New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge locked up his third AL MVP award in the last four seasons on Thursday, beating out Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh in a narrow race. Judge slashed .331/.457/.688 with 53 home runs and 114 RBIs, while Raleigh hit 60 home runs, the most for a catcher in Major League history.

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge edged Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh in a tight race to win his third American League Most Valuable Player award in four seasons, solidifying his place among other MLB and New York greats.

It is one of the most hotly contested MVP debates in recent memory, and The Athletic's voting writers tried to put it all into perspective.

But first, it's award season in baseball, and the American League and National League MVPs have finally been selected. Let's start there.

Two members of Aaron Judge's family appear to have become bored with the New York Yankees superstar winning the AL MVP award every year.

MVP Aaron Judge was the AL's best offensive player in 2025. But Cal Raleigh's numbers were astronomical, and his intangible impact might have mattered more.

Maybe Judge can win two more MVPs to take a 5-0 lead on Jeter. It would be fitting, since Jeter leads 5-0 in World Series championships.

Judge’s three MVPs, however, will still go down in history. His dominance in 2022, 2024, and 2025, three seasons in which he posted an OPS north of 1.100, 50 home runs, and a 200 OPS+, created three of the best runner-up seasons in history with his mere presence.