Plenty of people more well-heeled and opinionated than moi invested in prop bets before the regular season at the online gaming site near them. Among the chalkier bets that sort of split the vote was whether or not Aaron Judge or Shohei Ohtani was going to be baseball’s home run champion. And one of them very well may still be.
But I’d openly wonder if anyone who was inclined to lay a few cimoleons had factored in someone named Cal Raleigh into their calculations.
I’ll assume you’re at least enough of a baseball fan to at least know who Raleigh is. He is the Seattle Mariners’ catcher, until this year best known for a final weekend walk-off home run in 2022 that propelled the M’s into the post-season for the first time in more than two decades. In the state of Washington, that’s enough of a feat to make one a serious candidate for public office. But given the way Raleigh’s been hitting in the first half of 2025, were the office not recently filled I suspect he’d have a few thousand votes for president.
CLUTCH POINTS’ Chris Spierling sung his praises in a piece he dropped yesterday with his latest headline-worthy news:
Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh, who leads the majors in homers with 32, said Friday he will participate in next month’s Home Run Derby. The derby will be held on July 14, the night before the All-Star Game, at Truist Park in Atlanta. It’s the first derby appearance for the 28-year-old known as Big Dumper.
This season, Raleigh became the first catcher and first switch-hitter to reach 30 homers before the All-Star break. It’s his third 30-homer season in a row; Raleigh’s previous career-high was 34, in 2024. “I’m excited to represent the Mariners and our fanbase,” Raleigh said in a statement. “It will be extra special for me getting to do it in Atlanta, where I spent a lot of time playing baseball as a kid.”
Spiering added the following details in a separate piece he authored yesterday:
Raleigh (has) four more (homers) than Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani, who both have 28. We have seen power-hitting catchers in the past: Mike Piazza, Johnny Bench, Gary Carter, Javy Lopez, and Salvador Perez. However, none have more homers in a season than Perez at 48. We are halfway through the season right now, and Raleigh is on pace for 64 home runs. He would shatter the record that Perez broke in 2021 when he surpassed Bench’s record that had stood since 1970, when he smashed 45 for the Cincinnati Reds.
And yep, the guy that held that record for over half a century has taken notice, per USA TODAY veteran scribe Bob Nightengale earlier this month:
They met for the first time last November, and now 3,229 miles away, Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench can’t keep his eyes off him. He watches him on TV. He scours the box scores looking for his name. He checks out the latest stats.
He’s not only the premier power-hitting catcher in the game today… but also is the game’s best defensive catcher. Raleigh, who has produced the most home runs by a catcher in his first four seasons in baseball history, also won the Gold Glove and the Platinum Gold award last year as the top defensive player in the American League, regardless of position.
“Believe me, I’m paying close attention,” Bench tells USA TODAY Sports from his Jupiter, Florida, home. “I love watching him hit, seeing him go the other way while trying to get guys in from second and third. I love watching him throw, and unlike some guys you see, he’s not afraid to throw. I love watching him call a game. I love watching him drive in runs.
“I love watching everything he does, it’s just so impressive.”
And another Hall of Famer, THE ATHLETIC’s uber-obsessive Jayson Stark, dug up still more eye-opening reasons why you should be joining Bench in his viewing priorities:
You want a short list of just some of the men who never hit 32 home runs in their first 80 games of a season? Here it comes.
Henry Aaron … Willie Mays … Mickey Mantle … Aaron Judge … Jimmie Foxx … and Ted Williams … just to drop a few names that might sound vaguely familiar.
He’s ripped off back-to-back months with 10-plus homers! That’s as many 10-homer calendar months for the man we call Big Dumper, just since we flipped our calendars to May, as Joe Mauer, Buster Posey, Yogi Berra, Bill Dickey, Ted Simmons, Jorge Posada, Brian McCann, Will Smith and Russell Martin had in their whole careers … combined.
He just launched 20 home runs in only 37 games! Does that seem like a lot? Here are some active thumpers who have never hit 20 in that short a span: Kyle Schwarber, Salvador Perez, Mike Trout, Pete Alonso, Nolan Arenado and Bryce Harper. But Big Dumper? Yup!
He was the first man in baseball to hit 30 homers! And you know how many catchers in history besides Raleigh have won that race to 30 in any season? Exactly one, according to our friends from STATS Perform: Hall of Famer Carlton Fisk, in 1985.
Ohtani announced yesterday he will eschew the Home Run Derby–he didn’t do all that well last year, and this year’s he intent on staying healthy enough to continue his pitching comeback. Which means even more spotlight could be shone on someone who is now far less quietly putting together arguably the greatest season in Mariners’ history–and yes, I’m including all three Griffeys.
Did I say President? With qualifications like that, I’d offer that Raleigh might yet earn a few votes for another recently filled vacancy. Pope.
Courage…