Your 2025 AL MVP will be....?

[sauceboy]

I'm a Red Sox fan and hate the Yankees, but it'll be a travesty if Judge doesn't win.

[BostonNut]

Originally Posted by PuddleMonkey

Troll is in my blood, it's not my fault and it's wrong of you to hold it against me.


Who the hell is BNut?

I’m Bnut! Pleasure to meet you!

[BostonNut]

Originally Posted by oldgoldy97

Baseball reference has different numbers.

Nice to use a stat that has different formulas to figure out.


No wonder the Bananas do so well with this boring sport.

I’m sorry but if you can’t rattle off Judge’s projected xwOBA for the next five seasons you are a complete moron.

[hche]

People are just trying to justify a historic season by a C is somehow better than another historic season by Judge. At the end, I think voters will realize Judge's still better.

[ottobord]

I thought Cal had a chance if he hit 62 or 63, but it's Judge.

[spuds1961]

Originally Posted by ottobord

I thought Cal had a chance if he hit 62 or 63, but it's Judge.

They kept lowering the bar for Cal as it was apparent he wasn’t going to get to 62 or 63 now they’re saying the magic number was always 60. I would’ve been able to cast a vote for Cal if his average got up to .260 but below .250 doesn’t get it for me and since when does being a switch hitter get you extra points when Judge has better splits against lefties and righties batting only right handed. When they start pinch hitting a lefty for Judge at any point in time when a righty is pitching that is when Cal will get my vote also.

[JustinVerlander07]

Originally Posted by JustinVerlander07

With both of their regular seasons finished, I'd still lean slightly Cal, but think Judge wins and see no issue with it at all. Both are quite deserving.

Prefacing my comment with that I posted this yesterday.
---
It's mindblowing the dinosaurs we have stuck on batting average in 2025 still.

The league wide batting average average has basically been .240-.245 for the past 5 seasons which is down significantly from the pre-analytics days (let's call that 2010) where it was around in that time period .255-.260, which is again down from the early 2000s .265-.270.

The game has changed, if anything than to try and use it against Cal, it should only be used as a prop for Judge. Again though, OBP and OPS+ or wRC+ are FAR better metrics you guys should be using the measure offensive than batting average. Hitters don't care, teams don't care, why should you guys obsess over it?

[livfreely]

When are the results known and published? Before playoffs?


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[JustinVerlander07]

Originally Posted by livfreely

When are the results known and published? Before playoffs?


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hahaha nope.

Mid November.

[JRX]

Originally Posted by JustinVerlander07

Prefacing my comment with that I posted this yesterday.
---
It's mindblowing the dinosaurs we have stuck on batting average in 2025 still.

The league wide batting average average has basically been .240-.245 for the past 5 seasons which is down significantly from the pre-analytics days (let's call that 2010) where it was around in that time period .255-.260, which is again down from the early 2000s .265-.270.

The game has changed, if anything than to try and use it against Cal, it should only be used as a prop for Judge. Again though, OBP and OPS+ or wRC+ are FAR better metrics you guys should be using the measure offensive than batting average. Hitters don't care, teams don't care, why should you guys obsess over it?

Judge has an OPS+ of 215. People bring up avg because its extremely rare for someone to hit 50+ and have a high avg especially in an era when everyone sells out for power at the expense of avg. How is this difficult to understand?

[JustinVerlander07]

Originally Posted by JRX

Judge has an OPS+ of 215. People bring up avg because its extremely rare for someone to hit 50+ and have a high avg especially in an era when everyone sells out for power at the expense of avg. How is this difficult to understand?

I don't know how many times I have to say Judge is clearly the best offensive player this year. You're still missing the point. People in this thread (and spuds was the latest) to say basically Cal can't be MVP because his batting average is too low. He's had an elite offensive production this year, why these people are stuck on batting average other than they want the game to be played the way it was in the 1980s is dumb to me. It's changed, get used to it.

[spuds1961]

Originally Posted by JustinVerlander07

Prefacing my comment with that I posted this yesterday.
---
It's mindblowing the dinosaurs we have stuck on batting average in 2025 still.

The league wide batting average average has basically been .240-.245 for the past 5 seasons which is down significantly from the pre-analytics days (let's call that 2010) where it was around in that time period .255-.260, which is again down from the early 2000s .265-.270.

The game has changed, if anything than to try and use it against Cal, it should only be used as a prop for Judge. Again though, OBP and OPS+ or wRC+ are FAR better metrics you guys should be using the measure offensive than batting average. Hitters don't care, teams don't care, why should you guys obsess over it?

Yea we are dinosaurs the league average is what Cal is hitting but you’re willing to give him an mvp for that, thanks for showing me who the real dinosaurs are. Whatever meets your narrative I sure wish batting average didn’t matter in 2017 or else Judge would be looking at his 4th mvp.

[JustinVerlander07]

Originally Posted by spuds1961

Yea we are dinosaurs the league average is what Cal is hitting but you’re willing to give him an mvp for that, thanks for showing me who the real dinosaurs are. Whatever meets your narrative I sure wish batting average didn’t matter in 2017 or else Judge would be looking at his 4th mvp.

What is more important, his league average batting average or his total offensive production being 61% better than league average? I have no narrative to push, my views on Baseball and how I measure the things I think are important have been consistent for over a decade.

[Nostalgia]

I would love to see what people would say if Judge decided to not care about batting avg and just swing for the fences every at bat and finish the 2026 season with 65 homeruns with a .245 BA.


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[JRX]

Originally Posted by JustinVerlander07

I don't know how many times I have to say Judge is clearly the best offensive player this year. You're still missing the point. People in this thread (and spuds was the latest) to say basically Cal can't be MVP because his batting average is too low. He's had an elite offensive production this year, why these people are stuck on batting average other than they want the game to be played the way it was in the 1980s is dumb to me. It's changed, get used to it.

Cal has an ops+ of 169, you seem to not get how far that is from 215. You can say Cal was elite, but Judge was other planetary in comparison.

[JustinVerlander07]

Originally Posted by JRX

Cal has an ops+ of 169, you seem to not get how far that is from 215. You can say Cal was elite, but Judge was other planetary in comparison.

Yes he was!!! I'm not going to rehash the same debates and arguments over and over. There is more than offense to MVP, I've said I think it's really close and I'd lean Cal and I have zero qualms if Judge wins and that both would be quite deserving. If you have an issue with that go kick rocks.

[spuds1961]

Originally Posted by JustinVerlander07

What is more important, his league average batting average or his total offensive production being 61% better than league average? I have no narrative to push, my views on Baseball and how I measure the things I think are important have been consistent for over a decade.

Down by 2 runs in the late innings who do you want coming up a .247 hitter where his solo home run means nothing or your .331 hitter where getting on base brings up the tying run.

[cnewby]

Oh boy, I see a couple are still struggling to cope with reality.

[JustinVerlander07]

Originally Posted by cnewby

Oh boy, I see a couple are still struggling to cope with reality.

Anything to add other than the trolling, CN?

[JustinVerlander07]

Originally Posted by spuds1961

Down by 2 runs in the late innings who do you want coming up a .247 hitter where his solo home run means nothing or your .331 hitter where getting on base brings up the tying run.

I'd rather Judge because he gets on base more, it has nothing to do with his batting average though. He gets on base more.

Cal had a great OBP himself though of .359. And for the last and millionth time, there is zero debate of Judge being the Hank Aaron award winner.

Now answer my question.

[hche]

Originally Posted by Nostalgia

I would love to see what people would say if Judge decided to not care about batting avg and just swing for the fences every at bat and finish the 2026 season with 65 homeruns with a .245 BA.


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He would probably hit 70 and still wins.

[duwal]

Originally Posted by JustinVerlander07

I don't know how many times I have to say Judge is clearly the best offensive player this year. You're still missing the point. People in this thread (and spuds was the latest) to say basically Cal can't be MVP because his batting average is too low. He's had an elite offensive production this year, why these people are stuck on batting average other than they want the game to be played the way it was in the 1980s is dumb to me. It's changed, get used to it.

His low batting average though is just one of several reasons why he should not be picked for MVP. Cal is similar to Schwarber in being mostly a one-trick pony with his power but Judge can match that power while at the same time doing virtually everything else offensively better

[spuds1961]

Originally Posted by JustinVerlander07

I'd rather Judge because he gets on base more, it has nothing to do with his batting average though. He gets on base more.

Cal had a great OBP himself though of .359. And for the last and millionth time, there is zero debate of Judge being the Hank Aaron award winner.

Now answer my question.

Yes .61 is great but it still doesn’t equate to what Judge has done. Also a lot of people are giving Cal extra points because of being a switch hitter which in my eyes doesn’t matter and being a catcher which does matter but not enough to make up the difference his offensive stats are behind. It will be a close vote and I have no qualms as to who wins as it doesn’t affect my life either way.

[GabrielCards]

Originally Posted by JustinVerlander07

I don't know how many times I have to say Judge is clearly the best offensive player this year. You're still missing the point. People in this thread (and spuds was the latest) to say basically Cal can't be MVP because his batting average is too low. He's had an elite offensive production this year, why these people are stuck on batting average other than they want the game to be played the way it was in the 1980s is dumb to me. It's changed, get used to it.

There are a few ways that one could look at these stats. Since the game has changed (better pitching than ever - greater velocity - control and movement + better defensive analytics etc) and batting averages are a good bit lower than they have ever been...doesn't that make Judge's MLB leading batting average (20 pts above second) and 53 HR season COMBO just that much more absolutely incredible?

[OhioLawyerF5]

All this arguing over stats, and the reality is that the MVP is voted on by sports writers. Writers like stories. They will vote for the best story. Whether that is Judge or Raleigh isn't my point. It's that the whole debate is missing the point. Just look back at all the times the MVP wasn't the best statistical player. It's because stats are only part of the story. A relatively small part to a writer.