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Aaron Judge Named American League Mvp Yankees Slugger Beats Mariners

Bonisiwe Shabane
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aaron judge named american league mvp yankees slugger beats mariners

For the second straight season, New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge has been named the American League's Most Valuable Player. Judge beat out Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh and Cleveland Guardians third baseman José Ramírez for the award, the BBWAA announced Thursday night. As the voting results show, it was a close race between Judge and Raleigh: This is Judge's second straight MVP and the third of his career (he also won in 2022). He is the 13th player with three MVPs. Only Barry Bonds (seven) and Shohei Ohtani (four), who won this year's National League MVP, have more.

Judge is the fourth Yankee with three MVPs, joining Hall of Famers Joe DiMaggio (1939, 1941, 1947), Yogi Berra (1951, 1954-55), and Mickey Mantle (1956-57, 1962). He joins Shohei Ohtani, the Dodgers superstar who won National League MVP. Judge slashed .331/.457/.688 this season and led baseball in batting average by 20 points, on-base percentage by 58 points, and slugging percentage by 66 points. His 53 home runs were second in the AL behind Raleigh's 60. Judge's 9.7 WAR was 1.7 wins better than the next best player, per Baseball Reference's calculations. This ended up being one of the most intriguing MVP races in recent history.

In one corner was New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, who has a case as the greatest right-handed hitter of all time. He showed off that hitting prowess all year long. Judge led all of baseball in batting average (.331), on-base percentage (.457), slugging average (.688) and OPS (1.144). He had the top Wins Above Replacement number in the American League at 9.7. In the other corner was the Big Dumper, Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh. The switch-hitting catcher had a season unlike any other.

Raleigh hit 60 home runs, breaking the record for home runs in a single season by a catcher, switch-hitter and a Mariner. Updated on: November 14, 2025 / 12:19 AM EST / CBS/AP In the American League, Aaron Judge became the New York Yankees' fourth three-time Most Valuable Player winner, edging Seattle's Cal Raleigh with 17 first-place votes to 13 for the switch-hitting catcher. The vote was the closest for an MVP since the Los Angeles Angels' Mike Trout topped Houston's Alex Bregman by 17-13 in 2019. Judge, who won the AL award in 2022 and 2024, joined Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra and Mickey Mantle as three-time MVPs with the Yankees. The 33-year-old outfielder led the majors with a .331 batting average and 1.144 OPS while hitting 53 homers.

When asked about his place in MLB and Yankees lore, Judge acknowledged he's in rare company. The MLB released the 2026 regular season schedule. Here is a look at key dates and events. The New York Yankees outfielder won his third career American League Most Valuable Player award on Thursday, edging out Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh and Cleveland Guardians third baseman José Ramírez. Stream NBC4 newscasts for free right here, right now. Judge, 33, previously won MVP in 2022 and 2024.

He's just the fourth player to win the award at least three times for the Yankees -- joining Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra and Mickey Mantle -- and the first to do it in a... Judge joins Berra and Mantle as the only Yankees to win consecutive MVPs. While Judge's counting numbers were down from his previous two MVP runs, he still put together a monster season. The Yankees captain hit a career-best .331 with 53 home runs and 114 RBIs -- leading the AL in runs scored, walks, batting average, slugging percentage, on-base plus slugging, total bases and intentional walks. For the third time in the last four years, Aaron Judge is the American League MVP. Judge beat out Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh to earn the honour on Thursday night, taking home 17 of the 30 first-place votes from the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

All voting is completed prior to the post-season. The 33-year-old was back in peak form in 2025, leading the AL in batting average, OPS, walks and WAR. He also blasted 53 home runs, drove in 114, stole 12 bases and won his fifth career Silver Slugger Award. Judge led his New York Yankees to a 94-win season, ultimately finishing second in the AL East to the Toronto Blue Jays. The award is Judge's 2nd in a row, and 3rd in last 4 seasons NEW YORK (WABC) -- New York Yankee slugger Aaron Judge won his third Most Valuable Player Award on Thursday night.

Judge hit 53 home runs and batted .331, beating out Seattle Mariners' Cal Raleigh, whose 60 home runs broke several records, including most by a catcher and a switch-hitter. Despite having seven fewer home runs, Judge's .457 on base percentage, and .688 slugging percentage, were well above Raleigh, whose on base and slugging percentages were .359 and .589 respectively. The 2025 MVP Award marks Judge's third, which have all come in the past four seasons. In another defining moment for the New York Yankees, Aaron Judge once again reminded everyone that consistency and dominance still matter in a sport obsessed with new stars and shiny narratives. The 33-year-old slugger captured his third American League MVP award, edging Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh in a very close vote, 355 to 335. It wasn’t the landslide some of his earlier wins had been—but it didn’t need to be.

Judge got 17 first-place votes and 13 for second, while Raleigh earned 13 first-place votes and 17 to be the runner-up. It was a razor-thin win, but a win nonetheless. MVP. Case Closed.Congratulations to @TheJudge44 on winning the 2025 American League MVP award ? pic.twitter.com/WaDcqDOIew Raleigh, a catcher, made a compelling case, leading the league with 60 home runs and 125 RBI—numbers that would win the MVP in most years.

But 2025 wasn’t most years, and Aaron Judge isn’t most players. The Yankees captain didn’t just hit; he dominated at-bats in a way that still feels unmatched in the modern game. Judge led the American League with a .331 batting average, a 204 wRC+, and 10.1 fWAR. He scored 137 runs—an absurd total in today’s run environment—and even after missing time with a flexor strain in July, he still finished with 53 home runs. Without that brief injury setback, it’s not hard to imagine him pushing Raleigh for the league lead in long balls too.

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