For the third time in the last four years, Aaron Judge is the American League MVP.
Judge beat out Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh to earn the honour on Thursday night, taking home 17 of the 30 first-place votes from the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
All voting is completed prior to the post-season.
The 33-year-old was back in peak form in 2025, leading the AL in batting average, OPS, walks and WAR. He also blasted 53 home runs, drove in 114, stole 12 bases and won his fifth career Silver Slugger Award.
Judge led his New York Yankees to a 94-win season, ultimately finishing second in the AL East to the Toronto Blue Jays.
By capturing another MVP award, Judge becomes just the 13th player in MLB history to take home the honour three or more times. Judge previously won in 2022 and 2024, so Thursday's victory also made him the 15th individual to win back-to-back MVPs.
After winning unanimously last season, this year's win didn't come quite as easily for Judge.
Raleigh took the race down to the wire, delivering one of the greatest seasons ever by a catcher. The 28-year-old smashed the backstop and switch-hitter home run records, leaving the yard 60 times while driving in 125 runs.
He received 13 first-place votes.
Behind Raleigh's offensive outburst, the Mariners won their first AL West title since 2001 and advanced to the ALCS, where they lost in seven games to the Blue Jays.
Along with his efforts at the plate, Raleigh remained one of MLB's top defenders behind it. He caught over 1,000 innings at the sport's most demanding position, ultimately appearing in 159 games for Seattle.
Cleveland Guardians third baseman José Ramírez finished third in the balloting. The seven-time all-star slashed .283/.360/.503 with 30 home runs, 85 RBIs and 44 stolen bases.
Blue Jays designated hitter George Springer finished seventh in the voting, first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. came in 13th and shortstop Bo Bichette placed 16th.
