Inside the 2025 MLB Awards Debate with Jayson Stark

AL MVP Debate: Judge vs. Raleigh

• 💡 Jayson Stark initially wanted to pick Cal Raleigh for AL MVP but ultimately chose Aaron Judge after extensive statistical analysis.
• 📊 Judge's 210 OPS+ indicates he is twice as good as the average player, with a staggering lead in OBP, Slugging, and OPS over the next best hitter.
• 📜 Historically, only Ted Williams and Barry Bonds have shown such a significant margin over their league's next best player, highlighting Judge's exceptional season.
• 📌 Stark noted that if Cal Raleigh were in the National League, he would have picked him for NL MVP over other contenders.

Cy Young Contenders

• ⚾ For the NL Cy Young, Stark favors Paul Skenes over Christopher Sanchez, citing Skenes' superior ERA, strikeouts, and WHIP, despite his team's lack of run support.
• 🔥 In the AL Cy Young race, Tarik Skubal stands out for his fearless pitching, throwing the highest percentage of pitches in the strike zone while maintaining the lowest contact rate against them in 22 years of data.

NL MVP Insights

• 🌟 Shohei Ohtani is recognized for his exceptional all-around play, including a higher strikeout rate than Paul Skenes.
• 🚀 Kyle Schwarber's value is highlighted, with 56 homers and his role as a team leader, suggesting his impact exceeds traditional WAR metrics.
• 📈 Juan Soto is having a historic year in on-base percentage, power, and stolen bases, a performance only previously matched by Barry Bonds.
• 💎 Harold Perdomo is identified as potentially the most underrated player in baseball due to his consistent performance.

Manager of the Year & LVP

• 🏆 The Manager of the Year award is deemed particularly challenging to predict, with Stephen Vogt mentioned as a potential back-to-back winner if his team completes a significant comeback.
• ⚠️ Stark introduced the "Least Valuable Player" (LVP) award, selecting Javier Baez due to his dramatically poor offensive performance in the second half of the season, symbolizing his team's collapse.

Playoff Tiebreaker Chaos

• 🧩 Stark explored complex four-way Wild Card tie scenarios in the American League involving the Guardians, Tigers, Red Sox, and Astros.
• ✅ A key rule of thumb for tiebreakers: the Astros lose every possible tiebreaker in the American League, while the Reds win every possible tiebreaker in the National League.