The Seattle Mariners’ season lasted a little longer than the New York Yankees’ season. They too were sent home by the Toronto Blue Jays, and neither Cal Raleigh nor Aaron Judge will make it to the World Series this year. Instead, the only thing either of these two will have to look forward to is the American League Most Valuable Player award, which will be announced in November.
MVP has been a hotly contested debate all summer, and someone on Cal Raleigh’s side was the one to draft him. Obviously, Jerry Dipoto, general manager of the Seattle Mariners since 2015, supports his catcher.
“I think (Aaron Judge) is an incredible player – he’s going to the Hall of Fame on the first ballot. But I can’t imagine he did more to help his team get where they needed to get than Cal, on all fronts,” Dipoto said, according to Aaron Levine, sports director for Fox 13 in Seattle.
Finally, Jerry Dipoto over Cal Raleigh for MVP.
“I think (Aaron Judge) is an incredible player – he’s going to the Hall of Fame on the first ballot. But I can’t imagine he’s done more to help his team get where they needed to get than Cal, on any front.” #Sailors pic.twitter.com/NBPIS6oUlk
-Aaron Levine (@AaronLevine_) October 23, 2025
Of course, this is exactly what good organizations do. They support their man.
In late September, manager Aaron Boone made his MVP pick. He left with the guy he’s managed since 2018.
“Nothing Aaron Judge does surprises me,” Boone said, per Max Goodman of NJ.com. “I mean, to me, he’s clearly the MVP. Batting title. I feel like he was on base seven times a day last week. They’re not throwing to him, they’re throwing to him, they’re hitting him out of the ballpark. He made a really good play in right field to open the game. You see his athleticism there. I don’t put anything higher than 99. He plays like an all-time great.”
Boone and Dipoto will defend their men, but only one of them can be right – and statistically, Boone is on the right side of history. Judge has a higher WAR according to Fangraphs and Baseball Reference. He has a much higher batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. His wRC+ is also in the stratosphere.
Aaron Judge hits a home run OUT OF FENWAY 😳 pic.twitter.com/cNvOHHcUdZ
– MLB (@MLB) September 12, 2025
Judge’s 204 wRC+ is the highest since 2024 and 2022, when he last did so. Before that, the last person to reach over 200 wRC+ was Barry Bonds in 2004. The previous generational slugger before Bonds to eclipse the 200 wRC+ mark was Mickey Mantle. The judge is in rarefied air.
If Judge ends up losing to Raleigh, one has to imagine that voter fatigue has set in. The evidence for Judge is there, and it’s not about dismissing Raleigh. Even though we haven’t seen a catcher hit 60+ home runs, it’s just that one stat shouldn’t decide who is the best player in baseball.
Judge deserves to sit in the three-time MVP club with Barry Bonds, Mike Trout, Albert Pujols, Alex Rodriguez, Mike Schmidt, Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Roy Campanella, Stan Musiel, Joe DiMaggio and Jimmie Foxx. This is a rare class of greatness.
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