University of Kwazulu-Natal

Yankees John Smoltz Weighs In On Al Mvp Debate

Bonisiwe Shabane
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yankees john smoltz weighs in on al mvp debate

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. Over the past few years many of baseball’s biggest awards have tended to go in a landslide. Each of Shohei Ohtani’s four MVPs were unanimous, as was Ronald Acuña Jr.’s NL MVP in 2023. Paul Skenes was a unanimous pick for NL Cy Young this year, and Tarik Skubal won each of his back-to-back honors decisively, including a unanimous selection in 2024. That made this year’s AL MVP race between Aaron Judge and Cal Raleigh particularly fascinating.

Judge and Raleigh each put together historic seasons, with Judge delivering arguably a top-five season all-time by a right-handed hitter while Raleigh enjoyed without question the greatest season ever by a catcher. Voters had a difficult choice to make, and it wasn’t clear who would win until Thursday’s announcement that Judge had prevailed in one of the narrowest MVP votes ever. Full disclosure, I did not have a vote for MVP or any of the other BBWAA awards this year, so I didn’t do the kind of deep dive I would have if I were... Generally my philosophy with these kind of awards is that historic accomplishments deserve to be rewarded, and Raleigh hitting 60 home runs as a switch-hitting catcher combined with his standout defense behind the plate... Whenever there is an interdivision rivalry involved, things always get hot. Take the Dodgers and the Padres, for example.

They were at each other’s throats throughout the season. But when the team is the New York Yankees, things usually go to a different stratosphere. Because when you say something against the Yankees, it usually means that you took on an entire fanbase. At least that was the case for former Braves ace John Smoltz. After his recent reported comments saying, “They don’t value what you need to win ballgames,” fans went crazy. One fan even posted, “Shut up, John Smoltz!!” But this is not the first time Smoltz has angered the Bronx.

In 2020, John Smoltz stirred up anger among Yankees fans when he compared Yankee Stadium’s field dimensions to Coors Field. “Pitching in Yankee Stadium is like pitching in Coors Field.” Fans bristled because that remark implied the Bronx park is unusually hitter-friendly, undermining its reputation as a tough place for pitchers. — Frank 🇺🇸 ⚾️ (@yank_nyva) October 5, 2025 Tuesday night's epic Game 3 comeback in the Bronx was such a rich tapestry of moments, storylines and celebrations that it was easy to forget there was a layer of umpiring malfeasance that threatened... Aaron Boone and the Yanks found themselves without a challenge for the final six innings of a potential elimination game, the kind of flub that usually falls on the manager's shoulders. In this case, it was hard to blame anyone other than the umpiring crew and replay review center — but don't tell that to John Smoltz, who invented his own interpretations of the rulebook...

The Yankees' first challenge of the day was blown attempting to overturn a Carlos Rodón hit-by-pitch of Andrés Giménez in the top of the second inning. Upon second viewing, it looked like there was some space between the ball and Giménez's hands. It was "tough to tell," and the call on the field stood. Fine. Borderline annoying. The second challenge they lost was patently absurd, with even the impartial Joe Davis agreeing with Boone's resulting meltdown.

Somehow, the replay center watched Alejandro Kirk's glove sneak in front of Trent Grisham's bat and stop his swing short by thudding into it, and still couldn't find it within their hearts to call...

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