Not too long ago, Cal Raleigh was best known for his game-changing home runs and serious attitude in the Seattle baseball scene. But now? His name is being spoken with conviction across the league, and his bat is forcing every opposing dugout to pay attention. And this week, Raleigh made history too.
The moment that turned heads wasn’t even a home run. Facing Cleveland’s Tanner Bibee, Raleigh dropped to a knee on a pitch low in the zone, and still launched it to the outfield wall. It didn’t leave the yard. But then again, it didn’t have to.
“Cal Raleigh gets better as more guys continue to step up… This just shows you how strong he is. And oh yeah, he’s doing this in a pitcher’s ballpark for 50 percent of the time,” commented Chris Gimenez. And he didn’t stop there. He made it crystal clear: as other Mariners hitters like Mitch Garver begin contributing, Raleigh becomes exponentially more dangerous.
“You don’t have the ability to pitch around him,” he noted. “Not that teams are really doing that… but truthfully, we kinda did.”
Cal Raleigh now has the most homers by a catcher before the All-Star break @Mariners | #TridentsUp
https://t.co/fGPbvbj8w4 pic.twitter.com/xKW9Yl60EV
— MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (@MLBNetworkRadio) June 21, 2025
That’s the ripple effect Cal Raleigh has created. He’s no longer the guy pitchers try to challenge. He’s the guy they try to avoid, only to realize there’s no safe way around him anymore. And the irony is that he’s doing this with minimal flash. No grand bat flips. No made-for-TV celebrations. Just grit, strength, and the kind of consistency that makes managers take notes and fans rise out of their seats.
So for the Mariners, this milestone isn’t just a feel-good stat. It’s a warning shot to the rest of the American League. Cal Raleigh isn’t just hot, he’s here, he’s locked in, and he’s lifting Seattle one moonshot at a time. The league might’ve been slow to notice, but now that they have, there’s no turning back.
From bench to bonds: Cal Raleigh joins the legends with 30-HR first half
Cal Raleigh didn’t just hit a milestone; he stormed past it with thunder in his bat. When he launched his 30th home run of the season in the ninth inning against the Cubs, the scoreboard hardly mattered. What did matter? With that slug, he officially entered one of the rarest clubs in baseball history; Raleigh became just the ninth player ever to hit 30 homers in their first 75 games of a season, a list that includes big names like Barry Bonds and Luis Gonzalez in 2001. And unlike most on that list, Raleigh is doing it while squatting behind the plate and switch-hitting.
Even more jaw-dropping? He’s rewriting records once owned by a Hall of Famer.
On Friday night, Raleigh passed Johnny Bench for the most home runs by a catcher before the All-Star break, a feat many assumed would remain untouched. And just to raise the stakes, he also claimed the record for most pre-break homers by a switch-hitter. Forget positional context for a second, what Raleigh is doing rivals the most explosive starts we’ve seen from anyone, at any spot in the lineup.
Opposing managers are noticing, too. “Thirty home runs is impressive,” Cubs skipper Craig Counsell said after Saturday’s game. “And we’re not even at the halfway point. He’s good.” That’s putting it mildly. According to FanGraphs, Cal Raleigh ranks second only to Aaron Judge in both WAR (4.9) and wRC+ (187). He’s gone from quietly consistent to full-blown elite, on pace for one of the greatest offensive seasons by a catcher in MLB history.
And the way he’s swinging? There’s no sign he’s slowing down.
The post Cal Raleigh Given Strong Message as Latest Milestone Turns Heads in MLB World appeared first on EssentiallySports.