Despite Cal Raleigh’s historic pace so far, Aaron Judge tops best individual chart as per MLB insider

The American League MVP award is probably down to two sluggers. One is New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge and the other is Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh. Both are leading the AL in several offensive categories by the end of the All-Star break.

On Thursday, MLB analyst Mark DeRosa discussed the top five individuals who have had an excellent first half. After naming Philadelphia Phillies ace Zack Wheeler, Detroit Tigers ace and Chicago Cubs star Pete Crow-Armstrong as No. 5, No. 4 and No. 3, respectively, he pivoted his attention to the next two stars in line.

He picked Raleigh at No. 2, thus the No. 1 nod to reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge. DeRosa shared his reasons in favor of the Yankees star.

"Cal Raleigh is doing things no catcher has ever done in the first half—and doing things that only Ken Griffey Jr. has done in a Mariners uniform heading into the All-Star break," DeRosa said. "But all rise for the captain. He's number one. He's dominating the game. Just every day, take a look at what this guy's doing with the pressure of the pinstripes on him."

Adding to the conversation, DeRosa affirmed that the MVP award is down to these two in the AL. But at the moment, Judge has the edge and here's the reason why:

"I think for me, the argument has become now: who's having the best offensive season? So it's offensive numbers," DeRosa said. "So then it goes to Judge. I would argue differently for an MVP, but that would cause mass chaos. It's Judge's award to lose right now, but you can't deny what Raleigh's got."

However, DeRosa also said that if Cal Raleigh continues to have the season he's having, the voters will have serious thinking to do, given he's doing it all as a catcher.

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Comparing Aaron Judge and Cal Raleigh's season so far

Aaron Judge leads MLB with a .355 batting average and 1.195 OPS. He is tied for second position in the AL with 35 home runs and second in the AL with 81 RBIs. Meanwhile, Raleigh leads the MLB with 38 home runs and 82 RBIs while hitting .259 and 1.011 OPS.

FanGraphs WAR at 7.2 puts Aaron Judge among the top position players in baseball. Meanwhile, analysts note Raleigh may be delivering the best power season ever by a catcher.

When asked about the comparison, Raleigh puts himself out of the conversation. He said:

"[Judge] is a lot bigger than me. He is an amazing player. What he is doing out there is crazy. He is one of the best to ever do it. He is a special player. Me being in that sentence, I’m just grateful to be in there. He is a really good one."

The second half of the MLB season is left, but at the moment, it's Aaron Judge or Cal Raleigh for the MVP award.