For months, the debate over the American League’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) award has kept baseball fans on tenterhooks.
Aaron Judge is Crowned MVP for the Third Time
The question centered on whether the honor would go to Aaron Judge, right fielder for the New York Yankees, after another exceptional offensive season, or to Cal Raleigh, catcher for the Seattle Mariners, who impressed with his 60 home runs.On Thursday, voters chose Judge, who solidified his place among baseball’s greats by winning his third MVP award, becoming the thirteenth player to achieve this feat. He shares this achievement with Yankees legends like Yogi Berra, Joe DiMaggio, and Mickey Mantle.The Baseball Writers’ Association of America vote was one of the closest in years. Judge received 17 first-place votes and 13 second-place votes. Raleigh got 13 first-place votes and finished second on the other 17 ballots.If two writers had changed their votes, the result would have been a tie.José Ramírez, third baseman for the Cleveland Guardians, finished in third place, followed by Bobby Witt Jr., shortstop for the Kansas City Royals.They had two incredible seasons. It’s always fun to play against them, especially when we play against Seattle. The main goal is to make sure Cal doesn’t beat you.
Aaron Judge
Judge achieved his first batting title with a .331 average, surpassing the rest of the league by 20 points. With 53 home runs, he became the fourth player with four seasons of at least 50 home runs, surpassing Berra and DiMaggio on the Yankees’ home run list.I know I say it often when I meet with our media during the season, but I never want to stop being touched by the consistency and enormity of his achievements. Each time it becomes more difficult for me to find words to express how good he is. He’s simply playing at a higher level, and he’s been doing it for quite some time.
Aaron Boone, Yankees manager
His 53 home runs were the most for a batting champion. He led the majors in OPS (1.144), wRC+ (204), and fWAR (10.1). He became the fifth player in the expansion era (since 1961) to lead the majors in batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage in the same season. He also set the American League record with 36 intentional walks.Judge, who could have left the Yankees a few years ago, decided to renew his contract as a free agent.You try not to think about it during the season. I try to keep my head down during the 162 games, do what I can in today’s game to help our team win. And you do what you can, give it your all, and then you wake up the next day and do it again.
Aaron Judge
Although his postseason performance was the best of his career, with a .500/.581/.692 average in 31 appearances, he still hasn’t won a World Series title with the Yankees, who have extended their drought to 16 years in 2025. For now, Judge is the best Yankee without a World Series championship.The debate between Raleigh and Judge was one of the most intense in over a decade, with both players starring in historic seasons.Raleigh, the switch-hitting catcher, became the seventh player to hit 60 home runs in a season. He surpassed Salvador Perez’s previous record of 48 home runs for a primary catcher, and Mantle’s record of 54 home runs for a switch hitter.Raleigh hit .247/.359/.589 with 60 home runs, 125 RBIs (league leader), and 110 runs scored.It’s a lot of responsibility to play in New York, but that’s what I love. When I was a free agent, I came back to New York. I wanted to play in the city, play for these fans, play with these high expectations.
Aaron Judge
