Greg Cote’s Poll Dance: Should Aaron Judge or Cal Raleigh win AL MVP? Vote now!

Aaron Judge or Cal Raleigh for AL MVP?

As the MLB regular season winds down it is the only one of the four biggest awards -- AL and NL MVP and Cy Young -- that is still in any real doubt.

Yankees right fielder and DH Aaron Judge, the betting favorite, entered Friday batting .318 with 48 homers and 104 RBI, his team leading the AL wild-card playof chase. Judge leads the league in total bases, OPS, walks, runs, slugging and on-base percertage.

Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh, a close second in odds, is batting .246 with 56 homers and 118 RBI, leading the legaue in the latter two categries. His team was tied for the AL West lead. Raleigh has set season records for most homers by a catcher, most homers by a switch-hitter and most homers in Mariners history.

Judge won MVP in 2022 and ’24 and is a superstar who plays in New York. Raleigh, nicknamed Big Dumper for his physique, is enjoying a breakout season that has catapulted him to stardom with an everyman, folk-hero persona vs. Judge’s bigger celebrity.

Raleigh would be the first catcher voted MVP since Buster Posey (NL) in 2012 and Joe Mauer (AL) in 2009. Should the relative rarity of his positon winning MVP earn him extra credit?

Say you have a BBWAA vote for AL MVP this year. Based on their season thus far, which of the two favorites earns your check-mark?

Vote as many times as you like or until your fingers ache.

GREG COTE’S POLL DANCE: Who should be voted AL MVP?

Previous Poll Dance verdict: It‘s a no-confidence landslide for McDaniel, Grier: It was a huge response -- and the most lopsided verdict in our poll’s history! We asked: “Will Mike McDaniel, Chris Grier and Tyreek Hill still be with Dolphins in 2026?” You said: No 97% and Yes 3%. No joke. Crazy-close to unanimous.