Over the previous few years a lot of baseball’s greatest awards have tended to go in a landslide. Every of Shohei Ohtani’s 4 MVPs have been unanimous, as was Ronald Acuña Jr.’s NL MVP in 2023.
Paul Skenes was a unanimous decide for NL Cy Younger this 12 months, and Tarik Skubal gained every of his back-to-back honors decisively, together with a unanimous choice in 2024.
That made this 12 months’s AL MVP race between Aaron Decide and Cal Raleigh notably fascinating.
Decide and Raleigh every put collectively historic seasons, with Decide delivering arguably a top-five season all-time by a right-handed hitter whereas Raleigh loved with out query the best season ever by a catcher. Voters had a tough option to make, and it wasn’t clear who would win till Thursday’s announcement that Decide had prevailed in one of many narrowest MVP votes ever.
Did the voters make the proper alternative?
Full disclosure, I didn’t have a vote for MVP or any of the opposite BBWAA awards this 12 months, so I didn’t do the form of deep dive I might have if I have been a voter, however my intuition is I might have picked Raleigh. Typically my philosophy with these form of awards is that historic accomplishments should be rewarded, and Raleigh hitting 60 house runs as a switch-hitting catcher mixed along with his standout protection behind the plate and his work main one of many recreation’s greatest pitching staffs was uniquely dominant in a manner that the very best metrics can’t totally quantify.
However 17 of my colleagues disagreed, arguing that Decide’s offensive efficiency was so excellent that it was plain. After the vote I spoke to quite a lot of individuals on either side of the controversy, and one supporter of Decide responded to my above level with an incredible query.
“Is it not historic to win a batting title whereas hitting 53 house runs?”
I hadn’t considered it that manner earlier than, so I went and regarded it up and it seems this particular person was proper. Decide was the primary participant in MLB historical past to hit 53 or extra house runs and win the batting title in the identical season. Others pointed to Decide’s 215 OPS+, which interprets to 115% higher than common offensive manufacturing whereas adjusting for a participant’s ballpark. That was the fourth highest in a single-season by a right-handed hitter in MLB historical past.
The one three higher seasons have been Decide final 12 months, when he gained MVP after batting .322 with 58 homers, 144 RBI and a 225 OPS+, Rogers Hornsby in 1924, when he batted .424 with a 222 OPS+, and Mark McGwire in 1998, when he hit a then-record 70 house runs with a 216 OPS+.
Raleigh, even along with his 60 house runs, solely had an OPS+ of 169. Meaning his manufacturing was 69% higher than the typical participant, however Decide’s was 46% higher than that.
These arguments are clearly compelling, however Raleigh’s supporters countered by stating that Decide is meant to be extra productive offensively as a result of catcher is a way more bodily and mentally taxing place than proper discipline.
Stats like Wins Above Substitute additionally don’t totally seize a catcher’s defensive contributions, and in accordance with Statcast Raleigh graded as top-of-the-line defensive gamers in MLB with an 87th percentile fielding run worth.
How are we imagined to weigh all of that? That was in the end for every voter to resolve, and whether or not you agree with the end result or not, debates like these are good for the game and a part of what makes baseball so particular.
Affiliate’s quirky rebrand
You’ll have missed it watching late-afternoon school soccer, however final weekend some intriguing information broke on the earth of Minor League Baseball.
The Pink Sox’s Low-A affiliate was altering its title.
Previously referred to as the Salem Pink Sox, the Virginia-based affiliate will now be referred to as the Salem RidgeYaks. The distinctive new identification attracts inspiration from the area’s Blue Ridge Mountains, and it furthers a development we’ve seen the place minor league golf equipment have more and more adopted off-beat nicknames higher outfitted to promote merchandise.
Journey Awaits as Salem RidgeYaks Introduce Open air-Themed Identification to Southwest Virginia
Extra Info: https://t.co/2POZIQhVFS pic.twitter.com/8OGf0hxJUz
— The Salem RidgeYaks (@RidgeYaks) November 8, 2025
Personally, I feel the rebrand is a house run.
The previous Salem Pink Sox identification was as staid because it will get, and the membership now has the liberty to get artistic with its uniforms, hats and emblem designs. The membership additionally linked the phrase yak to each kayaking, a preferred exercise within the space, and the thought of hitting a number of “yaks,” or homers.
I’m particularly keen on the brand new mascot, Mac the Yak, who the membership describes as an avid hiker whose title is impressed by the enduring Appalachian Path viewpoint McAfee Knob.
Appears like a cool man to me.
Does it matter that yaks aren’t native to the Appalachian Mountains? You gained’t discover too many Yard Goats wandering round Downtown Hartford both, however that hasn’t stopped followers in Connecticut from shopping for their merch in droves. It’s the identical cause why minor league groups will sometimes undertake one-off alternate identities.
Not everybody can be eager about a New Hampshire Fisher Cats shirt, for instance, however chances are high extra will put on one thing that claims Manchester Hen Tenders.
But whereas the rebrand is enjoyable, quirky and in the end rooted in enterprise, it additionally has some significance past simply boosting income.
The adoption of a brand new, Virginia-specific model identification is a transparent sign that the Pink Sox’s Low-A affiliate can be remaining in Salem for the foreseeable future. That has appeared more and more probably for some time now, however not way back there have been causes to consider the membership might probably relocate to Lowell.
Right here’s the backstory.
5 years in the past when MLB restructured the minor leagues, it mandated that every membership carry simply 4 associates, one in Triple-A, Double-A, Excessive-A and Low-A. The consolidation led to the elimination of Quick-Season Single-A, which for the Pink Sox meant the top of the Lowell Spinners.
The contraction of the Spinners and dozens of different golf equipment like them prompted a big outcry from the affected communities, and for years afterwards state and native officers labored to attempt to deliver a Pink Sox affiliate again to Lowell. However as a result of there might solely be 4 associates per staff, that meant someway getting one of many membership’s remaining associates to maneuver.
The Triple-A Worcester Pink Sox had simply relocated from Pawtucket to Worcester and had a model new ballpark, so that they have been out. The Double-A Portland Sea Canine occupy some of the fascinating minor league markets within the nation, and the Excessive-A Greenville Drive are thought to be one of many minors’ mannequin franchises. That left the Low-A Salem Pink Sox as the one logical candidate.
A transfer would have made sense for a wide range of causes.
Not like Greenville, which boasts top-of-the-line minor league ballparks within the sport, Salem Memorial Ballpark wanted lots of work to stick to MLB’s new facility necessities. LeLacheur Park in Lowell wanted vital upgrades as nicely, however both manner Salem’s homeowners must shell out cash on their park.
The membership’s ballpark lease was additionally as a consequence of expire after the 2024 season, and shifting to New England would have introduced the franchise nearer to each the Pink Sox fanbase and a large chunk of the group’s developmental workers.
In the meantime, in 2022, UMass Lowell bought LeLacheur Park from the Metropolis of Lowell and introduced plans to improve the park in hopes of attracting a brand new tenant. These investments would have fallen far wanting what could be wanted to make the park affiliate-ready, however when Diamond Baseball Holdings bought the Salem franchise in early 2023, out of the blue there was a deep-pocketed possession group with the assets able to making a return to Lowell doable.
However that didn’t occur.
Diamond Baseball Holdings as an alternative selected to speculate cash in Salem’s ballpark, and whereas a brand new lease settlement hasn’t been introduced, a supply knowledgable of the state of affairs says the membership and Metropolis of Salem are working in direction of a long-term deal.
These talks have progressed to a degree the place the membership felt snug shifting ahead with a rebrand, which might not have made sense if there was any risk of relocation.
Lowell hasn’t sit nonetheless, both.
This previous August native officers announced that beginning subsequent season LeLacheur Park will change into house to a brand new Futures Collegiate Baseball League franchise. The Futures League, a New England-based school summer time league, already hosts two different former New York-Penn League golf equipment — the Vermont Lake Monsters and Norwich Sea Unicorns.
Whereas not an MLB affiliate, the brand new Futures League franchise will successfully shut the loop on this five-year saga and produce summer time baseball again to the Merrimack Valley.
And barring any unexpected developments, followers can rely on each the brand new Lowell membership and the RidgeYaks to stay round for a very long time.
Sox system nonetheless bountiful
Over the previous few years the Pink Sox farm system has graded among the many greatest in baseball thanks largely because of the membership’s assortment of elite place participant prospects. Getting into 2025 the Pink Sox have been ranked No. 1 by Baseball America for the primary time ever primarily due to Roman Anthony, Kristian Campbell and Marcelo Mayer.
Anthony and Campbell have since graduated from prospect standing, however heading into 2026 the Pink Sox system ought to nonetheless rank among the many league’s greatest.
As of right now the Pink Sox have six gamers ranked inside Baseball America’s year-end Top 100 list. Mayer holds the highest spot at No. 9 total, adopted by left-hander Payton Tolle (No. 38), teenage shortstop Franklin Arias (No. 46), right-hander and 2025 first-round decide Kyson Witherspoon (No. 62), rookie outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia (No. 76) and left-hander Connelly Early (No. 100).
Solely the Seattle Mariners (eight) and Los Angeles Dodgers (seven) have extra gamers inside the highest 100.
The Pink Sox even have a number of notable prospects who’ve cracked the highest 100 earlier than, together with left-hander Brandon Clarke and right-hander Luis Perales. Perales was thought to be Boston’s high pitching prospect earlier than present process Tommy John surgical procedure in 2024, and since his return this September he’s picked up proper the place he left off, usually topping 100 mph within the Arizona Fall League.
All of that may be a nice signal for the way forward for the franchise, and having so many heralded prospects to work with additionally implies that if the Pink Sox wish to swing one other huge commerce this offseason like they did final 12 months for Garrett Crochet, they need to have greater than sufficient younger expertise to get a deal carried out.
