Ben Verlander is known for his direct and often polarizing analysis during the MLB season. He recently leaned heavily toward Cal Raleigh, highlighting the demanding nature of being a catcher and using it to sideline Aaron Judge‘s candidacy.
Verlander’s core argument was evident when he stated, “If you’re putting Cal Raleigh and Aaron Judge’s offensive stats side by side you’re missing the entire point.” His commentary suggested that simply comparing offensive metrics ignores the immense effort Raleigh puts in as a catcher, making his job inherently more difficult than Judge’s.
The take was quickly met with pushback. Ryan Garcia of Empire Sports Media criticized the stance on X, writing, “Aaron Judge has had one of the greatest primes in the history of the sport and Ben Verlander would have given him MVP once in those four years lol.” Meanwhile, some fans simply accused Verlander of detesting the Yankees.
The Public Responds to Verlander
Most people disagreed with Verlander’s analysis that Raleigh deserved the MVP nod over Judge. Critics quickly recalled his analysis for the 2022 MVP, suggesting his criteria constantly shifts.
On X, user Mike CoinSnatch accused Verlander of bias: “This is the only reason I said 99% of the things you say involving Yankees is false hating. If this video didn’t exist I would’ve said 100%… There is no logical reasoning for having Raleigh over Judge in MVP race for an unbiased party. Just so happens the majority of the internet are Yankee haters in their bones like you. Judge is the clear more deserving candidate.”
Another fan criticized his inconsistency: “Ben, people are coming at you because you change your opinion on which metrics are most impactful on the MVP decision each year. Don’t blame people for feeling frustrated if they value your opinion one year and then can’t rely on you to be consistent in your eval year by year.”