While several teams are battling for the final spots in the MLB postseason, the New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners boast two players in their ranks who are vying for the American League MVP award. The spotlight is on Aaron Judge, who could continue dominating the prize, or catcher Cal Raleigh, who has entered the conversation with a season that’s unique in history.
The debate centers on whether voters might grow tired of the New York player’s dominance, or reward the performance from a position that’s demanding in its own right.
Jeff Passan has his own opinion, with a clear favorite
It’s MLB insiderJeff Passan who weighed in on the perennial debate of the current season, offering his perspective on this tight race between Aaron Judge and Cal Raleigh.
“If I had a vote right now, I would go Aaron Judge and I would feel terrible about it,”
While it’s true that Judge has been dominant, it seems Raleigh hasn’t done enough to dethrone the Yankees player, who was even sidelined for a period this season due to injury.
Passan highlighted that catchers like Raleigh are often undervalued. Advanced metrics don’t fully capture what they contribute: the art of calling pitches, managing pitchers’ confidence, and real-time knowledge of opposing hitters’ tendencies. It’s that invisible burden that WAR doesn’t reflect. Raleigh’s ability to shine at the plate while shouldering all those responsibilities is what makes his MVP candidacy so compelling.
Even so, Judge’s stats are impossible to ignore. Although Raleigh leads traditional power categories with 58 home runs and 121 RBIs, Judge dominates the advanced metrics that sway voters today. His wRC+ of 199 eclipses Raleigh’s 160, and his fWAR of 9.2 surpasses the Seattle catcher’s 8.8. Add to that his 131 runs scored, his ability to carry the Yankees’ offense, and his constant presence as a game-changing force, and it’s clear why Passan-and likely many voters-can’t look past him.
Judge isn’t just posting impactful numbers; he’s redefining what consistency means. Passan put it clearly: rather than “voter fatigue,” there’s awe at Judge maintaining this level of dominance season after season. In a sport that prides itself on parity, Judge has become the great exception: a hitter who bends the game to his will, like a quarterback who always finds the end zone no matter the opposing defense.
If Aaron Judge wins, there will be divided opinions, but it will only serve to establish that to strip him of his current status as the league’s top player, it takes more than a historic campaign like Cal Raleigh’s.
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