FOX attempted some AL MVP propaganda with Aaron Judge-Cal Raleigh graphic

New York Yankee fans are no strangers to anti-Yankee bias from the national media. In the case of the prestigious AL MVP award, it can reach feverish levels. After all, who can forget the not-so-subtle campaign that allowed Jose Altuve to steal the AL MVP from Aaron Judge back in 2017?

Now in 2025, they're at it again. Despite what should be obvious to everyone with eyeballs and a modicum of baseball knowledge, Cal Raleigh was named as the "odds-on favorite" a month ago, despite nearly every metric favoring Judge, some by cavernous margins.

It's one thing for the sports books to take controversial positions in hopes of drumming up betting action, but when one of the MLB's national broadcast partners engages in a clear propaganda campaign against Judge, you've got to ask yourself what the heck is going on?

Yankee fans can only laugh at FOX's anti-Aaron Judge propaganda

When it comes to FOX, you can't rely on them for unbiased analysis regarding the Yankees when their lead analyst, John Smoltz, is a noted Yankee-hater. While Smoltz, who famously lost the World Series as a member of the Atlanta Braves twice at the hands of the Yankees, is entitled to his own personal preferences, it's something else entirely when the network tries to lead the audience in an anti-Yankee direction.

During a broadcast, FOX posted a graphic breaking down the statistical performance of Cal Raleigh and Aaron Judge. One metric, and only one metric, was highlighted  — home runs, which favor Raleigh.

To be fair to Raleigh, he's having an awesome season. Setting records for single-season home runs for both a catcher and a switch-hitter is no small feat. Leading Judge in homers is something, but doing so when batting only .247 puts a damper on his claim. Right?

At least, that's what we were told in 2017 when Judge set the MLB record for most homers by a rookie, but Altuve had to win the award because of his higher batting average. Or does that logic no longer apply now that it's a Yankee who's in the driver's seat, average-wise?

Again, Raleigh deserves his flowers, but let's be real. His position as a catcher doesn't offset what Judge has done. His defense doesn't either, especially when it's his 2024 Platinum Glove that is most often cited, and not the regression he's seen behind the plate this season.

There's a line floating around Twitter that couldn't be truer. If Aaron Judge's OPS was 180 points lower, he'd be Cal Raleigh; if Cal Raleigh's OPS was 180 points lower, he'd be a league-average hitter. That's really all you need to know.