Aaron Judge Or Cal Raleigh? Rival Execs Divided On Tight MVP Race

New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge and Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh are squaring off in one of the more memorable Most Valuable Player races we've seen in years.

Raleigh is doing things we've never witnessed from a catcher. He broke the records for home runs by a primary catcher (48) and a switch-hitter (54), and his 56th blast of the year on Tuesday tied the single-season record for a Mariner.

However, Judge is outstripping Raleigh in just about every offensive category but home runs and RBIs, and in many categories, the margin is fairly wide. The two-time and defending MVP is close to matching his production from a year ago, when he won the award unanimously.

Executive poll shows tight margins in MVP race

Sep 17, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Seattle Mariners designated hitter Cal Raleigh (29) at bat against the Kansas City Royals during the first inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

So who should win? Well, rival front office executives from around the league would seem like good folks to ask, but their responses might not be much help to those who can't decide.

On Thursday, MLB.com's Mark Feinsand published the results of a poll of 14 American and National League executives, and the margins were razor-thin: seven votes for Raleigh, six for Judge, and one person who declared it a tie.

“Holy cow, that’s a tough call; I’m actually glad I don’t have a vote,” an NL executive told Feinsand. “I would lean towards Judge because I think he’s had the better overall season in terms of quality of performance.

"The home run total and positional advantage would go to Raleigh, but outside of that, I think you can put Judge ahead across the board. And as weird as it might sound, I actually think the Yankees would miss him more than the Mariners would miss Raleigh. I can’t believe I’m saying that, but I think Judge is that important to them.”

“The easy answer would be Judge because his overall production is a notch above, per WAR,” an AL executive countered, per Feinsand. “However, you put Raleigh in Yankee Stadium for half of his games and he would have about 64 home runs. And he’s a catcher.”

Will this be remembered as the year Raleigh dethroned Judge at the peak of his powers? Or will it simply be another trophy added to the latter's burgeoning collection?

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