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 career.
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.
Aaron Judge shouldn't be the AL MVP, according to Bob Nightengale
"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 take for Nightengale, saying that Judge shouldn't be the MVP.
One of the main points that Nightengale highlights is that although Judge has the better stats, Raleigh has been more valuable for his team. The Yankees have been a consistent postseason team, while the Seattle Mariners won their division for the first time in 24 years.
But while team success is important, the individual's performance still holds more weight. Or at least, it should. Raleigh has 7.2 bWAR, while Judge has an MLB-leading 9.5 bWAR.
In 150 games, Judge has 176 hits, 135 runs (leads AL), 30 doubles, two triples, 52 home runs, 11 RBIs, 12 stolen bases, 124 walks, 159 strikeouts, and a league-leading .330 batting average, .458 on-base percentage, .687 slugging percentage, and a 1.144 OPS.
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In 157 games, Raleigh has 146 hits, 109 runs, 24 doubles, zero triples, an MLB-leading 60 home runs, an AL-leading 125 RBIs, 14 stolen bases, 96 walks, 184 strikeouts, and a .248 batting average, .360 on-base percentage, .594 slugging percentage, and a .954 OPS.
While Judge has Raleigh beat in most categories, the facts weighing in Raleigh's favor have Nightengale going with Raleigh over Judge. He has 60 home runs, helped lead the Mariners to the AL West title for the first time in over two decades, and has done it as a catcher.
Combined with Judge's dominance being routine at this point, there's a bit of voter fatigue and awe with Raleigh, which has the Mariners catcher as Nightengales' MVP pick.
But the wording that Judge "shouldn't be the MVP" is egregious. If Judge wins the award, he's more than deserving, especially if the Yankees can secure the AL East title on the final day of the year.
To say he shouldn't win the award is a bold statement to make with how close this race is. There's a case to be made for both, and Nightengale is strongly in favor of Raleigh winning the award. Whoever wins the award, the other will have one of the best runner-up MVP seasons in MLB history.
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