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The 2025 MLB Most Valuable Player Awards have been announced, revealing contrasting outcomes in the National and American Leagues. While one league showcased a thrilling competition, the other highlighted the dominance of a superstar.
Following his remarkable performance in the World Series, Shohei Ohtani—star of the Los Angeles Dodgers—has secured back-to-back NL MVP Awards through a unanimous vote from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. This latest achievement marks Ohtani’s fourth MVP title in his illustrious career.
Initially earning his MVP accolades in the American League with the Los Angeles Angels, Ohtani continues to elevate his status. He became the first player in recent history to win MVP accolades in three consecutive seasons, having achieved victory in 2023 during his final year with the Angels.
Ohtani is now only one MVP award away from the legendary Barry Bonds, who holds the record with seven NL MVPs—a benchmark that many consider enduringly unattainable. Currently, Ohtani stands alongside ten other players with three MVP awards, but his recent successes place him in an exclusive position, with only Bonds ahead of him.
In the National League MVP race, Kyle Schwarber of the Philadelphia Phillies and Juan Soto of the New York Mets were Ohtani’s closest competitors. Schwarber garnered 23 second-place votes compared to Soto’s four, highlighting Ohtani’s supremacy in the voting.
Ohtani proved his dominance on the field during the regular season. He led the National League with 146 runs scored, a .622 slugging percentage, and a remarkable OPS of 1.024. Impressively, he smashed 55 home runs and recorded 102 runs batted in (RBI), finishing the season with an average of .282 and a .392 on-base percentage. His insightful plate discipline earned him 20 intentional walks, leading the league.
Returning to the mound after missing the previous season, Ohtani delivered a commendable performance with a 2.87 ERA across 14 starts, totaling 62 strikeouts and nine walks over 47 innings. While the MVP award is based solely on regular-season performance, Ohtani played an integral role in the Dodgers’ success, helping them retain their World Series title in a thrilling seven-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays. Throughout the playoffs, he maintained a solid offensive presence, slashing .265/.405/.691 with eight home runs, three doubles, and 14 RBI across 17 postseason games.
While Ohtani’s MVP win was widely anticipated, the battle for the AL MVP drew considerable attention. The question loomed—would New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge secure back-to-back MVP awards, or would Seattle Mariners’ standout catcher Cal Raleigh seize the honor?
Ultimately, the voting favored Judge. He received 17 first-place votes compared to Raleigh’s 13, making it one of the closest AL MVP races since 2019.
With this victory, Judge has now claimed his third MVP award, achieving three of the last four in the American League. Even though Raleigh outperformed Judge in home runs, the Yankees’ slugger clinched his first career batting title, leading Major League Baseball with a .331 batting average. Furthermore, he topped the league in on-base percentage at .457, aggression with a .688 slugging percentage, and an impressive OPS of 1.144 while leading the American League with 137 runs scored.
Judge recorded 114 RBI during the season and experienced a staggering 36 intentional walks, far exceeding Ohtani’s total in the National League, demonstrating his offensive prowess.
This season marked Judge’s seventh appearance in the All-Star Game, affirming his reputation as one of the premier hitters in Major League Baseball. Unfortunately, the Yankees fell short of a deep playoff run, losing to the Blue Jays in the AL Division Series. Nonetheless, Judge made a memorable impact during the postseason, notably launching a clutch home run off the foul pole in Game 3 that kept the Yankees’ hopes alive.
Raleigh’s season captured the imagination of baseball fans, as he emerged as one of the most compelling stories of the year. He not only led the league with an astonishing 60 home runs but also set records for the most home runs by a catcher, a switch-hitter, and a Mariners player. He finished the season with 125 RBI, maintaining solid offensive statistics of .247/.359/.948 across 159 games.
Importantly, Raleigh’s endurance was remarkable; he played in virtually every game, including 128 contests at the physically demanding catcher position. Advocates for Raleigh noted his unprecedented achievements as a catcher, a position often overlooked for the MVP award. His contributions were pivotal in the Mariners’ winning the AL West title for the first time since 2001, and they also made a notable run during the playoffs before being eliminated by the Blue Jays in Game 7.
Celebrating Excellence in MLB
Ohtani and Judge’s achievements reflect the unparalleled talent present in Major League Baseball today. As the league continues to evolve, both players have redefined what it means to be a valuable player, demonstrating that excellence lies at the intersection of skill and determination.
