#MLBVideos: Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge are your 2025 MVPs! (Both won MVP in consecutive seasons 🤯)

Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge are your 2025 MVPs! (Both won MVP in consecutive seasons 🤯)

on the bridge. It’s all nice and I want to stay. Judge does what Aaron Judge does against everybody. Cal Raleigh does it again. He is unbelievable. Jose Ramirez and who else but number 11. And I want to remember all the things we did. Makes me want you to stay. I’ll be holding you. Oh, inevitable. There’s nobody like him. Kyle Schwarber with a tape measure shot. That is one of the biggest bombs you will ever see. Sodto blast one. Deep right bail. Soda with a monstrous blast. Let’s see how this vote goes. We’re talking about alltime great players in the mix here. Ah, that’s right. The BBWA Awards, the moment of truth is here alongside the all-star Sean Casey, the Emmy Award winner Tom Bradi of Fox Sports and Sports Illustrated. I’m Ad Burke. It is great to have you with us. We’re all here for varying reasons. You play the game at the highest level. You’ve written about the game at the highest level. And we’ve all loved the game at the highest level. But no matter what, Tom, as we all stand here, we’ve pontificated and debated and cajjol about this. This is historic. We’re going to see history, both the National League and the American League for the MVP. The envelope, please. One of my favorite nights on the baseball calendar because you’re right, we are guaranteed to see history made tonight. Celebrating greatness. These are the greatest guys in the game of baseball. The game that we love. It’s going to be incredible. It’s awesome. Let’s get after it. National League. First off, Shoai looking to join Barry Bonds as the only players in baseball history to win at least four MVP awards. He became just the fifth player in baseball history to hit 50 plus homers and scored 145 plus runs and first since Sammy Sosa in 2001. It’s always showtime with Showhead. Kyle Schwarb led the National League in home runs and RBI’s. His 56 long balls are the most in a single season by a primary designated hitter. He looks to be the first Philly to win an MVP since his teammate Bryce Harper back in 2021. Juan Sto set a careerhigh with 43 homers and became just the fifth Met ever to record a 3030 season. His 43 long balls are the most in a season by any player to lead the league in stolen bases. solo goes from the Yankees to the Mets and still was able to bash at an awfully impressive rate. And so we are pleased to be joined by the three finalists right now. Show Otani, Kyle Schwarber, and live from the Chelsea Theater where the MLB awards are taking place later tonight, Juan Sto. Juan, I’ll start with you looking sharp, dressed for success. It’s amazing the season that you put together. The fact that you’re on the verge of a 4040 season, I don’t know who saw that coming. Was that a goal that you had in mind for this year? I mean, when we started the season, we our goal was win as many games as we can. And putting myself together, uh, to have a great season and help my team the most. And whenever we start smelling it, we got to 20, then we got to 30, we saw we have a pretty good chance. And we try, you know, we try our best. Uh, definitely fell off short for the 40, but it was a great, incredible season for me. Hey, show it’s Tom Verduchi. Congratulations again on being an MVP award finalist. It was fun to watch you be a two-way player again. I want to know about the challenge that you faced to rehab during the season while you’re dhing to get yourself ready to pitch. You came back with a full wind up. What was the biggest challenge to get yourself ready to pitch again? Yeah, I think the biggest concern for me, the biggest kind of problem I experienced in was towards the beginning of the season. I was coming off of surgery. So, I had a little bit of tightness around my left shoulder. So as soon as the season pro progressed, my season my shoulder got a lot looser and things got a lot easier for me to get back into my routine, control my time management, and basically from there on it was smooth sailings. Schwarzbs, what’s up, man? It’s Sean Casey. Listen, man, what an incredible year. All the big numbers, 56 home runs, the RBI’s and everything, but as a player, the one stat that that uh came out so big for me was 162 games. knowing how hard that is, knowing that the grind it is, and knowing that when I had teammates that played 162, I was like, “Okay, that guy’s coming every night and he’s posting for us.” What does that 162 mean to you, and why was it so important for you? Um, well, it is an important thing, I think. I think durability is the biggest thing, especially big when you’re primary primary DH, you know, uh, just to make sure you’re durable and everything. uh you know you you just want to make sure that you uh you know when you’re moning your swing everything that you can. So too you want to be aware of um everything else that you can be if it’s you know teammates who need days whatever it is to try to make sure that you’re always going to be available uh for those guys if they need it. And uh yeah, but I mean just to play games, play a whole full season, it it is really really cool to see that you were able to do that and I look forward to continue continue to do that. Well, Kyle, I want to ask you about one of those 162 games, August 28th, four home runs, one of the greatest games ever. in the fact that it’s only the fourth time that someone came to the plate with four home runs for a fifth plate appearance uh by the way against the position player. If I can remind you about that. First of all, tell me what it was like to be in that kind of a zone and then take me through that last fifth at bat. Yeah, it was actually pretty funny. I think rolling to the game I was like 0 for my last 20 or five or something like that and down the cage hitting and uh we’re all confused realize that uh you owe for that much. I was like, “Thanks, man. Appreciate it.” And, uh, you know, just go out there, get the away. Second one comes uh, you know, third, fourth one, and then the cage uh, sitting there, how many people silence? I was like, well, that kind of answer question. And, uh, yeah, it was just, you know, it’s awesome, right? When you’re in that kind of zoom, you have that environment around you. Uh, you know, the bank was rocking and when I I stepped up there for my fifth, they were all on their feet ready to see happen and you know, it is what it is. But it was such fun night. Juan, there was so much attention for you, man, coming into this season, the big contract and everything going over to the Mets and you kind of got out the gates a little slow, but then bam, all of a sudden, Juan Sto’s back, MVP caliber season, you know, you’re back in the mix in the top three. What was the key mentally for you to get things going out there? I mean, I just have to trust trust what I have and trust what I’ve been working on since day one. Um, you know, it’s going to be tough times. Uh, we just got to keep our forehead up and keep moving forward. At the end of the day, I believe in my abilities. I believe in myself and I knew everything’s going to change at at some point and and it did, you know. Um, definitely we have to make a change. We had to make adjustments and um it takes a little while to do those adjustments but the the result was there. Yeah, once you’re off and roll forget about this Van Sodto time again. Thank you so much gentlemen. Sit tight. The winner coming up for the MVP. Congrats once again of being nominees. Really rarified air for Kyle Schwarber, Shi Otani, and Juan Sto. Up next, Case and Tom break down the nominees in the National League, including a closer look at Otani’s elite numbers at the plate, on the mound, and what Juan Sto did that has never been done before. That’s coming up next. It has been a season to remember. This guy’s a perennial MVP. Grand Slam Kyle Schwarber. This guy’s hitting balls to parts unknown. Soda with a monstrous blast. The top three hitter in the game. Dominates the batters box. There’s no park that can hold this guy. Oh, Tommy inevitable. There’s nobody like him in all his glory. This guy is a special player. That’s right. The ML MVP finalist in the National League looking like this. Otani would be the fifth player in the four major North American sports things to win four plus MVP awards in a five season span. joining Barry Bonds, LeBron James, Wayne Gretzky, and Bill Russell. Kyle Schwarber led the MLB in eight home runs and RBI’s, 56 long balls, being a single season record for a DH. And for the second straight year, Juan Sto is a finalist for an MVP. His 43 home runs, the most ever by a player to lead the league in stolen bases. My prep for the show was listening to John Haven and Joel Sherman’s podcast, The Show, in which my friend Tom Braduchcci said, “Right now, he believes Shoan to be the greatest player who’s ever played the game of baseball.” Like, wow. And in the midst of discussing Otani, you’ve seen something that this is rarified air here, Tom. I’m about to be a four team MVP if he can win it. What is it about Otani that stands out? Uh, can I take it back to junior high school? Remember ven diagrams? He’s the ultimate ven diagram because very few hitters can hit like Otani. Very few pitchers can pitch like him. In between that intersection is just one. Here’s what I’m talking about. Let’s count up the most number of balls hit this year hit 100 miles an hour or more. This includes the postseason. Show Otani more than anybody else in baseball. I mean, he is consistently hitting the ball hard. But you got to understand, too, he’s not just a slugger. He hits for average as well. Total base is always there. But on the mound, let’s count up the number 100 mph pitches by any starting pitcher who made at least 15 starts. Only two other starters threw more pitches 100 miles an hour plus. And remember, Showy only had 14 starts during the regular season. made it back in June. Now, let’s talk about highest average exit velocity in all of baseball. Only Aaron Judge. Higher average exit velocity, 95.1. This guy torches baseballs. But once again, if we talk about that same player who hits the ball as hard as just about anybody, put him on the mound and now he throws the ball about as hard as anybody. the highest average four seam velocity in the big leagues, including the postseason, 98.4. Only Hunter Green throws the ball harder than Show Otani. I mean, sometimes we just got to sit back in awe, guys, at what show Otani is doing. It’s not just that he’s doing this as a two-way player. He’s doing it at the 1% level. It’s Don’t ever get used to this. Yeah. Everything truly have never seen anything like it, right? We thought there’d be like other people copycats. No, there’s only Juan Shot Otani. And meantime, if I said to you case power and speed back in the day, you go Eric Davis. Now you say Juan Sonto. That’s power and speed. Yeah. Yeah. We didn’t know he had the speed that he had this this season. It’s incredible. And listen, for him to switch and pay and get the kind of money he got to go to the New York Mets, it’s tough to stay in that industry and try to figure out how to do it year in and year out, but this guy does it, man. He has some one of the shortest swings in the ball, A to B. And man, could he backspin a ball to left center. That’s what impresses me the most. You can’t pitch this guy. Lefty, righty. He can hit it all out of all over the place. Drives in runs, 43 home runs, bullets down the line, in the gap, lineto line guy. As a hitter to watch this guy, it’s so impressive. But guess what, guys? We had no idea he had this in him, right? The most stolen bases Juan Sto had had in his career was 12 up to this season, 2025. And he decided to, you know what, steal 38 bases, almost get the 4040. It was an impressive showing of another tool we didn’t know that this guy had. But look at this right here. Most home runs by a player to lead the league in stolen bases in a single season in the history of the game. 43 home runs, 38 bags. So impressive what Juan Sto did going there with that contract above him and saying, “You know what guys, it doesn’t matter. I am as good as you think.” Yeah, true. With great power comes great responsibilities. So was able to handle that with a plow. Easy. And meantime Schwarber, he almost eclipses Ryan Howard’s franchise record of 58 home runs. And Tom, normally you say a left on left, that’s an issue. Not for Kyle Schwarber. No. He’s worked so hard over the years to make himself not just good against left-handed pitching, but great against left-handed pitching. Check this out. Sluggy against lefties. Careerhigh. You see how it’s gone up over the years. This is a guy who works at his craft and he’s really solved this issue, which is kind of a a negative for him early in his career. You look at the home runs that he hit off left-handed pitching and man, he put up the numbers. careerhigh seven against left-handed breaking balls. In case you know this as a lefty, that breaking ball is not just about the break left on left. It’s about the slower speed where they want to get you out in front of those breaking pitches. When I noticed the change that Kyle Schw made, his bat is in the zone longer to get through these breaking pitches. So, even if he’s out in front a little bit, that bat is in the zone longer to stay through these left-handed breaking balls. There is no weakness anymore in his game offensively. I want to go back and look at where he was a couple of years ago to see some subtle changes. How do you get better against left on left spin? Let me show you. First of all, he’s moved closer to the plate. About 5 1/2 in closer to the plate. That brings the breaking ball closer to his body. Watch the load here. That back elbow is not going up and the the hands are a little bit lower in the set and the path into the zone is a little bit lower, more direct to the baseball. And watch his head on connection here. Wow. The extension through the baseball. He’s catching the ball a little bit deeper now, which is letting it travel a little bit. Kyle Schwarber now has no weakness. Yeah, we thought of him as a great slugger, but this is a guy who’s a pure hitter now. It doesn’t matter if there’s a righty or a lefty. A lot of hard work went into that. And case, you know what it’s like as a left. You don’t like keep that front shoulder and keep it in. Keep it in. He’s hitting it with power. You know what? as a lefty on left too. He was platooning a little bit a few years back and they, you know, good for him for putting the work in and now becoming the best left on left left in the history. So impressive. And how hard and far does he hit the ball? It’s incredible. 23 home runs against left-handed pitchers, a record for left-handed batter. Good stuff out of Thomas. Sean, when we come back, we’re just moments away from finding who will be named the most valuable player in the National League. And we have a very special guest to help us make that announcement. The results are coming up next. We continue right now on the BBWA Awards show. It’s been a phenomenal week and now it’s time for the National League MVP. Juan Sto, Show Otani, and Kyle Schwarber are your finalists. And how about this throwback? 40th anniversary of Don Meline winning the 1985 AL MVP. Donnie baseball had a remarkable season. hit 324, 35 home runs, 145 ribbies, a 156 OPS plus, and 159 games. And what a pleasure to be joined by Donnie Baseball himself, the six-time all-star and ninetime Gold Glove Award winner, who is about to announce the winner of the National League MVP. Donnie, before we get to that, I do want to ask you about that 1985 season. What’s your fondest remembrance from that year? Uh, I think it was just kind of coming into like some power. Uh, never really hit homers before. It’s the first time I really started hitting homers. Uh, kind of started figuring out how to hit the lefty and what to look for. Hit a bunch of homers off lefties that year. And um, yeah, I think just figure kind of figuring it all out and bringing power into my game. Well, 14 seasons with the Yankees, you figured out more than a few things. Obviously a great manager with the Dodgers, the Marlins, and obviously success with the Toronto Blue Jays with this World Series run. Congrats on all you’ve achieved in baseball. Now it’s time for the moment of truth, my friend. Give us the National League MVP. The National League MVP is Showi. All right. Congrats to Showy Otani, the 2025 NL MVP. He is now a fourtime most valuable player, doing so in a 5year span. Only one player has more MVP awards than Showy Otani. That would be Barry Bonds with seven. Here are the results. That’s right. It is unanimous. A true slam dunk for Otani. All 30 first place votes. The runner up is Schwarber with 23 second place votes. Juan Sto is third. Peromo. Phenomenal year for the Dbacks. He finishes fourth. And Trey Turner is fifth overall. Let’s bring in Show Otani and his interpreter Matt Hidaka. Show congratulations. A fourth MVP. This is something only Barry Bonds has done. What does this accomplishment mean to you? Yeah, it’s truly an honor. Um, but before I say that, I wanted to just give a big shout out to Juan Sto and Schwarber. They had amazing seasons as well, and it was just great. You know, they’ve obviously helped me bring the best out of me in competition. Joe, congratulations. I mean, what a year. You became a dad this year. You returned to pitching. You won the World Series. In your mind, what makes this year 2025 so special for you? Yeah. The biggest thing is obviously being able to win the World’s World Series. That’s first and foremost. You know, it’s al it’s a it’s icing on the cake just to be able to get a individual award, you know, being crowned the MVP. But I just really uh want to appreciate the support from all my teammates, everybody around me, my supporting staff. Show congratulations, man. Absolutely incredible what you’re doing with the game. Stuff that we’ve never seen before, and it’s it’s been a lot of fun to see. I want to know as as a hitter and a pitcher cuz being a hitter obviously is one of the toughest things to do. I can’t imagine being a hitter and a starting pitcher. For you, which routine is tougher for you, being a as a as a pitcher or as a hitter? Yeah, they’re both equally difficult being a hitter obviously being being a pitcher, but I think this year because I was coming off, you know, was rehabbing from TJ, I also had uh my surgery on my left shoulder. So, a lot of the focus was to be able to get back to the mound and be able to pitch. So I think in that sense this year the the difficulty was more on the pitching side for this year. Hey Show, I’m not sure if you knew this, but only one other player had won back-to- back MVP awards while also winning the World Series. That was Joe Morgan about 50 years ago. What does that mean to you to be not just the MVP two years in a row, but a World Champion? Yeah. Yeah. I mean, again, it was a great year. Like I said, um I I very grateful to my teammates, the coaching staff. Uh but not not only them, the fans, you know, the fans were the ones who really root uh rooted us on and supported us. I think after I, you know, retire and I do look back at these these special years, I can definitely say the fans played a big part in the support. All right, show. Thank you so much. Um are you going to get extra treats and decoy or what? Yeah, he was bugging. That is a well behaved dog. Great stuff. Show Otani, congratulations. A remarkable season. The fourtime MVP. Our friends at New Balance celebrate. Fourtime MVP, the unicorn show Otani. There’s an idea people keep chasing. The greatest of all time. Goat this, goat that. The whole debate’s gone stale, thin. It’s got no meaning. The goat ain’t the story. Look, call it what you want, but for me, I’m going with the never been done before. Can’t compare them. Shut your mouth and stare at it. Unicorn. He is so unique. There’s no doubt about it. Congrats to Show Otani. After the break, we turn our attention to the American League where Aaron Judge, Cal Raleigh, and Josie Ramirez are all MVP finalists. Judge and Raleigh join us live next. Here’s the moment that show Otani wins a fourtime MVP. A kiss for decoy and celebrating with his loved ones. Great moment for Otani. The MVP four times now. A remarkable story for a remarkable player. The BBWA award show continues. The National League MVP has been revealed. Now it’s time for the American League MVP. The finalists are Aaron Judge led the American League in batting average on base percentage, slugging, OPS plus, F4 war, and runs scored. His 53 home runs were the most in the season by any player to win a batting title. Cal Raleigh set the single season records for home runs by a catcher, switcher, and Seattle Mariner. He looks to join Hall of Famers Ichu Suzuki and Ken Griffy Jr. as the only mirrors to win an MVP. And Jose Ramirez is an MVP finalist. For the fourth time in his career, he joined Bobby Bonds as the only players in MLB history with consecutive seasons of 30 plus home runs and 40 plus stolen bases. Certainly all these guys worthy of kudos and accomplishments. We’re pleased to be joined by two of the three finalists. Josie Ramire is unable to be with us, but Aaron Judge is here and Cal Raleigh is joining us live from the Chelsea Theater where the MLB awards are taking place later tonight. Aaron, I’ll start with you. He hit 331 and 53 home runs as an IFB goes right back into place. We’re good. What do you take more pride in? The fact you hit for such a high average or all those home runs? Well, I think uh probably probably the average. You know, I always try to be a complete hitter, you know, especially, you know, coming up through my minor league and then major league career. It was kind of about this is a bigger guy that just hits for power. So, you I just want to try to kind of round out my game and just kind of get on base for my teammates behind me and just try to be as productive as I can. So, you know, everyone loves the long ball, but um you know, I’ve been trying to work on my craft. I raised that average a little bit. Hey Cal, it’s Tom Verduchi. Congratulations on being a finalist here. I want to know how you do it, man. I mean, you took more played appearances, including the postseason, than any catcher in history, 759. You caught 17,000 pitches without a pass ball the whole season. Uh, really, how did you do it? What is the key to being a switch hitter and a catcher and playing just about every single day to get through what was a seven-mon season for you? Yeah, I mean it’s uh it’s challenging for sure, you know, having two two swings to take care of and and trying to you know, obviously manage all the workload and and uh the staff that comes with it. So, I think um you know, first first of all, you know, obviously the the defense defensive side always comes first, you know, managing games, managing uh you know, plans, meetings, things like that. 13 different personalities. So, um, you know, it’s, uh, it comes with it challenges, but, you know, it’s it’s what I love to do. So, um, I enjoy doing it every day and it’s just trying to stay consistent and trying to get prepared as much as you can. Judge, congrats, man’s case. You know, being in the top three is amazing to see you do your thing. And having a chance to go behind the veil a couple years ago, being being the hitting coach there with you guys at the New York Yankees, I got to see the work that goes in behind the scenes. I got to see the leader that you are. What does that mean to you to to be the guy that sets the culture and the leader in that clubhouse, but also to the fans out there in New York day in and day out? Yeah, it’s it’s uh a lot of responsibilities uh playing in New York. But that’s that’s what I love. That’s why, you know, 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. And uh it’s it’s been fun, man. You got a lot of a lot of things you got to manage, but you know, you’re playing on the biggest stage in front of the best fans in the world. It’s it’s been incredible, man. It’s it’s it’s not like what Kyle had to do, you know, catching all those games. Um, you know, being behind the plate, beating up his body, beating up his knees, man. But, uh, it’s u I just try to do my part to bring out the best of my teammates. Well, Aaron, I know how much you love to play this game, and you put up incredible numbers while battling through an injury. What was the challenge that you faced late in the year to work through the injury and to get your stroke back? Yeah, just first off, uh, hats off to our whole training staff kind of getting me back out there, getting me healthy. Um, you know, I wasn’t able to play as much right field as I wanted to. I had at the DH quite a bit when I came back, but um, I think the biggest thing for me was just um, you know, with the elbow, you’re you’re gripping the bat. You know, you’re trying to follow through on tough pitches. So, um, yeah, it was a it was a challenge, but it’s, you know, everybody goes deals with stuff throughout the year. You could probably ask Kyle the same thing. you know, his body was probably banged up in in all sorts of type of different ways. So, um you know, you just got to suck it up and go out there and play. Cal, this season was incredible, man. You really captivated the country with your run uh overtaking Manel at 54 and then the run for 60 and what the Mariners were doing. You were leading the way. It really was incredible. Can you take us back to that 60th home run in Seattle and what that was like for you? Uh yeah, it was, you know, absolutely insane. It was uh, you know, I never, you know, could have dreamed of, you know, ever hitting 60 home runs in a in a season. It it still kind of feels like uh like not real in a way. So, but I think what made that night uh super special was, you know, that was the first time uh we had won the division in 20some years. And uh to do that on top of the, you know, 60th homer was was something I’ll never forget. Um I I don’t know. I feel like that the 60th was was a little different than the rest of them. They were all, you know, obviously great and amazing. Um but that one for some reason felt felt a little different routing the bases and uh to join a to join a club, you know, that obviously Aaron’s already part of and um you know that only a handful of guys are in is is pretty special. Just the seventh player in baseball history, six total home runs and just the fourth the American League. When you’re talking one hand, awfully impressive. Great stuff, gentlemen. Sit tight. We come back here on the BBWA Award show. What makes Josie Ramirez so consistent? How is Kyle Raleigh so successful on both sides of the plate? And what incredible historical company did Aaron Judge put himself in this season? Case and Tom break it all down next. Man, oh man. Cal Raleigh’s doing stuff we’ve never seen before from the catching position. Number 60, the most difficult position to play in baseball. He is an absolute wall behind the plate. Jos Ramirez, when it’s all said and done, he is going to be a top some of the greatest players leaguewide. He’s that kind of player for the Cleveland Guardians. He’s got 53 home runs. He’s hitting over 330. Aaron Jud first got to win a batting title with this many home runs. What he’s doing is absolutely incredible. One of the best players we’ve ever seen. Cannot wait to see who will be the American League MVP. These are your finalists. Aaron Judge led baseball an average on base percentage, slugging OPS Plus, and he hit 53 home runs. Cal Ry the single season home run record for catchers, switch hitters, and the most long balls in Mariners’s history. And Jos Ramirez and the Guardians have the longest active drought in baseball without an MVP winner. Their last winner was Al Rosen all the way back in 1953. Let’s start with Ramirez case. When you look at this guy, his all-around game is just so impressive. So consistent. You talk about an MVP of a team, a guy the Guardians, where would they be without Jos Ramirez? This guy’s one of the most special guys in the game. What fascinates me, Adnan, is just the way this guy posts every single day. And you talk about, we talked about, you know, being able to hit from one side of the plate. Listen, this guy does it from both sides of the plate. Left-handed stroke, hits the ball of the ballpark, but he’s a great hitter. He’s a complete hitter. He’s a line-to-line guy. He can get you in all facets of the game. But that that’s what I love when you watch this guy. His splits are incredible. He’s almost exactly the same hater left-handed as he is right-handed, which is such a hard thing to do. So, he’s a real matchup problem for anybody that’s trying to figure out how to pitch this guy, which is incredible. And then you talk about the total complete package. Stolen bases. This guy can flat out change a game. Tied for second in the AL with 44 bags. When he gets on base, he’s a real problem. And I think that’s a big thing. He can hit from both sides of the plate. He can steal bags and get in the scoring position. And he can also pick it over there at third base. One of the best in the business. No doubt about it. Ranges to his left, ranges to his right. So good at what he does. And you know what? Pitchers love it right here. He can somehow turn a 543 double play. And this right here, man, this is the play that you look at at Jos Ramirez, you say, man, that’s what makes great third base. And the guys can come in on the bare hand and make that play. You want to talk about a total package. And look at this right here. Most top three finishes in MVP mo voting in the history of the game. Look at this. Mike Schmidt, George Brett, Brooks Robinson, and oh yeah, José Ramirez. That’s how good this guy is. The greatest third baseman in baseball on that list with Jose. Pretty good, right? Meanwhile, Cal Riley, we keep using that word, Tom, historic. What he did this year, but particularly to do so at both sides of the plate. This is a lost art for a switch hitter to be so great today. Yeah. And you heard him talk about how it’s hard to maintain a stroke from both sides of the plate. I remember asking his dad, college coach, when did he start switch hitting? What’s his natural side? He said as soon as he could stand, he had that red plastic bat in his hand. He always hit from both sides of the plate. So, he doesn’t have a natural side. He’s a natural switch hitter. And what I love about his swing is watch the extension as he gets through the ball. This reminds me of Mark Magguire. The last time I saw a guy with the extension through the ball, watch the barrel keep going. and his dad used this phrase, the distance between the barrel and your nose. The distance between the barrel and your nose, keep that as far as possible. That’s where the extension is coming from. So that’s why his ball just carries out of the ballpark. Look at this extension here. That doesn’t happen by accident, especially when you have to swing from both sides of the plate. And you talked about Jose Ramirez being a matchup problem case. It’s the same thing with Cal Raleigh. Now, it doesn’t matter which side of the plate you put him on. In fact, this year the right side was the better side. I It’s pick your poison whether you want a righty or a lefty to pitch to Cal Raleigh. Just so impressed that he can do this while catching and switch hitting. It’s remarkable what these guys have done. By the way, the latest reimagining of Frankenstein is on Netflix. These guys are monsters at the plate. That’s all I keep thinking of. Imagine dealing with these guys and you think of Aaron Judge again. Case, you were the Yankees hitting coach. You saw it up close to personal how hard this guy works, how talented he is. Yeah, it’s incredible. It’s really incredible. And I love how he said, “I want to be the complete player. I want to be the complete package.” He is the complete package. And it’s getting historical, guys. It’s coming to the level right now. You’re seeing one of the greatest players this game has ever seen. And you and this year, he did it again. Over 50 home runs for the fourth time. Let me give you some names, guys. Aaron Judge, Sammy Sosa, Mark Magguire, and Babe Ruth. Some of the best to ever do it. Those guys hit the ball further than I’ve ever seen in the game. historical type stuff. But you know, one thing about Judgy, man, this guy is a great hitter. He goes to right field better than anyone in the game. He’s a major problem, matchup problem. Hits lefties, hit righties. He can take you out dead center, lineto line. Most home runs by the batting champion MLB history. Aaron Judge 53. Look at the other names. Manel, Jimmy Fox, historical run, historical numbers in 2025. And I think that’s the big thing as we’re looking at history here. And all of a sudden, man, I tell you what, bullets down the line, gots the pink bat, shoots it to right for Patty right there. Another missile to left right here. It’s just so special what he’s doing. And this this number right here might be the biggest one. Babe Ruth, when you talk about one of the greatest Barry Bonds, the greatest in my generation that I’ve ever seen. And the splendid splender Ted Williams. Three of the greatest hitters of all time. And the stat right here with Aaron Judge now falling into this one. This one’s incredible. 215 210 plus OPS+, which is incredible. The average player is 100 OPS+. Babe Ruth has nine, Bonds four, Williams four, and Aaron Judge now at three. We’re looking at a historical player, guys doing historical things in 2025. And like I said before, being around this guy and getting a chance to coach him, as great of a player he is, he’s probably a better person. And I think that’s one of the coolest things for me. I’m ready to run through a wall. Team on three. One, two, three. Let’s go. Case the ultimate motivational coach. I love it. Look at these numbers when you’re talking about Mantel and Mer. This is where it kind of mirrors us a little bit, right? So Mantle would be like the Aaron Judge has the numbers in terms of average on base slugging OPS plus. But Cal Raleigh home runs and RBI’s like Roger Maris. As a matter of fact, let’s take a look now at the 2025 numbers and look at this comparison. That’s right. Look at Judgy’s got him in the average OP slugging OP plus, but there’s Cal Raleigh. Those 60 home runs by a catcher, 125 RBI’s. It is why this has been a fascinating debate all season long. The moment of truth is almost here. Will it be Aaron Judge’s third MVP award or will Cal Raleigh’s first? We’ll all find out together after a short break. That’s right. The American League MVP is about to be announced. Will it be Aaron Judge, Josie Ramirez, or Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mirrors? The moment of truth is almost upon us. And for that, we bring back in the 1985 MVP, Don Matley, kind of to join us. Now, joined by his cat, as someone said to me, Don Cattingly, we could call him, but we’re not going to make that joke. Donnie Baseball, take it away, sir. The American League MVP, Aaron Judge, Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees. Thank you to Don Malie for the announcement. From one Yankee great to another, Judge wins his third MVP. And this is what I want to see, folks. How close was the vote? Take a look at that. 355 for judge, 335 for Cal Raleigh, 17 first place votes for judge. Raleigh gets 17 second place votes. Jose Mir is third. Bobby Wit Jr. is fourth. And TK Scubble, who is the back-to-back signing award winner, ends up getting one third place vote. He’s fifth overall in the voting. What a moment. Congratulations to the great Aaron Judge. Judgy, this is rarified air, my man. threetime MVP. I’m taking you back as a kid in Lynen, California. You know, for all the kids out there, my own son, Shaz, he loves you. Your favorite player. What’s the advice you give to all the kids out there? Well, well, first off, um just congrats to to Cal Raleigh, Jose Ramirez, you know, everybody out there, man. They had two incredible seasons. You know, it’s always fun playing against those two. You know, especially when we we play Seattle, man. The the main objective is, you know, make sure Cal doesn’t beat you, man. because he can he can beat you from both sides of the plate. And um you know for all the kids out there uh just keep working hard, keep you know dream big. I think that’s the biggest thing. You know I always would joke around with my parents in the backyard or um you know even you know was playing little league that one day I get a chance to be in the major leagues. I never thought it’d be something like this but it’s uh just truly incredible. Just always chase your dreams. Judge man, congratulations. So welld deserved. Congrats to Sam, to Big Wayne, to Patty, to everybody there. The dogs, I know you love the dogs. Thank you. The dogs. Uh, you know, I just, uh, you know, for me, man, it’s your first MVP as a dad, you know, a girl dad. I’m a girl dad, too, dude. I got a couple couple daughters that I love to death. How has being a dad changed your perspective to the game of baseball? Oh, it’s been incredible. you know, getting a chance to, you know, no matter what when I come home, if it’s a four for four night and, you know, you win the game or if it’s 0 for four and, you know, you you lose the game for your team, you know, she’s always always smiling and happy happy to see me. It’s it’s been incredible to see her, you know, grow these nine months and um, you know, looking forward to, you know, having her more more games out of Yankee Stadium. Well, Aaron, congratulations. So happy for you. So well earned and deserved. I want to talk about that batting title. You’ve got three home run titles, but you’re the biggest, literally biggest batting title winner ever. What does it mean for you to win a batting title at 331? It’s um it’s pretty it’s pretty wild. You know, you try to try not to think about it during the season. You know, I try to keep my head down down um through all 162. Just do whatever I can in today’s game to help our team win. And you know, you do what you can, give it your all, and then you you wake up the next day and do it again. So, uh, it’s pretty pretty wild to kind of look back now on the season, you know, and kind of the ups and downs and where we ended up and how that all worked out. But, um, it’s, you know, I had a lot of great coaches throughout my my time. You know, the coaching staff we had this year was amazing, especially our hitting coaches, JRo, uh, Casey Six. You know, even you, Casey, man, we we had some good moments uh back and forth, either just talking baseball or talking life. Man, it’s pretty special. So great, man. So great. And it kind of echo Casey’s sentiments earlier, Judge. He was talking about what a great person you are off the field. I keep thinking about the fact you’re a Clemente Award winner, how meaningful that is to you. For a guy who’s so dedicated to his craft, so to to his game, what you’re able to do off the field, it speaks volumes about the kind of person you are. Congratulations on winning your third MVP. Richly deserved. No, thank you very much. Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees, your MVP. Celebrate with those dogs. All right, we’re born on the break of tonight’s results. We’re pleased. We love those dogs. We love those dogs. The dogs got to shut up. Let’s turn over to BBWA secretary treasurer Jack Oonnell. Jack, Aaron Judge’s second consecutive victory in the American League is also his third overall. He is the 13th player to be named MVP at least three times. a list that includes fellow Yankees legends Joe Deaggio, Yogi Bar, and Mickey Manel. Show Otani is the second player to be named MVP at least four times alongside seventime winner Barry Bonds. And it is just the second time a player has won MVP awards in three consecutive seasons. Bonds holds that record as well with four straight MVPs. Otani is alone as the only player to win the award twice in each league. Well, thanks so much, Jack. Clearly, the lesson is if you want to be an MVP, you have to get a dog. quite frankly. Here’s we recap the BBWA awards. Nick Curtz the colonel and Drake Baldin. Love the Drake rookies of the year. Steven Bo Patmer for your managers of the year. Trick Scooble and skins assigning award winners and MVPs Judge and Otani. Tom your reaction how close the vote was. Yeah, what a year for Cal Raleigh. But we’re looking at in Judge and Show Otani. Two guys have won seven of the last 10 MVP awards that have been handed out to Case’s point. Historical comparing to guys in past history, not just today. The game’s in a great place. We got a superstar on the East Coast. We got a superstar on the West Coast with two generational players winning MVPs doing things that we’ve never seen before in this game. So, congrats to everybody tonight. It’s Aaron Judge, Show Otani. What an incredible season they had. I mean, a fourtime MVP and a three-time MVP. This is incredibly rare company. Phenomenal work all week from Tom Brady, Sean Casey, Verduchi for the Hall of Fame. All right, let’s get my guy in there. Okay, you I’ll take care of it. Congrats once again to all the award winners. Thanks for watching.

@MLBNetwork announces the 2025 Most Valuable Players: Shohei Ohtani 大谷翔平 and Aaron Judge!

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