Slugger Cal Raleigh earns Sporting News MLB Player of the Year

The debate for the American League’s Most Valuable Player was one of the prevailing storylines throughout the second half of the summer, with media pundits opining on whether Aaron Judge or Cal Raleigh deserved to be the guy. There were Instagram posts, TV studio segments, YouTube discussions, TikTok clips, Reddit breakdowns and the more traditional reported feature stories.

Everyone had an opinion, and everyone could make a legitimate case in a race that was essentially crowning the best player in baseball.

But what did the players inside the game think?

The Sporting News Player of the Year award, first started in 1936, is voted on by the players themselves. And they made their opinion clear on All Rise vs. Big Dumper.

Cal Raleigh, take a bow.

The Mariners’ sensation, who captivated fans all summer and won the Home Run Derby at the All-Star Game, earned 46 percent of the player vote for Sporting News MLB Player of the Year, while Aaron Judge was second at 27 percent. Shohei Ohtani finished third, receiving 11 percent of 312 player votes.

Raleigh becomes the third Mariner to win SN’s award, joining Alex Rodriguez in 1996 and Ken Griffey Jr. in 1997.

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Why Cal Raleigh won SN MLB Player of the Year

While the vote wasn’t close, that doesn’t mean the decision-making was easy for the players.

“In a way, it's almost unfair,” Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson told The Sporting News. “Whoever doesn't win, it's almost unfair.”

Baseball is always about numbers and history, and Raleigh had plenty of both in 2025. His 60 home runs was a record for a catcher, a switch-hitter and a Mariner. He had 125 RBIs, a .948 OPS, 351 total bases and even managed to get his big dumper down to second for 14 stolen bases. Judge’s numbers were right there as well, surpassing Raleigh in everything but home runs and stolen bases. But the differentiator seemed to be the difficulty of amassing said numbers as a catcher vs. an outfielder.

 “Being a catcher is the heart (of the argument),” said Braves third baseman Austin Riley told SN. “I mean, you're trying to essentially keep a group of pitchers from going insane and keeping them light calling a game. They're all different.

“And you're getting beat up back there. I mean, you're constantly taking balls off to the thigh, inner thigh, off the shoulder from foul balls, and then trying to go hit.”

Swanson mentioned the extra travel involved with being based in Seattle, which again can wear down the player who mans the sport’s most demanding defensive position. Raleigh logged 1,072 innings behind the plate, which was the third most in MLB, and was not charged with a passed ball. He appeared in 159 games, serving as DH 39 times rather than getting a rest day most other catchers in the league enjoy when they are not behind the plate.

He also did not rest during the All-Star break, starting for the American League in Atlanta a day after coming away with an extra $1 million for winning the Home Run Derby. He won the derby in dramatic fashion, advancing to the second round only by virtue of a tiebreaker that was decided by longest home run.

Raleigh’s moonshot was one inch longer than a ball blasted by the Athletics' Brent Rooker, keeping him alive and leading to the first Mariner HR champ since Griffey at Fenway Park in 1999.

Raleigh batted from both sides of the plate in the Derby, just because he can, and his switch-hitting ability was another reason players saw his accomplishments as jaw-dropping.

“I have a hard time getting one side right,” Riley told SN. “Being able to keep both sides right all year, and doing that damage on the type of pitching that you're seeing in the game today is really, really cool.”

“He's essentially two hitters, having to keep both swings dialed in,” Swanson said.”He might have to hit one way or the other, depending on the game situation, and to be able to do it is pretty remarkable.”

Inside the Mariners clubhouse, Raleigh has the respect of his teammates and led his squad to the AL West crown, its first since 2001. In the postseason, he hit .304 and led his team with five home runs and a 1.081 OPS. His final hit of the season was a home run in Game 7 of the ALCS that gave the Mariners a 3-1 lead. His final at-bat was an intentional walk, and the Mariners' season ended with Raleigh in the on-deck circle with his team trailing by a run.

“He works hard at his craft,” Seattle backup catcher Mitch Garver told SN. “Offensively and defensively. The numbers are ultra respectable … You talk about consistency with this guy. It’s been really, really special to watch.”

Mariners manager Dan Wilson noticed a maturation around his 28-year-old star this season.

“I think the leadership he has shown in the clubhouse, and some of those things that have developed again is another big change for him, and it's been outstanding to see,” Wilson said. “So yes, what he is doing is historic and unbelievable, but he's doing it and doing other things around that as well.”