Ranger killer will have to top Aaron Judge and New York media to win AL MVP

Notorious Rangers' killer and Seattle Mariners slugger Cal Raleigh has had an MVP-caliber season. The question is, will it be enough to overcome the two-time defending AL MVP and New York Yankee media darling Aaron Judge?

Both have good cases to take home the hardware, but Raleigh will have an extra hurdle to clear if he is going to claim the prestigious award.

Cal Raleigh has owned the Rangers in his career

In his five-year career, Raleigh has been one of the toughest outs for Rangers' pitchers to get. In 58 games against Texas, he has mashed 12 home runs and driven in 27 runs.

Against Texas in 2025 alone, Raleigh totaled six dingers and 11 RBI with an OPS of 1.204 and when things got close in the playoff race, he was the lynchpin of the prolific Seattle offense as they pulled away from the Rangers and Houston Astros to win their first AL West title in 24 years.

Raleigh has set multiple single season records this season

With just three games left on the schedule, the Mariners' backstop has set a record for home runs by a catcher in a single season (49), surpassing legends like Johnny Bench, Roy Campanella and Mike Piazza. In all, Raleigh has hit 60 homers and driven in 125 runs and counting.

As if that weren't impressive enough, he has also set the single-season record for home runs by a switch-hitter, topping the great Mickey Mantle. Raleigh has missed just four games this season, which is unheard of considering the demanding nature of the catching position.

Will the "East Coast media bias" tilt the scales against Raleigh?

Aaron Judge has had an outstanding season as well, leading the American League in batting average at .328 while blasting 51 home runs of his own. His 9.2 season WAR is almost two points better than Raleigh's.

The Yankee right fielder already has two AL MVP trophies and is considered by many to be the crowned prince of baseball as he plays in what is the sports media capital of the world. He is seen as the heir apparent to pinstriped legends like Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Mantle and Derek Jeter.

The writers in New York and along the East Coast have taken to the future Hall of Famer like a newborn to a bottle and it will be difficult for Raleigh to wrestle away enough votes from them to win the award all the way out in Seattle, Washington.

It will be interesting to see if Raleigh, who has been the driving force behind the Mariners running away with the AL West, is rewarded for his transcendent season over what is just another seemingly normal campaign turned in by Judge.

The MVP is voted on by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA), which comprises two writers from each baseball city. Of course, Judge benefits from having a bevy of teams and writers nearby who are exposed to his heroics much more frequently than a player out on the West Coast.

Most of them are going to bed when Raleigh and the Mariners are hitting the field. It is an unspoken bias that unfairly has become viewed as geographical collateral damage for accolades awarded by writers.