Raleigh Edges Judge in AL MVP Race as Season Nears End

With Major League Baseball heading into the final weeks of the regular season, Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh has emerged as a viable front-runner in the American League MVP race, narrowly edging New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge in a recent round of industry voting and in many public conversations about the award. The shift came in late September as both players closed out historic seasons that have left voters and oddsmakers split.

MLB.com polled a slate of front office executives and found Raleigh with seven votes to Judge's six, with one executive calling the race even. Reports differ on the precise size of that poll, with some accounts saying roughly a dozen executives were surveyed and others reporting 14, but the published tally consistently showed how tight the head-to-head has become. At the same time, sportsbooks still list Judge as the betting favorite, underscoring the debate between statistical dominance and positional value.

Raleigh has powered a breakout year at one of baseball's most demanding positions. He has led the majors in home runs, surpassing the previous single-season catcher record of 48 and breaking the long-standing mark for switch-hitters,...