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Yankees Aaron Judge Shouldn T Win The Mvp According To Mlb Insider

Bonisiwe Shabane
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yankees aaron judge shouldn t win the mvp according to mlb insider

While many fans and analysts would like to say they knew for certain that New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge was going to win the 2025 AL MVP award, nothing is guaranteed. In fact, Judge faced stiff competition from Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh, beating him out by only four votes. The truth of the matter is that just should not have been the case. There's no denying Raleigh had an incredible season. His fifth year in the big leagues, he slammed 60 home runs (the most in the AL, with four more in the playoffs), and slashed .247/ .359/ .589 for an OPS of .948 during... And, as his supporters mention over and over again, he's a fat-bottomed catcher, not a tall, muscle clad outfielder like Judge.

Anti-Yankee sentiment throughout the league led many to suggest that Raleigh's performance, due to his position, should be enough to grant him the MVP award. However, the award doesn't go to the best player in spire of being a catcher. If that were true, it would be called the MVPISBC award. Judge whacked 53 home runs this season, and likely would have hit even more had he not suffered a right flexor strain that left him on the IL in late July. He also slashed an incredible .331/ .457/ .688 for an OPS of 1.145, leading the MLB in every single category. The thing about Judge is that he is making those numbers every season.

Maybe he isn't able to have a repeat of 2022, where he broke records with 62 regular season homers, but he hasn't had an OPS below 1.00 since 2021. History and consistency certainly plays a factor in voting, and Judge is both incredible and reliable. The New York Yankees have had some incredibly legendary players come through their organization, and in the modern era, Aaron Judge is carving out not just a Hall of Fame career but an inner-circle... He has a case to be the best right-handed hitter in baseball history. This season, while he isn't the leader in home runs, he's still the most dangerous hitter in the game. Judge and Cal Raleigh are the two favorites for the AL MVP in 2025, with both having strong cases for the award.

But, in the opinion of MLB insider for USA Today Bob Nightengale, there is a clear favorite for the award. He has such a strong opinion that he says that Judge, despite his incredible league-leading numbers, shouldn't be the AL MVP this season. "It is called the Most Valuable Player Award. It is not the Best Player award." Nightengale writes. "He (Judge) shouldn't be the 2025 MVP. This award belongs to Raleigh, who has defied the imagination with his historical season, going where no catcher has ever gone before."

While there's no denying that Raleigh has had one of the best seasons in MLB history, and arguably the best season by a catcher in MLB history, it's still a very bold stance to... 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.

Few doubt that Aaron Judge is one of the best players in MLB right now, if not the best. In fact, he's close to proving it again, as he is one of the heavy favorites for the American League MVP award. Furthermore, he's begun to reach historic milestones in his career, displacing all-time Yankees greats like Yogi Berra and Joe DiMaggio in terms of the most home runs by a member of the franchise. For this reason, the conversation about Judge is no longer about his place within the current MLB scheme, but rather where he stands within the illustrious and extensive history of the New York Yankees. The word "legend" is increasingly beginning to be associated with his name. The New York Post's MLB columnist, Joel Sherman, believes that, despite his Hall of Fame-like career, Judge still can't quite stand up to the Yankees' true legends.

"Was he a better player than Bernie Williams? Yeah, OK he was a better player than Bernie Williams. I'd rather have Bernie Williams' career seven times a week, twice on Sunday," Sherman said in a recent appearance on the "Pinstripe Post" podcast. "Like, championships matter and the guys who were at the very top of this, the (Babe) Ruth, (Lou) Gehring, (Joe) DiMaggio, (Mickey) Mantle, (Derek) Jeter, Whitey Ford, Mariano Rivera, like, these are guys who... The 2025 season has been historic for Aaron Judge. The star has stood as the symbol of power and consistency in the AL with an impressive campaign.

He has guided the league in multiple areas with his elite numbers. For instance, he has led the league with a .331 batting average, with a .458 on-base percentage, with a .691 slugging, with a 1.149 OPS and 136 scored runs. Not only this, but Judge also has recorded 53 home runs, and because of this, Judge has joined Jimmie Foxx and Mickey Mantle as only the third player in MLB history to hit at... This resume definitely screams MVP. However, perhaps no one has raised their voice for Judge more than Anthony Rizzo. The veteran first baseman has gone to bat for his teammate and praises Judge’s number and leadership on the team.

“He’s the heartbeat of this team,” Rizzo has said on multiple occasions, and in Rizzo’s eyes, there is no MVP race at all. Yet, as USA TODAY’s Bob Nightengale said, Judge “shouldn’t be the 2025 MVP.” In a season full of statistical fireworks, one star has defied convention and attracted the attention of analysts, and turning the... He has delivered a season so extraordinary that it is forcing fans to rethink what “value” truly means. Despite Aaron Judge’s power, the Mariners catcher’s case could just be powerful. Cal Raleigh’s stats are also staggering. The star has hit 60 home runs, which has made him the first catcher ever to reach such a mark while shattering the single-season record for homers by a catcher.

He has crossed the record of Mickey Mantle for the most home runs as a switch-hitter and entered the league with Babe Ruth in the 60-HR club. Dan Wilson has praised him: “For him to do what he’s done offensively and to do what he does behind the plate, I honestly don’t think we’ve seen this before.” And it is not just the numbers sheet that makes Raleigh’s case bulletproof. His Gold Glove defense, the ability of Seattle’s pitching staff, and leadership in navigating the Mariners to their first AL West title in 24 years have lifted him to a very different level. As Nightangle pointed out, if Raleigh were a Yankee and Judge were a Mariner, the conversation likely would not even exist. Raleigh has changed Seattle into a valid World Series participant, performing under the radar while most of the country sleeps.

Simply put, in 2025, no one has been more valuable than the “Sultan of Squat.” No disrespect to Cal Raleigh and the season he's putting together for the Seattle Mariners, but New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge is miles ahead of him in the race for the American League... Raleigh put on a show in the Home Run Derby on Monday night, launching 54 home runs into the Atlanta night at Truist Park en route to becoming the first catcher to ever win... The hype train surrounding Raleigh had already been off the rails before taking home some hardware, but his MVP candidacy has come even more into focus as a result. Through 94 games, the 28-year-old leads the entire league with 38 home runs, finishing one shy of Barry Bonds' first-half record, and 82 RBIs while slashing .259/.376/.634. Raleigh is well on his way towards breaking Salvador Perez's single-season home run record for a catcher at 48, and he's also on pace to best Judge's AL record of 62 long balls, which...

The Mariners' backstop is in the midst of a historic campaign, especially by the standards set at his position, but he's simply not at the same level as Judge. Aaron Judge is rewriting baseball history—but not everyone is ready to hand him the MVP. Wondering why! Well, the predictions are out, and they are hotter than New York summer. Given Judge’s number from this season, it says another MVP. But one audacious forecast by an MLB insider claims differently, leaving everyone scratching their heads.

If he’s not good enough, then who? Aaron Judge’s 2025 season is nothing short of epic. Leading the majors in hits (56), home runs (12), RBIs (34), and runs (34); he’s flaunting a .400 batting average and a 1.241 OPS through the first 37 games. These numbers are historic, not only league-leading figures. They reflect the high years of Barry Bonds, who had an average slash line of .347/.547/.834 from 2001 to 2004. So, even after coming close to the legend, there are doubts!

Sounds a little off, right? You might think it’s Bobby Witt Jr., the runner-up from the previous season, but no! Certain analysts have turned to a Detroit Tigers outfielder. In a recent article by MLB, they asked some insiders to pen down predictions, and the most interesting one was from Anthony Castrovince. He wrote, “Judge is completely lapping the field right now, but that was also the case around this time in 2023, before he dealt with a midseason foot injury. I don’t wish injury upon him (not even to help me stumble upon a correct prediction for once), but it is a part of his career profile, unfortunately.

So stranger things have happened.” While doubting Judge’s MVP win, he also predicted who has the potential. Any guesses?

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