Jeff Passan on the AL MVP race:

“If I had a vote right now, I would go Aaron Judge and I would feel terrible about it”

Jeff Passan on the AL MVP race: “If I had a vote right now, I would go Aaron Judge and I would feel terrible about it”
byu/TheTurtleShepard inNYYankees

25 comments

  1. I know the quote was posted before but I wanted to post the full clip in all of its context because I think Passan gives a very measured and level headed take on the debate.

    What Raleigh is doing is incredible and doing it all while playing catcher is a feat and should be celebrated. That being said, Judge is just a level above every other player in the MLB when it comes to hitting and you just can’t ignore how truly dominant he is

  3. Anyone acting like its obvious this MVP should go to Judge is being tribal rn, Cal has had a great September which is making this so close

  5. this is just like when they gave halfman the mvp as a make-a-wish. Now we gotta “appreciate the impact of the catcher” like Judge doesn’t rob 4 homeruns a fucking season while being the best right handed hitter in history

  6. Undervalued catchers? I sat through a decade of them pretending that Yadier Molina’s .270/.300/.700 seasons were legendary.

  7. I’ll be ok with Raleigh getting mvp when posada gets HOF since they are so underrated and under appreciated.

  10. Cal has played a ton of games, and a lot at catcher, but he didn’t play 159 games as a catcher. He currently has 35 games at DH and 2 as a PH.

  11. Judge has the best OPS in MLB. Cal is #4 (Shohei and Springer are in between). The difference between Judge (1) and Cal (4) in OPS is the same as the difference between Cal and #74th place William Contreras/Gleyber Torres. Judge isnt edging past him; he’s taking laps. Calnis a great story, but Judge is clearly the MVP

  13. If judge wins I’d certainly feel a little sorry for like I did for Witt. Having a great season that would be mvp most years but judge is at an all time great level right now.

  14. The issue I have with this intangible argument for catchers is that it’s true for every player. Should Cole get more WAR for effectively being an extra pitching coach? Should Judge get more WAR if he makes a more welcoming clubhouse environment for new players and they perform better?

    Catcher value is hard to quantify and always will be. A decent amount of catchers don’t even call pitches anymore, so you can’t even make blanket adjustments to the position. We will likely never know just how valuable Judge or Raleigh are to their teams, so you have to use the data we have.

  15. All the arguments I see is about Judge being a greater hitter. I’m so disappointed that’s what the MVP has become a measure of, rather than the overall performance (in other sports as well).

    Cal is not only playing one of the more difficult (won’t say important) positions on the field, while taking command of the pitching staff, and doing so at a high level. He’s close to the top in the AL in innings caught, not sure what the argument of “he hasn’t caught every game” is, when Judge is a DH in many games.

    Now, I’m not arguing one deserves it over the other, what Judge is doing is All Time, but it’s a lot closer than people want to give credit to, and we also must remember that this is 2025 MVP, not what Judge has done the past number of seasons.

  17. I mean to be fair he didn’t play all of those games at catcher. He’s played nearly a quarter of his games at DH. Which is neither here nor there but act like he played 159 games a catcher is disingenuous.

  18. Here’s a simple way to think of it. Knowing what you know about the season, if you could have only one of them on your team, who do you pick if you’re Seattle and who do you pick if you’re NY. This way, the “valuable” aspect of it comes into play – not just the performance.

  19. 120 game catcher “bumps and bruises” but when judge is the best batter in the MLB and playing through a torn ligament in his elbow it’s not “bumps and bruises”

  20. Does Cal do anything for his pitching staff that other catchers dont? Not really relevant to Jeff’s point but when people talk about Cal they obviously cant compare the offense but they give him so much praise for running the staff, almost like he should get credit for their wins. If they were the best staff in the league the argument could have some weight but otherwise hes just… doing what catchers do, which I know is demanding, but it doesn’t bridge the gap at all.

    I agree with Jeffs overall point. Cal deserves recognition, its just a shame hes doing it when Judge is healthy. Congrats on the Silver Slugger though

  22. If they give it to Raleigh, they’re just doing him a favor. He’s having a great season, but Judge is having a better one.

  23. **Did you know** if Cal Raleigh wins the MVP with his current .245 batting average, he would have the lowest batting average by a non-pitching MVP winner in MLB history?

    The current record is .267 by Marty Marion in 1944. (Ohtani hit .257 in 2021 but pitched 130.1 innings that year.) Roger Maris is second with a .269 in 1961.

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