The race for American League MVP for a while seemed like a foregone conclusion. Unless Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge suffered a significant injury, the award was likely his. Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh just won't go away, though, so what we're left with is a potentially amazing two-man race for the hardware.

The one saving grace is Aaron Judge, who is having another scorching year at the plate, and consistent dominance is entering rarified air in a historic context. A collection of ESPN baseball analysts recently ranked Judge as the best player in the sport and predicted him to win his third MVP with a significant injury caveat.

This article was originally published on www.si.com as Revisiting MLB's MVP Races: Cal Raleigh Jumps Aaron Judge. Plenty has changed since we last discussed the American League and National League Most Valuable Player races.