Aaron Judge or Cal Raleigh: Who Should Be AL MVP

A catcher who hit 60 home runs or the league leader in batting average, OPS, and slugging percentage? Who really deserves the Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award (AL MVP)?

Both Cal Raleigh and Aaron Judge have had impressive seasons, as described by the accomplishments above. To some, the American League’s (AL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) is already decided; to others, it may feel more complicated. 

Let’s take a look at the numbers: 

Aaron Judge 

Cal Raleigh

Raleigh’s home run total is now the most in a single season in Mariners franchise history, breaking Ken Griffey Jr.’s previous record of 56, the most home runs hit by a catcher in a single season, as well as by a switch-hitter. With the help of his offensive prowess, the Mariners captured the AL West division title, securing a spot in the American League Division Series (ALDS). On the other hand, Judge leads the league in almost all major offensive statistics, and the Yankees are most certainly reliant on his run production. 

Defense is hard to compare between the two players, with different positions and metrics defining each player’s value. Raleigh does not lead in any catching statistics; however, he does place fifth in Baseball Savant’s catcher framing. In terms of other metrics, Raleigh is 3rd in FanGraphs’ WAR with 9.1, which sits behind Judge’s 10.1 fWAR. Regardless, Raleigh’s case for MVP is far more challenging to measure. As MLB contributor Anthony Castrovince points out in his column, it is hard to accurately represent the heavy workload —pre- and in-game—of a catcher in analytics. 

For this season, there is no right or wrong answer when it comes to picking Judge or Raleigh. Aside from Yankee or Mariner fans who may be disappointed their team’s superstar did not get selected, I find it hard to believe any other baseball fan would be upset at either player winning.  

However, if my ballot actually counted, my first-place vote would go to Judge, with a very close second vote going to Raleigh. While there is something to be said for Raleigh’s switch-hitting capabilities, for me, it’s Judge’s offense that is the deciding factor. He strikes out less and gets on base more. Despite leading in home runs, Raleigh falls to Judge in the other major offensive categories. 

As the World Series comes to a close, free agency opens, and awards start to roll out, one or the other will be accomplished – Raleigh will become the first AL catcher since 2009 to win, or Judge will go back-to-back.

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