2025 Misc MLB News Thread

[RWeeksFan23]

Raleigh is the betting favorite, but to me Judge is still the MVP. 

I get that Raleigh plays the more premium position, and is having a historic season for a catcher, but as great as he's been, Judge has been otherworldly this season. 

Last I checked, Judge has a huge lead in WAR, and just stats in general.

[nate82]

9 minutes ago, RWeeksFan23 said:

Last I checked, Judge has a huge lead in WAR, and just stats in general.

Judge has a 9.6 fWAR while Raleigh has a 9.1 fWAR.  Judge has a commanding lead in wRC+ at 202 and the next closest is Raleigh at 164.

For MVP I wouldn’t be bothered by either winning it but I would give it to Raleigh.  Being an everyday catcher is just insane with the numbers Raleigh is putting up.  If he had a better batting average it would be a no doubter.

On the NL side of things it should be unanimously won by Ohtani no one else is even close to him in the NL.

[sveumrules]

7 minutes ago, RWeeksFan23 said:

Last I checked, Judge has a huge lead in WAR, and just stats in general.

Judge has a pretty big margin at 9.3 WAR to 7.2 WAR on BRef, but they don't include catcher framing in their calculations.

Over at FanGraphs where Raleigh gets credit for his receiving they are a lot closer at 9.6 WAR to 9.1 WAR.

Judge and Ohtani are both pretty much at that LeBron stage where they are so far ahead of the field that they should each get MVP every season that they're healthy, but the writers get bored with that so if it's close they'll look for reasons to give it to someone else.

I'd have no problem with Raleigh getting it. Ultimately him going from like a three to five WAR guy the last few years up to a seven to nine WAR guy this year is a major factor in the Mariners going from First Team Out of the playoffs the last two years to Division Winners with a shot at the #1 seed in the AL this year.

[tmwiese55]

Like most I get either one and don't have a beef either way.  I'd go Raleigh due to playing C.  But the 'tiebraeker' I guess to me would Judge having the DL stint to miss the games and then to not be able to play D afterwards so he's only played D in like 90 games this year.   That DL stint and subsequent inability to play OF helped put them in the hole they were in.

But yea, I of course get that he's such a ridiculous hitter that he makes up for missing those games easily. Which is impressive in itself

ETA: looks like I forgot to mention the slight inflation on stats due to Yankee stadium while Raleigh plays in a pitchers park

[Thurston Fluff]

Putting up the numbers Raleigh is at the position he plays should count for something. The workload of a catcher takes so much great a toll on the body than someone who plays any other position. That plus the extra mental preparation it takes to know all the hitters and pitchers makes it much harder to put up the numbers on offense he has. 

[owbc]

I was at the Mariners game last night hoping to see 61, but after Raleigh had a 370 ft flyout on the first pitch he saw, the Rockies didn't give him anything else to hit the rest of the game and issued an IBB which really irritated the crowd. 

I love the fan/media interest in a close MVP race, local media on both sides are putting out articles with whatever stats they can find to support their preferred candidate. There are a number of catching stats that make Raleigh look really good.

Fun fact though -- Cal Raleigh is 3rd in MLB in innings caught, William Contreras is 2nd! 

[RWeeksFan23]

15 minutes ago, owbc said:

I was at the Mariners game last night hoping to see 61, but after Raleigh had a 370 ft flyout on the first pitch he saw, the Rockies didn't give him anything else to hit the rest of the game and issued an IBB which really irritated the crowd. 

I love the fan/media interest in a close MVP race, local media on both sides are putting out articles with whatever stats they can find to support their preferred candidate. There are a number of catching stats that make Raleigh look really good.

Fun fact though -- Cal Raleigh is 3rd in MLB in innings caught, William Contreras is 2nd! 

......who is first?!

I would have thought Contreras would've been first

[owbc]

31 minutes ago, RWeeksFan23 said:

......who is first?!

I would have thought Contreras would've been first

J.T. Realmuto (1133 innings) is 31 innings ahead of Conteras who is 39 innings ahead of Raleigh. 

[RWeeksFan23]

9 minutes ago, owbc said:

J.T. Realmuto (1133 innings) is 31 innings ahead of Conteras who is 39 innings ahead of Raleigh. 

that's wild anybody is above Contreras. 

Feels like he never gets a day off. I know he DHs sometimes but still!

[Playing Catch]

As Yankees go, I really, really like and respect Aaron Judge. I think what he's been doing in this part of his career puts him in-line with not just other Yankees, but other all-time great hitters. So as everyone has said, he certainly deserves to win it.

With that said, my baseball-romantic side absolutely would vote for Raleigh. He's the "dirtbag" pick, and I love him for it. If he were Piazza-level defensively, I wouldn't give his season anywhere near as much credit. But he's got it ALL. Platinum glove. He catches "everyday," he's an effective switch-hitter. His team is flying toward a pennant. All-time season for a catcher or a switch-hitter.

Even if Raleigh never has another great season, years from now when people look back and wonder why Judge finished 2nd in the MVP in 2025, they'll see why.

I want Raleigh's season to be remembered.

[TURBO]

It's the perfect year for CO-MVPs in my opinion.  There is no right or wrong answer as to who should win it, so give it to both of them.

[HarryDoyle]

Gotta feel bad for the Mets, especially Jesse Winker.

[LouisEly]

42 minutes ago, HarryDoyle said:

Gotta feel bad for the Mets, especially Jesse Winker.

That cheap owner needs to spend some money and go for it!!!

[HarryDoyle]

 

[nate82]

LOL Cardinals intentionally walked Busch who only needed a single for a cycle.  Stay classy St. Louis or is this one of those hidden rules that only the Cardinals know about and enforce? 

[HarryDoyle]

A misleading headline since there was no quote actually saying he'd opt out, but still interesting news.

Pete Alonso free agency: Mets slugger says he'll opt out this winter but 'we'll see what happens' - CBSSports.com

[markedman5]

Meanwhile the David Stearns era isn’t off to a great start according to Mets fans……

 

[markedman5]

 

[markedman5]

Bob Melvin out in SF and

 

[nate82]

1 hour ago, markedman5 said:

 

You should have to be retired for something like this.  Just dumb to have active broadcasters on a HoF list.

[markedman5]

20 hours ago, HarryDoyle said:

A misleading headline since there was no quote actually saying he'd opt out, but still interesting news.

Pete Alonso free agency: Mets slugger says he'll opt out this winter but 'we'll see what happens' - CBSSports.com

I saw an interview where he said he was opting out. Seems to prefer to,stay with the Mets but he isn’t going to miss out on this opportunity coming off a big season.

[RightFieldCoder]

I think active broadcasters are eligible for HoF because legendary ones work forever. Waiting until retirement would have meant Vin Scully would still not be eligible after 65 years of broadcasting. Most ballplayers are able to be on the ballot by the time they are 45. Why make broadcasters wait until they are 65?

[markedman5]

 

[SeaBass]

14 hours ago, markedman5 said:

 

Can he coach football?

[markedman5]