New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge won his third American League MVP award on Thursday night, edging out Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh by four first-place votes. Judge is now the fourth player in franchise history to win three MVPs, joining Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra, and Mickey Mantle. He is also the first Yankee to win consecutive MVP awards since Roger Maris accomplished the feat in 1960 and 1961. Furthermore, he is the first AL player to win back-to-back titles since Miguel Cabrera in 2012 and 2013.
Judge received 355 points, including 17 of 30 first-place votes. Raleigh received 335 points, including the remaining 13 first-place votes. Every voter with Judge in first place had Raleigh in second, and vice-versa. Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez finished third with 224 points, while Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. finished fourth with 215 points. Detroit Tigers ace and AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal rounded out the top five with 139 points.
Another Outstanding AL MVP Campaign
Despite missing 10 games due to an elbow injury, Judge had another prolific season. The now three-time MVP led Major League Baseball in batting average (.331), slugging percentage (.688), on-base percentage (.457), and WAR (9.7). He finished second in total bases (372), runs (137), and walks (124). Judge finished fourth in hits (179) and home runs (53) as well as fifth in RBI (114).
Before the 2025 playoffs, Judge was widely criticized for crumbling under the pressure of the postseason. However, in 2025, Judge silenced all doubts about his October prowess.
In the 2025 postseason, Judge led baseball with a .500 batting average and a .581 OBP. His 1.273 OPS was the second-best mark, trailing only Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
As good as he was at the plate in 2025, Judge was nearly as good in the field. According to Baseball Savant, Judge’s fielding run value of five ranked in the 80th percentile, while his outs above average of four ranked in the 86th percentile.
A Historic Half Decade
2025 was Judge’s third MVP in four seasons. He now joins Barry Bonds and Shohei Ohtani as the only players in major league history to win three MVPs in a four-season span.
In 2022, Judge won his first AL MVP award with all but two first-place votes. He broke Roger Maris’ AL home run record that season with 62 home runs, a record that had stood for over 60 years.
In 2024, Judge won his second AL MVP after leading baseball in home runs (58), RBI (144), slugging percentage (.701), on-base percentage (.458), walks (133), and WAR (10.8). He won the award unanimously, receiving all 30 first-place votes.
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