Heated Al Mvp Debate Has Yankees Fans Fuming Over Apparent Aaron Judge

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Nov 18, 2025, 1:20 PM

heated al mvp debate has yankees fans fuming over apparent aaron judge

It seems the rest of the baseball world has forgotten that Aaron Judge exists. The New York Yankees slugger spent minimal time on the IL due to a flexor strain in his right elbow, but that seems to be all it took for the baseball world at large... That's to take nothing away from his chief competitor, Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh, AKA The Big Dumper. However, the idea that Raleigh is now the odds-on favorite to win the AL MVP Award has Yankee fans foaming at the mouth. Raleigh will make history in his own right in 2025. The switch-hitter is just one homer shy of tying Salvador Perez's record for most single-season homers hit by a catcher, a mark he should shatter given how many games remain.

That will be an amazing feat, for sure, but the numbers show he's still no match for Judge. While Raleigh's power surge has impressed, let's not forget that Judge is no slouch in that department in his own right. But there's more to being a feared hitter than simply crushing dingers. A side-by-side comparison shows just how lopsided this debate really is. Raleigh's power is massive, but he's also batting just .249 on the season. That's a far cry from Judge, who, while he no longer will hit .400, is otherworldly with his ability to mash and hit for contact.

The American League MVP winner was announced on Thursday, and the winner was not what most MLB fans hoped for. At the end of the day, Aaron Judge wrapped up his second straight MVP win and his third in the last four years, winning this year's award over Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh. Raleigh had arguably the best season a catcher has ever had, yet Judge still walked away with the win. This fact has many screaming New York bias, as Judge, the New York Yankees captain, won it by an expectedly small margin. The fact of the matter, though, is that the better player won. Top 5 in AL MVP voting:Aaron Judge - 355 pointsCal Raleigh - 335José Ramírez - 224Bobby Witt Jr.

- 215Tarik Skubal - 139 For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop... This is no slight to Raleigh, who, again, might've had the best season a catcher has ever had. He slashed .247/.359/.589 with 60 home runs and 125 RBI as a primary catcher, while hitting in the most pitcher-friendly park in the majors half the time. In addition to his offensive prowess, Raleigh was his usual sturdy self defensively. New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge still appears to be the AL MVP favorite, but the case for Seattle Mariners Cal Raleigh is getting a lot of heat following his impactful 60th home run...

With three games left in the regular season, Raleigh doesn't seem likely to take it all, but he is getting well-earned flowers for an astonishing season of baseball. Judge leads the league with superhuman batting statistics, running away with the accolade on most numbers, but some journalists and commentators insist that what Raleigh is doing as a catcher is worth taking into... Raleigh still leads the league with 60 home runs, and the Mariners are took their division for the first time since 2001, a feat in which Raleigh has played no small role. It is possible that Raleigh could overtake Judge's AL record for most home runs in a season. Jon Heyman of the New York Post, who has championed the Raleigh angle from New York, insists that Raleigh deserves the award for reasons that go beyond the numbers. "Judge is having MLB’s best overall offensive season, and his 1.136 OPS easily tops Raleigh’s .959," Heyman wrote.

"And Fangraphs’ WAR, which tries a little better to judge catchers, has Judge with a 9.6 WAR to 9.1 for Raleigh." "But something to consider is how valuable a big-hitting catcher is. Yogi Berra won a record 10 World Series as a player (and three MVPs), and he never came close to leading in any rate stats or WAR. Same with Roy Campanella. Fairly, voters gave catchers extra consideration back then, but in the analytics era we have absurdly unfair defensive metrics to keep catchers down." Anthony Rizzo is retired, but he hasn’t stopped swinging hard for his friends and teammates.

On Saturday, the former Yankees first baseman posted to Instagram: “@thejudge44 is the MVP! Consistency, power and leadership are unmatched — and truthfully this should be his fourth MVP!!!!” That last part wasn’t a throwaway; it was a dagger. Around the league, many players still believe Aaron Judge was robbed of his first MVP back in 2017, when Jose Altuve won it over him in a close race. Judge took Rookie of the Year instead. The revelation that the Astros were cheating during that season, however, has left a scar for many players who believe Altuve didn’t win it fairly.

For Judge’s teammates. past and present, it’s a scar that hasn’t faded. Now in 2025, Judge is at the center of another heated MVP race. The New York Yankees couldn’t have asked for more from Aaron Judge in 2025. Their captain didn’t just power the lineup—he carried it, again. Now, as the season’s dust settles, Judge stands on the doorstep of a third American League MVP Award.

But the path isn’t as clear as it was in 2022 or 2024. This time, he’s staring across at Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh, who has turned an unlikely season into one of the most fascinating MVP races in years. For the Yankees, Judge was everything. The heartbeat, the thunder, the reason pitchers lost sleep. He led the majors in both wRC+ (204) and fWAR (10.1), metrics that tell the story behind his 53 home runs and 137 runs scored. Once again, he was a one-man wrecking crew in a lineup that often leaned too heavily on him.

When Judge homers, Yankee Stadium shakes differently. There’s a sense of inevitability to his power, a quiet understanding that he can flip a game with one swing. And yet, what separates him from the rest isn’t just the strength—it’s the patience. Judge has evolved into a complete hitter, blending power and plate discipline like few ever have. In many ways, his 2025 season resembled a masterclass in consistency and leadership. Even when opposing teams pitched around him, Judge found ways to impact the game.

Whether it was drawing a key walk, taking an extra base, or making a play in right field, he set the tone for a Yankees team that followed his lead all year, even despite... Then there’s Cal Raleigh, the Mariners’ ironman behind the plate. He’s the anti-Judge in terms of glamour and market size, but his 2025 campaign forced everyone—from analysts to voters—to take notice. Sixty home runs from a catcher isn’t just impressive; it’s nearly unthinkable. Raleigh’s power surge wasn’t a flash in the pan—it was sustained, steady, and fueled by his ability to handle one of baseball’s toughest positions. According to Jayson Stark, there is no wrong answer in the Aaron Judge vs Cal Raleigh debate for American League MVP.

Yet, according to the longtime MLB writer for The Athletic, the New York Yankees captain should be the MVP of the league for the third time in his legendary career — and second straight... Raleigh became the fourth player in American League history, and seventh of major-league history, to hit 60 home runs — including Judge, who set the AL record by hitting 62 homers in 2022. Raleigh broke the major-league home run record for catchers and has carried the M’s to their first division title since 2001. Yet, Judge is also having another astronomical year and is about to win his first batting title of his legendary career. He is second, behind Raleigh, in the AL in home runs (52) — despite the fact he missed 11 games with an elbow injury that has affected his play. Stark, who has previously written for ESPN and has been at The Athletic for years, laid out the case for Judge over Raleigh.

For the third time in the last four years, New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge is the American League MVP winner, with the BBWAA wrapping up award week by announcing the MVPs on Thursday... It was another brilliant season for the hulking slugger, but unlike last year when he won the award unanimously, there was a legitimate challenger this time around in Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh. Both players had a compelling case, and while Judge ultimately finished on top, it was one of the closest votes in recent memory: Before we dive into why Big Dumper should have been the 2025 AL MVP, let's first lay out the case for Judge to provide some context. .css-1582m2i{margin:0;font:inherit;font-weight:700;}The Case for Aaron Judge

Heated Al Mvp Debate Has Yankees Fans Fuming Over Apparent Aaron Judge

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