Is Mariners' Catcher Cal Raleigh the 'Sentimental Favorite' to Win the AL MVP Award?

The Seattle backstop is having a career year and is battling Yankees' slugger Aaron Judge in a down-to-the-wire race for the Most Valuable Player Award

Sep 5, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh (29) hits a single against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh is gaining a level of respect from fans, media, and his contemporaries that is often hard to come by. The 28-year-old is having the season of a lifetime and is currently leading the American League in home runs and RBI. He's a leading candidate to be the league's Most Valuable Player.

Raleigh is having one of the best seasons ever for a catcher, and with one more home run, he will tie Mickey Mantle for the most home runs in a single season by a switch hitter. And no one will ever chide this heavy hitter, just because he dons the ‘tools of ignorance’. The five-year veteran won both the Gold and Platinum Gloves last year, and he provides much-needed leadership behind the dish.

Cal Raleigh is now just one homer away from tying Mickey Mantle (54 HR, 1961) for the most in a season by a switch-hitter! https://t.co/m0kIVJCmM8 pic.twitter.com/CtDIIvD9zt

— MLB (@MLB) September 7, 2025

Raleigh is hitting just .239, but boasts impressive power numbers, with 53 home runs and 113 RBI. In any other era, an excellent defensive catcher with those kinds of numbers would be a shoo-in for the MVP Award. Still, all season long, Raleigh has been chasing the Yankees' terrific slugger, Aaron Judge, who has also been on a tear in 2025.

Statistically speaking, the Yanks' outfielder is having a superior season. Judge boasts a .322 batting average, with 46 homers and 100 RBI. On Thursday, he made history by tying Joe DiMaggio for fourth place on the Yankees' all-time homer roll, blasting two out of the park in the Yankees' 9-3 win over the Detroit Tigers. He's also the reigning MVP, having been voted for the award unanimously last season.

Cal Raleigh is the Underdog in the AL MVP Race

If Cal Raleigh can somehow usurp Aaron Judge and capture the MVP Award, he will be the third Mariner in history to do so. Junior grabbed the prize in 1997, while Ichiro took the title in 2001. While many fans, observers, and so-called 'experts' have already anointed Judge, there is a groundswell of emotion that is on the side of Cal Raleigh.

Every sports fan loves an underdog, so many out there would like to see Raleigh capture the award because he's an unlikely candidate, and this is probably the most productive season he will ever have as a big leaguer.

In many ways, Raleigh vs. Judge is a battle of David vs. Goliath. The reigning MVP on the most decorated franchise in history, being challenged by a come-out-of-nowhere opponent, who plays for a team that has never even appeared in a World Series. Raleigh fist that blue collar mentality that so many fans love to see in a pro athlete. He's also beloved by the locker room, as his teammates have been singing his praises all year long.

Not that it is a big deal. But just because he plays in NY those baseball writers are going to be intimidated and vote NY Yankees Aaron Judge as MVP over a deserving Seattle Mariners Catcher: Cal Raleigh! pic.twitter.com/b0zAbPcUks

— STONE & Digital Dave (@StoneXDigital) September 10, 2025

“It’s unbelievable what we’re watching,” teammate Julio Rodriguez said recently. “I feel like that’s something that we have never seen before. Coming from a catcher, too — what he’s doing is so special. I’m very happy for him. It feels really good to see him succeed.”

“The way that he can impact the game, truly on both sides of the game, I just don’t think anybody is doing that right now. I think he definitely deserves his first shot at the MVP.”