Aaron Judge Secures 2025 AL MVP in Dramatic Showdown That Highlights Debate Over Value in Baseball

New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge won his third MVP award, second straight. The most exciting baseball season ever. Judge defeated San Diego Padres catcher Cal Raleigh by 20 points. Judge’s hot hitting makes it interesting to consider the MVP award’s value.

Judge had the best major league OPS, 1.331. He hit 53 home runs and drove in 114, so seeing him hit again was risky. His league-leading on-base and slugging percentages make him the best offensive player. Raleigh set Catcher and Switch-hitter records with 60 home runs and 125 RBIs in a season. This helped him defeat Raleigh. However, he lost the vote. Judges became the fourth Yankees player with three MVPs. He joined Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra, and Mickey Mantle’s teams.

People mostly discussed this year’s MVP and how Judge is better at offense than Raleigh at being a rugged catcher. Votes indicate how close the league considered these cases. Judge won with 17 votes and Raleigh with 13. AL MVP race hasn’t been this close since 2019. Close votes showed that people considered hard-to-measure factors like player value, hitting percentage, team impact, and defensive position.

Judge is now a stronger Yankees leader after the award. He will be mentioned in Hall of Fame discussions because he was so reliable. Why Raleigh did well this year? The Mariners and their fans care where and what you do. A full-time catcher hitting 60 home runs is rare. Many experts expect him to win MVP.

This year’s MVP race is about more than money—it’s about baseball ideas. How can you compare a player’s great offense to their less obvious and harder to measure contributions at one of the hardest positions? Another factor is voter opinion of the situation, leader, power, and defense. The judge said there was a lot of high-level offense. Raleigh’s case may change how people talk about awards.

Judge is proud of his third MVP award. The Yankees remain a baseball power. As a good catcher, Raleigh may have better chances, which will please Mariners fans. People have different definitions of “most valuable” baseball player. This vote will spark debate.

Aaron Judge won more than a trophy. One of the best MLB players ever. Offense is crucial, and this changes how people view great baseball players.

Sources
Associated Press report on MVP results
CBS Sports summary of the AL MVP voting
Sports Illustrated analysis of Cal Raleigh’s MVP case