Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees has been named a finalist for the 2025 American League Most Valuable Player Award, alongside Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners and José Ramírez of the Cleveland Guardians. The announcement highlights Judge's dominant season, leading the majors in multiple offensive categories. The winner will be revealed on November 13 on MLB Network.
The finalists for the 2025 AL MVP Award were announced on Monday, spotlighting a competitive race that buzzed through the Yankees' clubhouse during the regular season and playoffs. Aaron Judge, the Yankees' captain, emerged as a leading candidate after securing his second MVP in 2024 and his first in 2022. Teammates openly backed Judge amid discussions comparing him to Raleigh, who hit a historic 60 home runs for the Mariners.
Judge's 2025 performance was exceptional, as he led the majors with a .331 batting average, marking him as the tallest batting champion in history at 6-foot-7. He joined Mickey Mantle (1956) and Jimmie Foxx (1938) as only the third player to hit at least 50 home runs while winning a batting title, finishing with 53 homers—the most by any batting champion. Judge also topped the majors in on-base percentage (.457), slugging percentage (.688), OPS (1.145), times on base (310), intentional walks (36), and FanGraphs WAR (10.1). In the AL, he led in runs (137), total bases (372), walks (124), and extra-base hits (85).
He became the fifth player in the Expansion Era (since 1961) to lead the majors in batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage, a feat last achieved by Miguel Cabrera in 2013. Judge emphasized consistency, stating in September, “I’m trying to do what I can to help our team win as many ballgames as we can and put ourselves in the best position to win the World Series.” He added, "The power just came with it. That’s always been a goal of mine, to hit above .300."
Yankees first baseman Paul Goldschmidt praised Judge after the playoffs: “He’s the best that I’ve ever been around. He’s also just the greatest teammate I’ve ever been around, the best leader, cares about this organization and the fans and the people of New York." Third baseman Ryan McMahon echoed, “The guy can do it all, man. I think it’s a no-doubt MVP." Second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. noted, “He’s a special player."
The BBWAA will decide the winner post-regular season, with recent consecutive MVPs including Shohei Ohtani in 2023 (AL) and 2024 (NL), and Cabrera in 2012-13 (AL).