“That’s not my job” - Aaron Judge shuts down AL MVP race question with blunt response amid Cal Raleigh’s hot start

New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge ran away with the American League MVP award last year after a stellar regular season. But the two-time MVP is facing a strong challenge from Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh this season.

While Aaron Judge has been stellar for the Yankees at the plate this season, Cal Raleigh is having a historic season and is projected to end up with the most prolific season by a catcher in MLB history.

However, when the Yankees superstar was asked about the AL MVP race with the Mariners catcher, Judge made a blunt remark.

"It's not my job," Judge said ahead of the All-Star game on Tuesday.

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The reigning AL MVP commended Raleigh, who is leading the home run charts this season, for his attributes as a switch-hitter and a backstop.

"I'm just going to keep going out there and doing my thing," Judge added. "But that's what makes it fun. It makes it fun for the fans, for you guys. Somebody like him doing his thing, leading the league in homers. Behind the plate, he's a backstop back there. It's fun to watch. It's good for the game and looking forward to more of that in the second half."

Aaron Judge gets honest about not participating in the Home Run Derby

Aaron Judge won the Home Run Derby in his rookie season in 2017 but did not participate in the competition this year. When asked about stars omitting the competition, Judge joked:

"I already did it; I don't know what else you want from me. I already did it, so I think it's time for somebody else to do their thing and have fun with it. It's tough to say.

"I love seeing new faces in the game go out there and do their thing, especially getting to see Oneil Cruz go out there and hit one out of the stadium, I thought that was pretty special for baseball and special for fans," Judge said.

While Judge didn't participate in the competition, his AL MVP competitor, Cal Raleigh, went all the way to win the Home Run Derby on Monday to fulfill his childhood dream.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash