The baseball season is hitting its final stretch, and with it comes the heated debate over who deserves the biggest awards. On Reddit, fans are split on MVP and Cy Young races in both leagues. From big names like Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani to rising stars like Paul Skenes, opinions are flying fast.
On Reddit’s baseball community, those questions have sparked passionate debate. Some fans are standing firmly behind the biggest names like Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani. Others are pushing for less obvious choices, pointing to players who have kept their teams afloat in key moments. It includes, late season heroics, emotion, pride, loyalty as well as moments that stick long after the season ends.
MVP Battles in the Spotlight
The AL MVP race has drawn passionate arguments. The original post suggested that Cal Raleigh’s clutch hitting and leadership as a catcher for Seattle made him a serious contender against Aaron Judge. Judge, meanwhile, continues to put up massive numbers that keep his name at the top of every ballot. However, not everyone agrees Raleigh should be in the conversation. User u/rangerfan123 pointed out that Raleigh’s batting average has slumped near .180 over the past 2 months and declared, “It’s Judge’s MVP”. Another fan, u/Softestwebsiteintown, broke down the stats and argued that Judge’s August OPS of .923 was far stronger than Raleigh’s post All Star break numbers.
In the NL, the debate is less intense. Many agree Ohtani has locked up the award, still a few voices have brought up Kyle Schwarber’s name, pointing to his power surge in the second half of the season where his home runs have helped in keeping Philadelphia’s offense alive in big moments.
Pitching Races Heat Up
On the pitching side, the deabte for the Cy Young is just as heated as the MVP talk. In the American League, Tarik Skubal has pulled ahead till now with him holding the lowest ERA in the American League, leading in fWAR, WHIP, and strikeouts, and even earning unanimous Cy Young support from voters so far. Right behind him is Garrett Crochet from the Red Sox. He has delivered exceptional performances with a low ERA, high strikeout total, and impressive workload. Many see him as a serious challenger but it is to be seen where this battles goes.
The NL Cy Young spotlight belongs to Paul Skenes. Many commenters listed him as the obvious favorite. u/micmic_03 even predicted a clean sweep with Raleigh and Ohtani for MVP and Skubal and Skenes for Cy Young. Surprisingly, Freddy Peralta’s name came up as a dark horse. At +4000 odds, his late season dominance could turn heads if he stays in his spectacular form.
Rookie of the Year and Final Thoughts
Nick Kurtz has emerged as the clear front-runner for AL Rookie of the Year as he’s the runaway favorite in betting markets, with odds suggestive of over 99% implied probability. As of the latest tally, Kurtz has posted 29 homers and a 1.032 OPS, ranking among the league’s top offensive performers. On the other hand, Jacob Wilson was an early favorite but a forearm injury slowed him down. Elsewhere, Roman Anthony nearly closed the gap before suffering an oblique injury which pulled him out of the race too.
The NL race remains tight, with no clear front-runner yet. Drake Baldwin leads current expert and betting polls. He’s racked up 13 homers and boasts an .835 OPS alongside grabbing 24 first-place votes in recent MLB.com polling. Moreover, Cade Horton has surged late, becoming the betting favorite with odds at 115. Lastly, Isaac Collins also stays in the contention though he trails behind Horton and Baldwin in current odds.
With just a few weeks left before ballots are cast, every stat and every big play will keep fueling the debate.
