Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh isn’t just having the best first half of a season by a catcher; he’s delivering one of the best first-half performances in MLB history. “The Big Dumper” is putting himself in the company of Barry Bonds, Mike Piazza and some other baseball legends
Let’s dive into some incredible MLB stats from Raleigh’s season so far.
4 – Number of catchers with three or more seasons with 30-plus HRs
Cal Raleigh hit his 30th home run of the season on June 1, securing his third consecutive season with 30-plus home runs. By reaching the 30-homer mark for the third time, Raleigh joined Mike Piazza (seven), Johnny Bench (four) and Roy Campanella (three) as the only catchers with three-plus seasons with 30 or more home runs, per MLB.com.
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9 – Players with 30+ home runs in the first 65 games of season
As noted by Sarah Langs, there have been just instances of an MLB player recording 30-plus home runs within the first 75 regular-season games throughout history. Babe Ruth has done it three times and Sanny Sosa did it twice. What’s most remarkable is that Raleigh was the first to achieve the feat since 2021 (Barry Bonds and Luis Gonzalez). It’s a stellar accomplishment to begin with, even more so considering that it happened six times from 1994-2001.
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9.1 vs 10.6 – HR/PA ratio for Barry Bonds (2001) vs Cal Raleigh (’25) before the All-Star Break
Barry Bonds holds the all-time record for most home runs before the All-Star Break, hitting 39 home runs in 2021. Bonds hit his 39th home run in the 68th game of the season (294 plate appearances), but he then went 13 consecutive games without another before the ASB. As a result, he finished with 39 home runs in 355 plate appearances. Raleigh entered play on Sunday with 31 home runs in 329 plate appearances.
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31 home runs – Most by a switch hitter and catcher before ASB
With his 30th home run, Raleigh broke MLB’s record previously held by Mickey Mantle, Jose Ramirez and Lance Berkman for the most home runs by a switch-hitter before the All-Star Break. He also took down Johnny Bench’s record for the most home runs by a primary catcher before the ASB. Keep in mind that the 2025 All-Star Break doesn’t begin until July 14 and Raleigh hit his 31st home run of the season on Sunday.
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4.2& 48 – Cal Raleigh’s bWAR in 75 games & most HRs in a season by a primary catcher
Salvador Perez holds the MLB record for the most home runs in a season (48) by a primary catcher. He averaged a home run every 12.92 at-bats in 2021. Raleigh is averaging a home run every 9 at-bats this season, so he should shatter the record as long as he stays healthy. That might not be the only reason this could be the best season ever by a catcher. Thanks to his excellent defense, he posted a 4.1 Baseball Reference Wins Above Replacement through his first 75 games. At anything close to his current pace, he’ll become just the third catcher in MLB history to have a season with a 9-plus WAR (MLB.com).
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