As the Mariners season started to wind down, players and managers from opposing teams were often quizzed about who they believed should be the American League’s Most Valuable Player. The majority of players asked went with Cal Raleigh, noting his significant contributions as one of the game’s best catchers and the increased responsibilities of the position.
That small straw poll proved prescient with the announcement of the annual MLB Players Association Players Choice Awards on Wednesday morning.
In a group of three finalists that included Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani, Raleigh was chosen by for the top honor: MLB player of the year. He was also selected as the American League’s most outstanding player.
The Players Choice Awards, which started in 1992, are voted on the active players in the MLBPA — players on the 40-man roster of each team.
“I want to thank all the voters and all the players out there,” he said in a video message from the MLBPA. “I appreciate you guys. It’s something I thought would never happen. It’s truly an honor. There’s a lot of great players out there that this could’ve went to. Thank you very much.”
Raleigh was also named the Player of the Year by The Sporting News.
Raleigh had a record-setting 2025 season, posting a .247/.359/.589 slash line in 705 plate appearances while leading MLB in homers (60) and the American League in RBI (125). He surpassed Salvador Perez’s record for most homers in a season by a catcher (48) as well as Mickey Mantle’s record of most homers in a season by a switch-hitter (54).
He finished with 20-plus homers from each side of the plate, which no switch-hitter has done in MLB history. He had 11 games where he hit multiple homers, which tied an MLB record shared by Hank Greenberg of the Tigers (1938), Sammy Sosa of the Cubs (1993) and Aaron Judge of the Yankees (2022).
The AL and NL MVP Awards will be announced on Nov. 13 on MLB Network.
THE 2025 PLAYERS CHOICE AWARDS WINNERS
Player of the Year — Cal Raleigh
Marvin Miller Man of the Year — Brent Suter, Reds
Philanthropist of the Year — Aaron Nola, Phillies
Curt Flood Award — Don Baylor & Scott Sanderson
AL Outstanding Player — Cal Raleigh, Mariners
NL Outstanding Player — Kyle Schwarber, Phillies
AL Outstanding Pitcher — Tarik Skubal, Tigers
NL Outstanding Pitcher — Paul Skenes, Pirates
AL Outstanding Rookie — Nick Kurtz, A’s
NL Outstanding Rookie — Drake Baldwin, Braves
AL Comeback Player — Jacob deGrom, Rangers
NL Comeback Player — Ronald Acuña Jr., Braves