The New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners were two of the best teams in the AL this year, and it’s no coincidence that each of their stars had historic seasons.
Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge hit the most home runs (53) for a batting champion in baseball history. The only other two players to win batting titles while hitting 50-plus homers were Jimmie Foxx in 1938 (50 homers) and Mickey Mantle in 1956 (52 homers).
Judge also became the first player since Miguel Cabrera in 2012 to top the majors in batting average (.331), on-base percentage (.457), and slugging percentage (.688).
Meanwhile, Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh hit 60 homers, a single-season record for primary catchers and switch hitters. The 28-year-old also finished third in MLB with 125 RBIs and helped Seattle’s pitching staff finish 13th in baseball with a 3.87 ERA.
Fans and media are debating which player deserves to win AL MVP this season, and the Yankees weighed in via social media on Sunday night.
“A thread for your consideration,” they posted before listing Judge’s stats and where they ranked in the AL.
The club pointed out how the 33-year-old’s 1.149 OPS led the league, while the second-place player in the AL was at .959. It also mentioned his batting champion home run record as well as his 10.1 Fangraphs Wins Above Replacement (fWAR). The next-closest AL player had a 9.0 fWAR.
Additionally, New York listed Judge’s 36 intentional walks, an AL record and a higher total than the other 29 MLB teams. Following that, it mentioned how the next closest AL player in slugging percentage was at .589, as well as .399 for on-base percentage and .311 for batting average.
Finally, it ended the post by pointing out Judge’s MLB-leading 24 go-ahead homers before saying “You be the Judge.”
A thread for your consideration 🧵 pic.twitter.com/3Ce3Pvb7wp
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) September 29, 2025
Should Cal Raleigh Still Win MVP?
Raleigh’s case centers around his balance of power-hitting and playing catcher, the second most important position. Judge is the better all-around hitter, but he plays a less consequential position.
Raleigh’s value on both sides of the ball is undeniable, as he finished fifth in baseball with a 7.3 WAR this season. However, Judge led the majors with a 9.7 WAR, 1.7 more than the next-closest player. The two-time AL MVP also led with a 9.4 offensive WAR, while Raleigh was at 7.7.
The Mariners slugger did finish with 0.1 defensive WAR, 0.6 ahead of Judge’s. Still, that difference is less than their gap offensively and overall, which strengthens the latter player’s argument.
