Cal Raleigh Is the AL MVP—Because Value Isn’t Just Loud, It’s Rare

A catcher leading MLB in homers while steering a playoff staff isn’t normal. That rarity is the MVP tiebreaker over Judge.

If MVP really means most valuable, the conversation has to start behind the plate. Cal Raleigh isn’t just hitting—he’s hitting while running a pitching staff, stealing strikes on the edges, and wearing the bruise count of a full-time catcher. That’s a value you can’t fake, and it’s why he’s my AL MVP.

What This Is Really About

Award debates often turn into a contest of the loudest voices. I’m not discounting them—Raleigh’s power is as loud as it gets—but value has two lanes: creating runs and preventing them. When a middle-of-the-order bat comes from the catcher position, the scoreboard changes, and so does the run environment for his pitchers. MVP should capture both.

Big Numbers at a Rare Position

As of today, Raleigh leads baseball in home runs and paces the American League in RBI while carrying a catcher’s workload with an OPS in the mid-.900s. That’s middle-of-the-order offense at the most demanding defensive spot—about as rare as it gets. Numbers will move in the final games; the profile won’t.

The Catcher Value You See—and What You Don’t

Catcher value hides in plain sight. You see the mound visit; you don’t see the two hours of planning that set it up.

• Strike-stealing: Above-average receiving flips 2–1 to 1–2 and changes run expectancy.

• Running game & blocking: Strong throws, quick transfers, and consistent blocks cut down steals and wild-pitch/passed-ball advances—shutting off the free 90 feet after a runner reaches first.

• Game control: Back-picks, pickoff calls, and slide-step timing shrink leads, which reduces first-to-third attempts on the next ball in play.

• Pitch-mix trust: With a catcher who blocks everything, pitchers actually throw their best put-away pitch in the count that matters.

WAR Is Close—The Roles Aren’t

On paper right now, the overall-value race with Aaron Judge is a photo finish (Raleigh vs. the sport’s best bat). WAR does a lot, but it doesn’t fully price the day-to-day effect of elite catching—game-calling, sequencing, receiving—and that matters most when totals are this close. The tiebreaker should be role scarcity and defensive influence: Raleigh provides elite offense at the scarcest defensive position.

None of this takes a thing away from Aaron Judge. He’s the sport’s loudest bat and a deserving MVP in most seasons. But when the totals are this close, the catcher premium—run prevention, game-calling, framing, workload—tips the scale to Cal Raleigh.

Did It Move the Season?

Impact leaves footprints. Down the stretch, Raleigh’s power showed up in series that actually nudged the standings. Big numbers under bigger lights matter when you’re sorting elite from elite.

Leadership Without the Speech

Leadership isn’t a movie monologue. It’s a starter trusting you to double up on the changeup in a 3–2 count. It’s a rookie reliever buying three inches at the bottom of the zone because you set it up two pitches earlier. Ask any pitcher where their heartbeat sits with an elite catcher. Raleigh’s value shows up in shorter innings, more confident pitch calls, and fewer mistake fastballs in fastball counts.

The Simple Test: Remove Each Player

If you pull Judge off the Yankees, you lose one of the best bats in the world. If you pull Raleigh off the Mariners, you lose a middle-of-the-order bat and the engine that runs the pitching. Which subtraction hurts October's chances more? That’s MVP.

The Verdict

I’m not arguing against greatness—I’m arguing for value. Cal Raleigh gave Seattle a thunder bat and a steady stream of run prevention from the most demanding spot on the field. As things stand now, that makes him the American League’s most valuable player.

Key Numbers (at a glance)

• League-leading home run power from the catcher

• AL-leading run production with an OPS in the mid-.900s

• Above-average receiving/framing and steady run-prevention value(Totals will update; the case is about value relative to role.)