With the 2025 Major League Baseball’s (MLB) regular season over and the playoffs in full swing, the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) will soon have a difficult decision to make when it comes to who should be named American League (AL) Most Valuable Player (MVP).
Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees and Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners are the clear front-runners in the race. From an offensive standpoint, Judge clears Raleigh in nearly every statistical category. In the 2025 regular season, Judge put up a batting average (BA) of .331 with a .457 on-base percentage (OBP) and an on-base and slugging percentage (OPS) of 1.145 compared to Raleigh’s BA of .245, OBP of .359 and OPS of .948.
Should the AL MVP be decided by offensive stats, Judge wins, despite Raleigh’s impressive 60 home run (HR) season. Although Raleigh’s 60 HRs made him the first catcher in MLB history to accomplish the feat, Judge’s impressive BA and consistency at the plate make for a much better season offensively. However, when considering that baseball has always prioritized catching as a “defense first” position, Raleigh’s bid for the AL MVP becomes much more enticing.
The last catcher to win MVP was San Francisco Giants legend, Buster Posey, in 2012. Posey arguably put up the best single-season performance ever by a catcher. Posey finished the season with a BA of .336, an OBP of .408 and an OPS of .957. However, what was perhaps more impressive about Posey’s 2012 season was his defensive performance. The backstop hosed down 38 runners on 125 attempts, giving him a caught stealing percentage of roughly 30%. In addition, Posey only allowed two passed balls on the year in 138 games played behind the dish. The precedent set by the BBWAA in electing Posey as the MVP sets the path for Raleigh to be named AL MVP despite Judge’s ridiculous offensive numbers.
Raleigh’s defensive performance this year has arguably been the best in baseball. Raleigh has caught in 125 games, committing only four errors and boasting a .996 fielding percentage. He has thrown out 21 baserunners, putting him well within the top half of catchers who have thrown out the most baserunners this season. In addition to this, he is one of only two catchers in the MLB this year to not allow a single passed ball. Raleigh is also regarded by several MLB analysts as one of the best framers and blockers in baseball, consistently stealing strikes for his pitchers and giving them confidence to bury a breaking ball with runners on.
Good catchers are paramount to playoff runs. Although the Mariners have a loaded pitching staff with players like Logan Gilbert and Luis Castillo, Raleigh has been the glue that has held the Mariners together, which is not something that can be shown through stats alone. When one pairs Raleigh’s impressive defensive performance this year with his league-leading 60 HR season, the argument for who should be the AL MVP becomes significantly closer.
It is my belief that any time a catcher performs well defensively and accomplishes a milestone never before done by someone in that position, that alone is worthy of an MVP award. Catching is widely regarded as the hardest position in baseball and is extremely unforgiving physically. Should the BBWAA decide not to elect Raleigh as the AL MVP, they would be breaking an unwritten rule in baseball by not awarding a player who is expected to perform well in every aspect of the game over another player who is simply paid to hit home runs. Although Judge is a reliable outfielder, no one will remember his 2025 performance for his defensive accomplishments, but Raleigh will be remembered not just for how he performed behind home plate but also for setting a new record and standard for catchers as hitters. Because of Raleigh’s accomplishments both defensively and offensively this season, he should be this year’s AL MVP.
