Walker’s 1997 season was remarkable for many reasons, but perhaps the most impressive was that he had a better year on the road than at the hitter’s paradise that is Coors Field -- he was amazing in his home ballpark, producing a 1.169 OPS with 20 homers at Coors, but he hit 29 homers with a 1.176 OPS away from the altitude of Denver. Despite the difficulty hitters have in being recognized for their production if they play half their games in Colorado, Walker’s numbers were too outstanding to ignore, and he was named the NL MVP.

Pitcher fWAR leader: Ubaldo Jiménez (6.0 in 2010)