Cal now odds-on favorite to win AL MVP.

[Maulbert]

With Judge going to the DL, Cal moves up.

Yes, the New York Yankees' Aaron Judge, who led the majors in both home runs and RBI, and the Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani, coming off MLB's first 50/50 season, both opened the season as the prohibitive favorites.

However, after Judge went on the IL this past weekend, Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners has taken over the top spot in the AL MVP odds. Ohtani still sits in the NL's crow's nest, ahead of Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Chicago Cubs.

Will Judge and Ohtani be unanimous MVPs again?

Who's currently favored to win post-season honors? We have the latest odds for MVP, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year.

www.espn.com

 

[Azvacar]

If he stays DH only.. and Cal still passes in HRs and second third in RBis.... as a catcher.. how do you NOT put him above Judge? Seriously..... Heads should roll if it played out that way

 

[bileever]

Cal is definitely narrowing the gap between Judge and himself:



And factor in that Cal is a gold glove catcher and Judge is a good but not great outfielder, the gap is even narrower.

 

[Shane Falco]

Ohtani has been on terror as of late.

 

[Crizilla]

Ohtani has been on terror as of late.

NL though

 

[Shane Falco]

NL though

Am aware. Didn't think it was that far off topic.

 

[bileever]

An informal poll of front office execs chose Cal over Judge for MVP:

https://www.mlb.com/news/cal-raleigh-aaron-judge-2025-al-mvp-race

However, Vegas still has Judge as the odds on favorite to take the AL MVP, at -1000. Cal is at +500:

Will Judge and Ohtani be unanimous MVPs again?

Who's currently favored to win post-season honors? We have the latest odds for MVP, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year.

www.espn.com

 

[RiverDog]

If he stays DH only.. and Cal still passes in HRs and second third in RBis.... as a catcher.. how do you NOT put him above Judge? Seriously..... Heads should roll if it played out that way

Judge started in right field yesterday, went 0-2 with two walks and an RBI.

If it weren't for the fact that as a catcher, Cal plays a lot more important defensive position, Judge would have the edge IMO. He's leading MLB in hitting percentage, batting 81 points higher than Cal, which is a bunch, and with very good power numbers. Here's the breakdown using the three triple crown stats:

Cal .247, 58 HR's, 118 RBI's
Judge .328, 48 HR's, 104 RBI's

IMO if it were based soley on offensive stats, Judge would be the clear winner. But as I said, Cal is a catcher and has to be given credit for helping to manage the M's pitching staff, which is arguably the M's biggest strength. Judge is an outfielder, with much less of an impact on the defensive side of the ledger.

The other variable, again in my book, is that the MVP has to come from a team that at least makes the playoffs, if not wins their division. It's pretty hard to argue that a player is "most valuable" if his team isn't successful. It looks like both teams will at least make the playoffs, with the M's tied for first and the Yankees with a 3-game lead in the wild card. But if one of the two teams fold during the stretch run, it could impact the MVP race.

Personally, I think it's a toss-up. There are good arguments to be made for both players.

 

[Ruminator]

AL MVP, we hope.

 

[Double Tribble]

If the award is simply for hitter with the best stats, then Judge wins. If it's for the most valuable player, then Cal is the clear winner, because he's valuable to the team on both offense and defense, providing crucial run support and also calling the game and framing pitches on a division leading team.

 

[sutz]

Too bad so many people don't see it that way.

 

[RiverDog]

If the award is simply for hitter with the best stats, then Judge wins. If it's for the most valuable player, then Cal is the clear winner, because he's valuable to the team on both offense and defense, calling the game and framing pitches on a division leading team.

Over the years, the sportswriters have put less and less of an emphasis on team performance as it relates to the MVP award. My view is to ask yourself the question of an MVP candidate: "How would have his team done had Player X not been playing for them?" If the team failed to make the playoffs even with Player X on it, then not having Player X wouldn't have made any difference.

Now that the Mariners are on the cusp of making the playoffs as are the Yankees, I think we can safely eliminate that consideration from both candidates' resume, ie Judge and Cal.

Judge has the better all-around numbers, leading the league in hitting with a .326 batting average, which is 79 points higher than Cal's rather paltry .247, and his power numbers are very good, with 49 HR's and 105 RBI's. IMO the offensive numbers clearly favor Judge.

But Cal's defensive contributions are considerable. Catcher is the most physically demanding position and it's a critical component in the success of our pitching staff, arguably the M's biggest strength. But do they outweigh the offensive numbers that Judge has put up?

After this last series, I've been swayed in Cal's favor, so I agree with the thread title.

 

[Glasgow Seahawk]

If Cal Raleigh was a Yankee this wouldn't even be a question

 

[Double Tribble]

Bingo! ^

 

[Chapow]

Too bad so many people don't see it that way.

From what I've been hearing/seeing/reading over the past several weeks it sounds like a lot of people do see it that way. Hell, they were talking about it during last night's nationally televised broadcast on ESPN during the game quite a bit.

I'm just saying that Cal does get a ton of credit, and a ton of love, for what he does behind the plate as well as what he's done at the plate. I'm really not sure how so many M's fans don't see it.

 

[bileever]

I think there is a certain amount of Judge fatigue ( kind of like Mahomes fatigue), having won MVP twice already. And although he's not a bad fielder, everyone remembers Judge dropping a routine fly ball that contributed to the Dodgers' astonishing comeback in the World Series last year. So I think Cal wins it in a tight vote, especially if he makes it to 60 HRs.

 

[Chapow]

If Cal Raleigh was a Yankee this wouldn't even be a question

Just my opinion, but I don't think this is very fair to Judge. Can you honestly look at what Judge has done this season and come to the conclusion that he's not a worthy MVP candidate, and the only reason he's in the conversation is because he's a Yankee? I sure can't.

 

[bileever]

Just my opinion, but I don't think this is very fair to Judge. Can you honestly look at what Judge has done this season and come to the conclusion that he's not a worthy MVP candidate, and the only reason he's in the conversation is because he's a Yankee? I sure can't.

I agree with you. Judge is a worthy candidate who is consistently one of the top players in MLB every year. He hasn't won the MVP twice because he's a Yankee.

30 writers in the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) vote on the MVP. There are 2 voters from each city, so Yankee-centric voters don't get any more votes than anyone else.

If anything, there has been more buzz about Cal Raleigh this year from the national press than Judge. People tend to be more excited by a new face, and although Cal's been around for several years, this year has been his coming out party. Also, home runs are a flashy stat that people focus on, and Cal's 58 is significantly higher than Judge's 49.

 

[RiverDog]

Glasgow Seahawk said:
If Cal Raleigh was a Yankee this wouldn't even be a question

Just my opinion, but I don't think this is very fair to Judge. Can you honestly look at what Judge has done this season and come to the conclusion that he's not a worthy MVP candidate, and the only reason he's in the conversation is because he's a Yankee? I sure can't.

I agree completely with @Chapow. Aaron Judge is a terrific ballplayer and would be a major candidate for MVP no matter what team he played on. He's leading the league in batting average at .326, he's hit 49 homers, 2nd in the league next to Cal, 103 runs batted in which is 5th best in the league.

Plus, the Yankees are a near cinch to make the playoffs while having to play in the AL East, one of the toughest divisions in all of baseball, and he's been their driving force. His batting average is way better than Cal's, so there's plenty of justification for him being named MVP.

 

[Chapow]

Glasgow Seahawk said:
If Cal Raleigh was a Yankee this wouldn't even be a question

I agree completely with @Chapow. Aaron Judge is a terrific ballplayer and would be a major candidate for MVP no matter what team he played on. He's leading the league in batting average at .326, he's hit 49 homers, 2nd in the league next to Cal, 103 runs batted in which is 5th best in the league.

Plus, the Yankees are a near cinch to make the playoffs while having to play in the AL East, one of the toughest divisions in all of baseball, and he's been their driving force. His batting average is way better than Cal's, so there's plenty of justification for him being named MVP.

Yeah, and it goes way beyond batting average. He's leading all of MLB in damn near everything. BA, OBP, SLG, OPS, OPS+, total bases, runs, walks, WAR, and on and on.

Honestly, there's a pretty strong argument to be made that the Yankees wouldn't even be a playoff team this year without Judge.