Manager Dan Wilson has been in awe of his talents.
Seattle Mariners' Cal Raleigh hits a solo home run off Texas Rangers starting pitcher Kumar Rocker during the fifth inning in a baseball game Thursday, July 31, 2025, in Seattle. Seattle's Cal Raleigh — better known by the catchy nickname “Big Dumper” — has lived up to the moniker, dropping baseballs into the outfield seats all over the big leagues this season.
“That’s what you get from Cal," Wilson said. “Night in, night out, blocking balls, calling the game, leading a pitching staff, throwing runners out — that’s what Cal does and he does it very well.” Oh ... wait a second. Wilson obviously wasn't taking about Raleigh's prodigious power — he's talking about how the 28-year-old handles the most demanding defensive position on the baseball field: Catcher. Raleigh has smashed 42 homers this season, putting him on pace for 60, with a chance to catch Aaron Judge's American League record of 62. That would be fun to watch under any circumstance. The fact that the All-Star and Home Run Derby champion is also responsible for guiding the Mariners' pitching staff on most nights makes it even more impressive. Seattle is currently in the thick of the American League playoff race with a 60-53 record, and the Mariners are relying on Raleigh's bat and his brain to try and make the playoffs for just the third time since 2001. There's the mental side of the job — meetings, film study, calling pitches — but there's also the wear and tear of the physical side. The 2024 Gold Glove winner is also squatting, handling the run game, taking painful foul tips off all parts of his body, putting his 6-foot-2, 235-pound frame through the ringer four or five nights a week.The fact that it took Raleigh a few years in the big leagues to emerge as a true superstar — this is his fourth full season with the Mariners — isn't surprising. The learning curve for young catchers can be severe and the defensive part of the job takes precedence. There's a long list of backstops who couldn't hit a lick yet carved out long MLB careers. Raleigh is a man of many talents and his power was always evident. He hit 27 homers in 2022, 30 in 2023 and 34 last season. Now he's on pace for 50 long balls and maybe more. There are only five other players in big league history who have hit at least 40 homers while primarily playing catcher: Salvador Perez, Johnny Bench , Roy Campanella, Todd Hundley and Mike Piazza . Bench, Campanella and Piazza are Hall of Famers. It's evidence of a player at the top of his game — and one who has come through plenty of experience. “I don’t think I’m trying any harder or doing any more than I have in the past,” Raleigh said. “Maybe a little more focused on the right things, and not constantly trying to tweak or change something that I have been in the past. So, I think that’s been the biggest part to the success, and just trying to keep that consistent and steady.”Raleigh's big numbers are part of an offensive surge for MLB catchers: Will Smith, Hunter Goodman, Logan O'Hoppe, Shea Langeliers, Alejandro Kirk, Salvador Perez and William Contreras are among roughly a dozen at the position who are more than holding their own at the plate. Veteran catcher Carson Kelly is on pace to have his best offensive season in the big leagues at 31, batting .272 with 13 homers and 36 RBIs for the Chicago Cubs. He's been in the big leagues for 10 years and said the balance between offense and defense is tough for young players. “It’s almost like you’re drinking from a firehose with how much information you have,” Kelly said. “And I think, as you see catchers, as the years go on, you get smarter. “You get smarter in your routines. and you’re able to focus on the little details,” he continued. “When you get called up as a young guy, there’s so much going on. And as the years go by and as the days go by, you get more comfortable. ‘OK, I know this, I know that, how do I really funnel this down into a couple points?’Some adjustments are helping catchers stay fresh One major factor for the increased offensive production for catchers could be the one-knee down defensive stance that's been adopted by nearly every MLB catcher over the past five years. The argument for the stance is its helpful for defensive reasons, including framing pitches on the corners. But there's also the added benefit that it's a little easier on the knees than squatting a couple hundred times per game. “A hundred percent," said Goodman, the Rockies primary catcher who is hitting .279 with 20 homers. “You think about back in the day when everybody was squatting being in a squat for that long can be can be hard on your legs. Getting on a knee gives your legs a little bit of rest for sure.” Statistical trends suggest he has a point. Catchers have accounted for 12.2% of all MLB homers this season, making a slow climb from 10% in 2018.“It just seems like on both sides of the ball, when he’s behind the plate he’s really focused on his pitchers and calling a good game and all the things that a catching position entails, and then when he comes up to the plate, he can do damage," Kelly said.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Cal Raleigh Home Run Odds: Can Mariners Star Keep Up Torrid Pace?Raleigh has been a revelation in Seattle this season. Can he knock Aaron Judge off the top of the home run mountain? See the odds.
Read more »
Mariners' Cal Raleigh figuring out spotlight that comes with his home run bonanzaA new challenger has entered the competition for the home run crown this season. Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh is suddenly in the spotlight. He leads the league with 36 home runs just before t…
Read more »
Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh: All-Star closer Andrés Muñoz was tipping pitches against YankeesSeattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh thinks All-Star closer Andrés Muñoz was tipping pitches when he squandered a two-run lead in the ninth inning against the New York Yankees
Read more »
Cal Raleigh hits 37th, 38th home runs of season as Seattle Mariners blast Tigers 12-3Cal Raleigh hit his 37th and 38th home runs to move within one of Barry Bonds’ 2001 record for homers before the All-Star break, and the Seattle Mariners beat Detroit 12-3 on Friday night to end Tarik Skubal’s three-month unbeaten streak.
Read more »
Mariners' Cal Raleigh hits 37th, 38th homers to move within one of Barry Bonds' paceMariners star Cal Raleigh hit his 37th and 38th home runs to move within one of Barry Bonds’ 2001 record for homers before the All-Star break.
Read more »
Mariners' Cal Raleigh breaks AL record with 38 homers before the All-Star breakCal Raleigh hit his 37th and 38th home runs in Seattle’s 12-3 victory over Detroit on Friday night to move within one of Barry Bonds’ 2001 major league record for homers before the All-Star break
Read more »