Aaron Judge edges Cal Raleigh in the closest American League MVP race in decades, winning by just four first-place votes. Two voters switching their ballots would have created baseball's first AL MVP tie ever.

Judge dominated traditional stats—leading the league in batting average, home runs (53), RBIs, and OPS—while his "slump" months still produced elite numbers. Raleigh countered with 60 home runs as a Gold Glove catcher, a position where offensive production carries premium value, while leading Seattle to a division title. The episode dismantles East Coast bias claims by examining Derek Jeter's MVP history and breaks down Shohei Ohtani's fourth unanimous National League MVP win. A deep examination of WAR statistics reveals surprising discrepancies, including Geraldo Perdomo's league-leading defensive metrics that don't align with traditional offensive output.

Discover why this MVP debate represents everything compelling about modern baseball analytics and traditional evaluation methods colliding.

Check out the In Memoriam Video - https://youtu.be/ISl3VGJmjrc?si=-06A-KejhbjQp4X7

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