The Yankees’ Aaron Judge defeated Cal Reilly to win his third AL MVP award

For the third time in the last four years, Aaron Judge is the American League MVP.

Judge beat Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh to win the honor Thursday night, taking home 30 of 17 first-place votes from the Baseball Writers Association of America.

All voting is completed prior to the postseason.

The 33-year-old returned to peak form in 2025, leading the AL in batting average, OPS, walks and hits. He also hit 53 home runs, drove in 114, stole 12 bases and won his fifth career Silver Slugger award.

Judge led his New York Yankees to a 94-win season, eventually finishing second to the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL East.

By earning another MVP award, Judge became just the 13th player in MLB history to win the honor three or more times. Judge previously won in 2022 and 2024, so Thursday’s win also made him the 15th person to win back-to-back MVPs.

After winning by consensus last season, this year’s win didn’t come easily for Judge.

Raleigh took the race to the wire, delivering one of the season’s biggest catches. The 28-year-old broke the backstop and switch hitter home run records, driving in 125 runs and leaving 60 yards.

He received 13 first place votes.

Behind Raleigh’s offensive attack, the Mariners won their first AL West title since 2001 and advanced to the ALCS, where they lost in seven games to the Blue Jays.

Along with his efforts at the plate, Riley remains one of MLB’s top defenders behind it. He caught more than 1,000 innings at the sport’s most demanding position, eventually appearing in 159 games for Seattle.

Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez finished third in the voting. The seven-time All-Star slashed .283/.360/.503 with 30 home runs, 85 RBIs and 44 stolen bases.

Blue Jays designated hitter George Springer finished seventh in the voting, first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. came in 13th and shortstop Bo Bachette finished 16th.