All season long, two names have stood atop the American League. They have dominated headlines, dazzled fans and broken records in game after game.
One may be the greatest right-handed hitter of all time, recording stats at the dish that nobody else in the league can even fathom. The other is doing things as a switch-hitting catcher that have never been done before in the sport. Aaron Judge versus Cal Raleigh: an MVP race that has every fan glued to their T.V.
These two sluggers have dominated not just the AL, but the entire league… each in their own way. While one has taken traditional metrics by storm, the other has crafted a story that has every baseball fan turning the page in suspense.
It is for that reason that we have to ask the essential question: Story or stats?
Mariner Magic
The last time Seattle won the AL West, many fans were still in diapers. For over 20 years, the team has been in playoff purgatory, only making one postseason appearance back in 2022.
However, 2025 has sung a different tune. First in the division, a first-round bye, 90 wins, 238 home runs and 738 RBI’s. This team has transformed into something truly special and the man at the center has been the Big Dumper himself.
The best batting average of his career (0.247), most RBI’s (125), most hits (147), most stolen bases (14) and of course, most home runs (60). As Cal has broken out, so have the Mariners.
If the M’s had missed the postseason, then the argument for Judge’s candidacy would win me over without a doubt. However, the Yankees went from winning the AL East last season to barely squeaking into the wild card, while the Mariners have been on the opposite trajectory.
Raleigh is a rising tide that raises all ships, and right now he is lifting this Seattle team to the most notoriety they have had in a long time.
Chicks dig the longball
Even as someone who grew up playing small-ball, I must admit that home runs make baseball fun to watch.
A 60+ home-run season had only been done by six players in history… until Raleigh decided to make it seven. Judge also sits on that mantle with his 62-home run performance back in 2022. Coincidentally, Judge also took home the AL MVP that same year, which sets a precedent that may end up shooting him in the foot for this year’s race.
Most home runs by a catcher, most by a switch hitter, most home runs by a Mariner and the second most before the All-Star break (losing out by only one to Barry Bonds).
Every at-bat of every game, Mariners fans hold their breaths knowing that it could be the moment another historic ball leaves the yard. That anticipation, excitement and awe are all factors that stats cannot measure.
Home run hitters undoubtedly grow the sport, and Cal has more than contributed his fair share of new eyeballs to the game. While Judge has also tallied over 50 home runs, it still cannot compare to the sheer awe-factor that Raleigh’s historic season brings to the game.
The Grind
121 games behind the dish gives Raleigh 1,072 innings of work as a catcher this year, with only 38 games featuring him in the DH spot.
Looking over at Judge, the total shrinks to 822.1 innings of work in the corner outfield spot, with 56 games as a DH.
Do not get me wrong, outfield is still an important position on the field, but nothing quite compares to catching. Gearing up day in and day out, wearing foul balls off the body, pitch calling, managing the defense and the grind on the knees. There is a reason that catchers are not expected to be dominant hitters.
Cal has managed to hit more home runs, get more RBI’s and steal more bases than Judge while playing more defensive reps at an objectively more valuable position. If that does not scream MVP material… I do not know what does.
The Marine Layer
At times, I feel like a broken record bringing up this point, but T-Mobile Park is where hitters go to die. Looking at park factors for the M’s, it is not a pretty picture.
Dead last for hits, singles, triples, runs, on-base percentage and overall park factor at an abysmal 91 (Note: 100 is average for each metric). No. 26 overall for doubles, No. 22 for walks, No. 24 for hard-hit rate and No. 20 for home runs. The M’s lead the league in only one category… strikeouts.
Players have watched their batting stats plummet each year in the PNW… except for Raleigh. His stats have soared while playing just shy of half his games in statistically the worst ballpark for hitters in the league. That layer of difficulty adds yet another chapter to the Raleigh story, making what he has done that much more impressive.
Leading his team to a division title, while making history at the most exciting stat, at the hardest position, in the league’s toughest ballpark. That has been the trial by fire that Raleigh has endured this year, and it makes for one convincing story. Nothing can take away from the statistically dominant season that Judge has put together this year, but his story is not as intriguing as Raleigh’s.
Although “story” is not a metric that voters can look at, it is still an important factor that could be the difference between Judge’s third MVP and Raleigh making even more history in 2025.
