- Kansas City Royals’ Kauffman Stadium are changing their outfield wall dimensions, which expects to make the park much more hitter friendly.
- Those changes will help star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. clear his 27.5 home run projection for the 2026 season.
- Witt Jr. has +500 odds to win AL MVP over back-to-back defending champ and betting favorite Aaron Judge at +280 odds.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Kansas City Royals star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. could be in for his best season yet in 2026 with the latest changes to his home stadium. The Royals announced that Kauffman Stadium will be shortening the height of their outfield fences and bringing them in closer, creating a better environment for hitters.
The outfield wall will come in 8 to 10 feet starting from the corners, reducing the gaps from 387 feet to 379 feet but keeping the centerfield wall at 410 feet. The height of the outfield wall will also change, lowering from 10 feet tall to 8 and a half feet in most places.
That is great news for Bobby Witt Jr.’s legal sports betting projections for the 2026 season, especially for home runs. Witt Jr. projects for 27.5 home runs this season after hitting just 23 long in 2025, but Royals General Manager J.J. Picollo says Witt Jr. was one of the most negatively impacted players by his home field.
#Royals GM J. J. Picollo says that Bobby Witt Jr. was one of the players most negatively affected by Kauffman’s outfield.
He believes with the stadium dimension change, his production will go up this season.
— Sports Radio 810 WHB (@SportsRadio810) January 13, 2026
Bet On Big Season From Bobby Witt Jr In 2026
Based on Witt. Jr’s spray chart at home, Picollo is correct. The shortstop had 13 doubles and four triples last season that would be home runs with the park’s new dimensions, bringing last year’s home run total from 23 to 40.
That alone has a big impact on Witt Jr.’s home run total at legal MLB betting sites, which has -115 odds to go over 27.5 homers. The shortstop had 32 and 30 in 2024 and 2023, respectively, so betting Witt Jr. to hit 28 home runs in 2026 is a solid bet based on previous history and new park changes.
Aside from just home runs, the new park dimensions would also boost Witt Jr.’s batting average since there were about 11 outs that would’ve been over the wall or off the wall. Considering those 11 outs would be hits, Bobby Witt Jr.’s batting average would’ve been comfortably over .300 to pair with an expected 40 home runs and 38 stolen bases.
That’s a solid resume for an MVP case, in which Missouri sportsbook apps give Witt Jr. +500 odds for 2026.
