All Rise: Aaron Judge Edges Historic Challenge to Claim Third Career MVP Award

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NEW YORK, NY — The debate was fierce, the voting was the tightest in years, but when the final tallies were announced on Thursday night, the verdict was clear: Aaron Judge reigns supreme in the American League. The New York Yankees superstar claimed his third career AL MVP award, narrowly beating out Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh in a showdown that pitted historic positional performance against sheer offensive dominance.

The Closest Race Since 2019

Judge, who also won the award in 2022 and 2024, becomes just the 13th player in MLB history to win at least three MVP awards, joining Yankees legends like Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle, and Joe DiMaggio.

The vote was a razor-thin contest, the closest since 2019:

Judge’s Edge: The Yankees captain received 17 first-place votes from the 30-member Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA).
Raleigh’s Challenge: Cal Raleigh, who led the AL in home runs, took the remaining 13 first-place votes.

The final tally of 355 points to 335 points reflected the season’s intense debate: should the award reward the greatest individual offensive season, or the most historically significant season for a player at a demanding position?

The Case for the Captain

Judge’s 2025 season was a statistical masterclass, giving voters a comprehensive argument based on unassailable production.

Statistic	Judge’s 2025 AL Rank/Total	Significance
Batting Average (AVG)	.331 (AL Batting Title)	Won his first AL Batting Title. His 53 HR made him just the third player in history to win a batting title while hitting 50+ homers.
On-Base Plus Slugging (OPS)	1.144 (MLB Leader)	Outperformed every other batter in the league, demonstrating unmatched offensive value.
Home Runs (HR)	53 HR	Led the Yankees and ranked near the top of MLB, maintaining elite power while also leading the league in AVG.
Runs (R)	137 Runs (MLB Leader)	His ability to reach base at an elite clip (.457 OBP) translated directly into runs for the Yankees’ offense.

While Raleigh’s 60 home runs—a single-season record for a catcher—captured the imagination, Judge’s otherworldly offensive slash line of .331/.457/.688 was too overwhelming for voters to ignore. His 9.7 bWAR also cemented his status as the most valuable player in the league.

A Legacy Cemented, A Title Still Elusive

The MVP trophy adds another layer of shine to Judge’s already Hall-of-Fame-bound career, but it comes with a familiar shadow. Despite Judge’s magnificent personal performance in the postseason—where he batted .600 against the Blue Jays in the ALDS—the Yankees were eliminated early, stretching the franchise’s title drought to 16 years.

As Judge enters his age-34 season in 2026, the question shifts from his individual greatness to his team’s ability to capitalize on it. For now, however, Judge stands alone at the top of the American League, a three-time MVP whose name now sits among the greatest to ever wear the pinstripes.

Here is the side-by-side comparison that defined the closest MVP race since 2019:

The 2025 MVP Final Stat Line

Category	Aaron Judge (Yankees, RF/DH)	Cal Raleigh (Mariners, C)	The Winner
Home Runs (HR)	53	60	Raleigh (60 is a single-season record for a catcher)
Batting Average (AVG)	.331	.247	Judge (Won the AL Batting Title)
On-Base Plus Slugging (OPS)	1.144	.948	Judge (Nearly 200 points higher)
Offensive Production (OPS+)	206	161	Judge (He was 106% better than league average)
Runs Batted In (RBI)	114	125	Raleigh
Fangraphs Wins Above Replacement (fWAR)	10.1	9.1	Judge (Largest margin in advanced metrics)
Positional Value	Corner OF/DH	Catcher (Most physically demanding position)	Raleigh (Harder to produce these numbers while catching)
The Closer	.370 AVG in September	.278 AVG in September	Judge (Finished the season hotter)

The Case for Judge: Offensive Perfection

Aaron Judge’s victory was a triumph of efficiency and rate statistics. His case was built on being the best overall hitter in baseball, a claim supported by virtually every advanced metric:

The Triple Slash: Judge not only hit 53 home runs but also won the batting title with a .331 average and led the league in OBP at .457. Only Mantle (1956) and Foxx (1936) have ever paired a batting title with 50+ home runs before Judge.
The Unmatched Efficiency: His 1.144 OPS and 206 OPS+ were far superior to Raleigh’s. An OPS+ of 200 is historically rare, showing Judge wasn’t just good; he was one of the most productive hitters in the last 20 years.
The Final Argument: When the race tightened in September, Judge eliminated all doubt, posting a dominant 1.292 OPS during the Yankees’ final stretch, while Raleigh saw his numbers dip.

The Case for Raleigh: Historic Positional Power

Raleigh’s 13 first-place votes were a testament to the sheer difficulty of his achievement. His case hinged on two factors:

The 60 Home Runs: Raleigh became the first catcher in MLB history to hit 50, let alone 60, home runs. This figure is a legendary milestone, achieved only a handful of times in non-steroid eras.
The Catcher Factor: Playing the most physically demanding position, while managing a pitching staff, adds immense fatigue and cognitive load. Voters who favored Raleigh argued that his production, given his position, was ultimately more valuable to his team than Judge’s was to his.

In the end, while Raleigh delivered a historic positional record, the voters sided with Judge’s all-encompassing, near-perfect offensive season, cementing his legacy as a three-time MVP.