by John Salvatore
Aaron Judge edged out Cal Raleigh for the American League MVP in a race that cemented Judge as a legendary player.
In 2022 and 2024, Judge won with little competition. However, this year, Raleigh, who plays catcher for the Seattle Mariners, put up fantastic numbers.
Raleigh was able to combine immense defensive value whilst setting the single season record for home runs by a catcher with 60. Although Raleigh’s season was incredible, at least offensively, Judge’s season was still far superior. Raleigh’s defensive value is what made this race close.
With the exception of HRs and RBIs, which Raleigh led in by very little, Judge held a substantial lead in every other major offensive stat. Batting Average, OBP, Slug%, OPS, and OPS+ were all in Judge’s favor by a landslide. Furthermore, in arguably the most important stat, WAR (wins above replacement), which encompasses defense, offense, and even base running, Judge led by about 26.9% (7.4 to 9.7)
With Judge putting up monster seasons and racking up MVP awards, he is quickly making a case to be a Hall of Fame inductee. He may even make a case to be one of the Top 10 hitters of all time.
If Judge wants to go down in Yankees history as a legend, he must win a World Series, which he has yet to do. His postseason play did improve this year, despite the Yankees’ early exit to the Blue Jays. He also delivered a signature moment by hitting a three-run home run in game three to tie the game at six. But for Judge’s Yankee legacy, none of this matters unless he finally wins it all.
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