MLB announced the finalists for its major individual awards Monday night, and, as expected, Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh and Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge headline the lists as finalists for AL MVP.
Raleigh and Judge are joined by Guardians third baseman José Ramírez as finalists for the award, but the hotly contested race is expected to come down to the New York and Seattle sluggers.
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Raleigh broke out in 2025 with a season for the ages as he headlined a home run chase with 60 for the ninth-most by a player in a single season in MLB history. Raleigh also led the AL with 125 RBI while slashing a career-best .247/.359/.589 with 14 stolen bases. His performance paced Seattle to an AL West title and a trip to the ALCS.
Who will win a hotly contested AL MVP race between Aaron Judge and Cal Raleigh?
(Steph Chambers via Getty Images)
Judge, meanwhile, continued his tear as one of the best hitters in baseball history in a bid for his third MVP and second straight. Judge finished third in baseball and second in the AL to Raleigh with 53 home runs. He also led the AL with a .331/.457/.688 slash line, 137 runs scored and 124 walks in addition to tallying 114 RBI and 12 stolen bases.
The Yankees made the playoffs as a wild card after losing a tiebreaker with the Blue Jays atop the AL East. The Blue Jays then eliminated the Yankees in the divisional round.
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In the NL, two-way Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber and Mets outfielder Juan Soto are the MVP finalists. Ohtani is the favorite to win his fourth career MVP trophy after another remarkable season at the plate and an abbreviated but strong showing on the mound after returning from Tommy John surgery.
Here are the 3 finalists for each of the MLB individual awards announced Monday night:
AL MVP
Aaron Judge, Yankees
Cal Raleigh, Mariners
José Ramírez, Guardians
NL MVP
Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers
Kyle Schwarber, Phillies
Juan Soto, Mets
AL CY Young
Hunter Brown, Astros
Garrett Crochet, Red Sox
Tarik Skubal, Tigers
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NL Cy Young
Cristopher Sánchez, Phillies
Paul Skenes, Pirates
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Dodgers
AL Rookie of the Year
Roman Anthony, Red Sox
Nick Kurtz, A’s
Jacob Wilson, A’s
NL Rookie of the Year
Drake Baldwin, Braves
Caleb Durbin, Brewers
Cade Horton, Cubs
AL Manager of the Year
John Schneider, Blue Jays
Stephen Vogt, Guardians
Dan Wilson, Mariners
NL Manager of the Year
Terry Francona, Reds
Pat Murphy, Brewers
Rob Thomson, Phillies
