Two months into the MLB season, the American League MVP award seemed all locked up. Just before the end of May, Aaron Judge’s batting average dipped under .400 for the first time.
He had already belted 21 home runs in his first 57 games, resulting in an OPS over 1.200. Even with four months to go in the MLB season, it seemed like all of baseball knew Judge was going to win the AL MVP in 2025.
Out west, Cal Raleigh was also having a career start to his season. Five home runs in the final week of May meant he had overtaken Judge in homers with 22, and he had gotten his OPS over 1.000. While this was a nice story for a Mariners team that had just extended the platinum glove-winning catcher, it just didn’t compare to what Judge was doing in New York.
Then the race started to even out. Raleigh went nuclear from the start of June to the All-Star break, mashing 16 home runs and maintaining his 1.000 OPS, all while playing Gold Glove-caliber defense. On the other hand, Judge started coming back down to earth, his average falling to .350, but his OPS was still almost 1.200.
After the break, the race really closed up. Judge hit the 10-day IL at the end of July and came back to have a mediocre August (by his standards), hitting .241 with a .923 OPS. While Raleigh came out of the All-Star break slowly, he picked it back up and still maintains the MLB home runs lead and AL lead in RBIs.
Are we on record watch?
— MLB (@MLB) September 21, 2025
Cal Raleigh is just four homers shy of tying Aaron Judge (2022) for the most homers in AL history (62)! https://t.co/LdrPRlk7NY pic.twitter.com/Zg59AHAlL6
All of this is to say, a race that seemed all but locked up is now very contentious. Judge’s numbers are still spectacular, but Raleigh leads baseball in homers with 58. He has broken the Mariners single-season record and the single-season switch-hitter mark, all while playing the most taxing position in baseball at the highest standard, and at times, single-handedly willing his team into first place in the AL West.
Now with the extensive debate happening around the award, beat writers and national reporters are picking sides. One in Boston is not going to make Yankee fans happy. Sean McAdam of MassLive laid out who he thinks should win the award, and he picked Raleigh (subscription required).
Sean McAdam of MassLive thinks Cal Raleigh's record-breaking season should earn him the AL MVP
McAdam cited the record-setting season Raleigh is having while playing catcher as the main factor in his decision. He added that his spectacular defense behind the plate, including his very good game-calling, is what puts him a notch above Judge. He mentioned the fact that Judge, while usually a great defender, has been limited mostly to a DH role since his injury, only playing nine games in right since the start of August.
No one is quite sure which way this award is going to go. Yankee fans are pushing for Judge because he is still having a historically great offensive season and is a big reason the Yankees will make the playoffs. Mariners fans are pushing for Raleigh for his historical greatness, all while playing catcher. National analysts across the board are split.
The AL MVP could go to either player, and it would be incredibly hard for anyone to make a case that it was the wrong choice. McAdam laid out his case, and while he doesn’t have a vote for MVP (he does have a vote for AL Rookie of the Year), it’s a good look into the mind of a BBWAA voter and what may happen this year.