KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Royals announced their 2024 team award winners today, which were voted on by the Kansas City Chapter of the BBWAA.
Bobby Witt Jr. was unanimously named the Les Milgram Player of the Year, an award named in honor of the late Kansas City businessman, community leader and Royals board member. Right hander Seth Lugo was named Bruce Rice Pitcher of the Year, named in honor of the late Kansas City-area sportscaster.
Cole Ragans earned the Joe Burke Special Achievement Award, named in honor of the Royals Hall of Famer, who was the club’s GM and President during his 20 years with the Royals from 1973-92. The award is given to an unsung player who contributed beyond what was expected or someone voters felt deserved recognition for an outstanding season.
Witt Jr. has won Royals Player of the Year in each of his three seasons in the Majors, including unanimous selections in 2023 and 2024. He is the first to win Royals Player of the Year honors in three consecutive seasons. Since the award was established in 1971, Witt Jr.’s three Royals Player of the Year Awards are tied for 2nd most with Amos Otis, Billy Butler, Eric Hosmer and Mike Sweeney, trailing only George Brett, who won the award a club-record eight times.
Witt Jr., 24, led Major League Baseball in 2024 with 211 hits and a .332 batting average, becoming the third Royal to lead the Majors in average, following Brett in 1980 (.390) and Willie Wilson in 1982 (.332). He had 32 home runs and 31 stolen bases, becoming the first shortstop in Major League history with multiple 30/30 seasons.
Witt Jr. is the second player ever to lead the Majors in batting average during a 30/30 season, joining Mookie Betts, who had 32 homers and 30 steals while leading the Majors with a .346 average during his 2018 American League MVP season.
Witt Jr.’s 2024 honors include All-MLB First Team at shortstop, the American League Rawlings Gold Glove Award and Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Award. He was named runner up for the American League Most Valuable Player Award and was named the overall winner of the MLBPAA Heart and Hustle Award.
Lugo was named Royals Pitcher of the Year in his first season with the club, after signing as a free agent last December. He set career highs in 2024 with 33 starts and 206.2 innings, and ranked among American League leaders in quality starts (22, T-1st), innings (2nd), wins (16, T-2nd), ERA (3.00, 6th) and WHIP (1.09, 7th).
Lugo’s 3.00 ERA (69 ER in 206.2 IP) was the lowest by a Royals starting pitcher since Zack Greinke’s 2.16 ERA during his 2009 Cy Young Award-winning season, and Lugo’s 16 wins were the most by a Royal since Jason Vargas went 18-11 in 2017.
Lugo was the runner up in the American League Cy Young Award voting and was named All-MLB Second Team. He won the American League Rawlings Gold Glove Award among pitchers.
Ragans went 11-9 with a 3.14 ERA (65 ER in 186.1 IP) in 32 starts in 2024 and set career highs in wins, starts, quality starts (21), innings and strikeouts (223). His 223 strikeouts were the 3rd most in a single season in Royals history, trailing Dennis Leonard’s 244 strikeouts in 1977 and Greinke’s 242 strikeouts in 2009. Ragans’ 29.3 K% set a new single-season franchise record, besting Greinke’s mark of 26.4% in 2009.
Ragans’ 10.77 K/9 was the highest in the American League, ahead of Tarik Skubal (10.69). He ranked 2nd among American League pitchers with a 4.9 fWAR, trailing only Skubal (5.9).
Ragans placed 4th in the American League Cy Young Award voting and was a finalist for the American League Rawlings Gold Glove Award.
All three Royals award winners were named first-time American League All-Stars in 2024. Along with Salvador Perez, who was selected to the All-Star Game for the ninth time, Kansas City had four All-Stars for the first time since 2016.
