The 2025 American League MVP race is officially over, and Aaron Judge has been crowned the winner. But with the announcement has come a wave of debate and controversy online as fans argue on whether Judge truly deserved the award over Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh.
In early November, the race was officially narrowed down to three finalists: Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees, Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners and José Ramírez of the Cleveland Guardians. All three players had outstanding seasons worthy of recognition; however, the race largely boiled down to Judge and Raleigh.
While José Ramírez had an excellent season in his own right, hitting .283 while hitting 30 home runs, driving in 85 runs and swiping 44 bases, his numbers simply didn’t match the level of dominance displayed by Judge and Raleigh. Ramírez was one of the most well rounded and consistent players in the league, however he didn’t reach the same tier of impact or excellence that defined the top two candidates.
Throughout the 2025 season, both Judge and Raleigh led their teams to the playoffs with exceptional performances, but at the end of the day, only one could take home the award, and this year, Judge did for the second year in a row and the third time in his career.
But did he really deserve it?
Aaron Judge has long been one of the most prominent names in the game, and this season he once again proved why. He posted a .331 batting average, a .457 on-base percentage (OBP), a .688 slugging percentage (SLG), a 1.144 on-base plus slugging (OPS) and a 215 on-base plus slugging plus (OPS+), all of which led the league, while also hitting 53 home runs and driving in 114 runs. Judge also racked up an impressive 9.7 wins above replacement (WAR), proving once again why pitchers and opposing teams should fear him.
Meanwhile, Cal Raleigh had an outstanding season for Seattle. Raleigh led the majors in home runs with 60, breaking both Salvador Perez’s single-season record for catchers and Mickey Mantle’s record for switch hitters. He also led the league with 125 runs batted in (RBIs) and posted a .247 batting average, a .359 OBP, a .589 SLG, a .948 OPS and a 169 OPS+, all while racking up a 7.4 WAR. What’s more impressive is that Raleigh accomplished all this while catching the majority of the Mariners’ games this year, a grueling position that takes a serious toll on the body. His combination of power and durability made him a strong contender for the award and showed just how impressive his season truly was.
But when it came to choosing the MVP, the debate came down to consistent dominance throughout the season versus historic achievement. Judge’s consistency was unmatched. Not only did he lead the league in nearly every major offensive category, but he also served as the Yankees’ backbone both on and off the field.
But Raleigh’s case was also impossible for voters to ignore. His season wasn’t just great; it was historic. Hitting 60 home runs is something only a handful of players have ever done, but doing it while also catching the majority of his team’s games and managing one of the best pitching staffs in the American League takes it to another level. The physical strain of catching alone makes his offensive output incredible, and adding in the fact that he broke not one but two records in the process, it becomes even harder to overlook his value. Raleigh didn’t just put up big numbers; he did so while playing one of the most difficult positions in sports.
Still, the MVP race is never purely about milestones. It’s about the overall impact a player had on his team. Both players were undoubtedly huge pieces for their teams, which made choosing a winner even harder. The race was close, with Judge receiving 17 first place votes while Raleigh received 13, showing just how divided voters were.
In my opinion, Judge was the clear cut winner from the start. While Raleigh’s season was undeniably historic, Judge’s overall impact and numbers were better than his challenger’s. Judge didn’t just excel in one category; he dominated across the board, leading the league in batting average, walks, WAR, OBP, SLG, OPS and OPS+ while still managing to hit over 50 home runs and drive in 114 runs. Players just don’t put together that kind of all-around offensive season, but Judge did while also handling the pressure that comes with being the captain of the most prolific franchise in sports history. While Raleigh’s power numbers were certainly impressive and historic, his numbers in other areas, such as batting average, WAR, OBP and OPS, just don’t compare to Judge’s. Raleigh also had a bit of a down year defensively, which slightly diminishes his overall value. Judge’s power numbers remained elite and more comparable to Raleigh’s, and the combination of elite power, all-around offensive excellence and leadership made Judge the more deserving candidate for MVP.
In the end, both were clearly deserving of the award, but the final decision and Judge’s victory ultimately reflected what voters valued more: consistent excellence in every category over record-breaking power numbers.
Judge may not have reached the historical milestone Raleigh did, but he delivered one of the most complete and impressive offensive seasons in modern baseball history while also handling the pressure of being the captain of the New York Yankees. That all-around dominance proved impossible for voters to overlook, and ultimately it tipped the scales in his favor and secured him the 2025 American League MVP award.
