Admit it or not, Cal Raleigh is crashing the MVP conversation in a way we haven’t seen in years. He’s breaking up the Judge–Ohtani duopoly. The proof is his 2025 season, which has been flat-out historic as he’s become the first catcher ever to hit 50 homers in a season, and the first player in MLB history to notch 20 hits from each side of the plate in one year. And there’s more…

He’s already claimed both the single-season home run record for a switch-hitter and the Mariners’ franchise mark. Notably, on Sunday, he crushed No. 58 against the Astros. And the crazy part is, Raleigh has surpassed Aaron Judge in the AL race. With that, can he also outshine Shohei Ohtani? American sports commentator Greg Amsinger has an unpopular opinion.

“If you had to anoint one person as the Player of the Year, I’m picking Cal Raleigh over Shohei Ohtani, Paul Skenes, José Ramírez, and Aaron Judge. He’s the Player of the Year!” Amsinger remarked on MLB Network.

Picking between Judge and Raleigh feels next to impossible now. Aaron Judge’s recent surge, in which he homered six times in his last 14 games, enabled him to be just one swing away from joining the 50-homer club for the fourth time. In contrast, Raleigh, with 58 HRs, is way ahead of him.

But things shift once you bring Ohtani into the conversation.

As long as Ohtani is producing both at the plate and on the mound, he’s almost guaranteed a spot at the top of MVP ballots. Shotime is putting up another brilliant season with a .283 average, .395 OBP,  53 HRs, and 99 RBIs. And when you add in his pitching figures of 3.29 ERA across 13 starts, it’s obvious why he is in a class of his own.

Hence, on sheer hitting numbers, Raleigh’s stats stack up ahead of both Judge and Ohtani. But in terms of overall value across the entire league, Ohtani’s two-way impact still makes him unmatched. Unless another true two-way star emerges, it’s hard to see that picture changing. Still, if the MVP came down to just the bat, Raleigh would be the clear winner.

Raleigh might just be one of the best coming out of the Mariners

Just this season, Cal Raleigh owns the franchise single-season home run record with 58, passing Ken Griffey Jr.’s legendary 56. Last year, he led all MLB catchers with 34 homers and topped the league in steals (26). So, within Seattle’s lineup, there’s really no competition when it comes to pure hitting at the catcher spot.

But with that, we cannot forget the legacy of the Seattle Mariners.

Stack Raleigh up against icons like Griffey, Ichiro Suzuki, and Edgar Martinez, the legacy guys who dominated for years in Seattle and were always in the awards conversation, Raleigh’s resume might feel shorter. For instance, Griffey’s career OBP stands at .370, while Raleigh’s is at .314.

But at 28, Raleigh has got time to build that kind of legacy in Seattle. But for now, though, while Raleigh’s bat can rival anyone’s, it’s Ohtani’s ability to pair elite hitting with strong pitching that still separates him on the league-wide stage.