Yankees' Aaron Judge Gets Concerning MVP Forecast
With just over a week remaining in the regular season, MLB executives are still split on who the American League MVP favorite is between New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge and Seattle Mariners catch Cal Raleigh.
There are compelling cases to be made for both, but among the 14 front office members polled by MLB.com's Mark Feinsand, seven voted in favor of Raleigh and six were in support of Judge while one individual deemed the race a tie at the moment.
“Had Judge continued the Bonds-like start he got off to, I might think differently,” an AL executive told Feinsand. “But as is, I’d go with the all-around monster year from the guy playing the most demanding position on the field.”
Strictly based on offensive numbers, there's little argument to be made for Raleigh over Judge. The latter leads the league in batting average (.328), on-base percentage (.453) and slugging percentage (.676) while also having 48 home runs and 104 RBIs to his name.
Though Raleigh leads the league with 56 homers, which is an all-time high for a catcher as well as a switch-hitter, his .944 OPS is nearly 200 points lower than Judge's, whose counting stats aren't quite as gaudy as the former's due to the fact that he's played in seven less games and has been nursing a flexor strain in his elbow.
“Holy cow, that’s a tough call; I’m actually glad I don’t have a vote,” one NL executive said. “I would lean towards Judge because I think he’s had the better overall season in terms of quality of performance. The home run total and positional advantage would go to Raleigh, but outside of that, I think you can put Judge ahead across the board. And as weird as it might sound, I actually think the Yankees would miss him more than the Mariners would miss Raleigh. I can’t believe I’m saying that, but I think Judge is that important to them.”
Raleigh brings more positional value as a catcher, which is a major factor that is working in his favor. The Platinum Glove winner in 2024, he has been worth 10.1 framing runs with a Statcast Fielding Run Value of six this season according to FanGraphs.
Judge is a strong defender himself, as he's posted two Outs Above Average in right field, though playing a corner outfield position inherently makes him less valuable from a metrics standpoint.
“Judge is on another level,” an AL executive who sided with Raleigh said. “I just think the competitive advantage of a catcher producing at that elite level is so big. Plus, he’s a great defender and he catches maybe the best stuff in the game.”
This is one of the closest MVP races in recent memory, and for good reason. Judge, a two-time winner of the award, is inarguably the best hitter in the game and perhaps one of the best of all-time, at least at his peak, while Raleigh is accomplishing things no other catcher ever has.
Ultimately, the votes will come down to whether or not the Yankees captain's overall offensive dominance is valued over what Raleigh brings to the table behind the plate combined with his league-leading homer.
Steelers Could Get Major Boost for Patriots Game
The Pittsburgh Steelers have released their final injury report ahead of a Week 3 game at Gillette Stadium against the New England Patriots, which featured some promising news regarding the status of their first-round pick from the 2025 NFL Draft.
Defensive lineman Derrick Harmon, who practiced for the first time during the regular season earlier this week, was officially listed with a "questionable" game designation.
The 22-year-old suffered an MCL sprain during the first quarter of the team's preseason finale against the Carolina Panthers on August 21. There was some fear that he'd require a stint on the reserve/injured list to begin the year, which would've kept him out for at least the first four games, but he ultimately avoided that fate.
Though Harmon still went on to miss the Steelers' Week 1 and 2 contests against the New York Jets and Seattle Seahawks, respectively, the organization's decision to leave him off IR could pay off in spades should he be active vs. New England and the Minnesota Vikings in Ireland during Week 4.
Before going down with his injury, Pro Football Focus credited Harmon with recording four pressures and a sack across 70 total defensive snaps in the preseason.
He's been listed as a starter on each one of Pittsburgh's depth charts, and it's safe to assume that he'll take on a sizable role up front immediately upon returning.
With that being said, however, defensive coordinator Teryl Austin stated earlier in the week that the team will likely limit Harmon's snaps as he works his way back into the swing of things.
"We'll see where he ends up at the end of the week, but I think, if it does come to it, we'll be pretty judicious with his snaps and try to work him back," Austin said. "More importantly, he's probably going to be lacking some football conditioning, football shape. So, you don't want to throw a guy in there that's really not quite ready in those regards.
"I like the progress he's making, and we'll just kind of see where we end up at the end of the week."
Though no official decision has been made on Harmon's availability against the Patriots, it's a good sign that he simply wasn't ruled out.
It does appear as though he is tracking to debut vs. New England, and he should provide a major boost for a Steelers defense that desperately needs one if he does in fact suit up.
