Aug 31, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; New York Yankees designated hitter Aaron Judge (99) watches his double against the Chicago White Sox during the third inning at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

AL MVP Race Heats Up for Yankees' Aaron Judge

Originally posted on New York Yankees on SI
By Delilah Bourque | Last updated Sep 2, 2025 7:00 AM ET

New York Yankees captain and star Aaron Judge is having another MVP-caliber season, and should be on his way to cementing back-to-back wins for the award. There's just one problem: Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh can't stop hitting home runs.

According to USA Today writer Bob Nightengale, Raleigh has a real chance to nab the MVP award away from Judge due to his historic season.

"Raleigh is having one of the greatest seasons by a catcher in history. He has already hit the most home runs by a catcher, should pass Mickey Mantle for the most homers by a switch-hitter (54), and has a chance to break Judge’s American League record of 62, all while playing Gold Glove defense," Nightengale wrote.

From a pure statistics standpoint, though, Judge is ahead of Raleigh. While Raleigh is leading the Yankees' captain in home runs (50 to 43) and RBI (107 to 97), Judge is better in batting average (.324 to .240), on base percentage (.443 to .353 ) and slugging percentage (.674 to .579). These numbers make Judge the sole player in the entire league who is hitting an OPS above 1.000, with a 1.117.

Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

Nightengale argued that the best way for Raleigh to edge past Judge, despite the latter's stronger performance, is to help secure the Mariners' place in the post-season.

"If it remains close, Raleigh’s best shot at overcoming Judge — winner of two of the past three years — is for the Mariners to win the AL West. Certainly, Seattle needs to at least make the playoffs. Remember, it’s the Most Valuable Player award, not the Best Player award, and helping your team to the postseason has proven to be a critical tiebreaker," he wrote.

In the end, Nightengale predicted Judge will walk away with the AL MVP award and Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani with the NL MVP. While Raleigh's performance is unprecedented for a player at his position, it's worth noting again that Judge surpasses him by every other metric. Plus, the Yankees are a full three games ahead of the Mariners in the AL Wild Card standings.

That being said, MVP voting isn't merely about which player has the best statistics. It's also about storylines. While Judge is a powerful offensive talent and well-respected captain, he's also suffered a right flexor injury that may keep him away from the outfield in 2026. If Raleigh can help lead his team through to the playoffs and keep up his crazy home run streak, he might just give Judge a run for his money.

Make sure to bookmark Yankees On SI to get all your daily New York Yankees news, interviews, breakdowns and more!