The “Big Dumper” is still at it!
In what has become a constant during Cal Raleigh’s incredible 2025 season, the Seattle Mariners catcher added another home run to his tally on Saturday, surpassing another MLB legend in the process, followed by another on Sunday night.
Raleigh has already broken home run records for a catcher and for a switch hitter, as well as setting a record for the Mariners. Not forgetting his triumph in the Home Run Derby earlier this summer.
What record could Raleigh set next? How many home runs will he finish the season with? We analyze his impressive performance.
Raleigh’s Current Pace
Raleigh currently has 58 home runs and is on track to reach 60, with seven games remaining.
The American League record is 62, set by Aaron Judge in 2022, and there have only been nine seasons in MLB history with 60 home runs or more.
Who Raleigh surpassed with his last home run
With his 58th home run on Sunday night, Raleigh surpassed Luis Gonzalez and Alex Rodriguez on the single-season home run list. With number 57 the night before, Raleigh broke the Mariners franchise record of Ken Griffey Jr., who hit 56 home runs in the 1997 and 1998 seasons.
Raleigh joins Griffey as the only Mariners players with 50 home runs (or even 45) in a season. In addition, Raleigh is the first Seattle hitter with 40 home runs in a season since Nelson Cruz in 2016.
Who can Raleigh reach with his next home run?
After surpassing Mickey Mantle, Griffey, and A-Rod with his recent home runs, the next big question for Raleigh is whether he can reach 60. He is already in select company, as with home run number 59 he would surpass Jimmie Foxx and Hank Greenberg on the single-season home run list.
The 5 most impressive feats of Raleigh in 2025
- Most home runs in a season for a switch hitter
- One of the best months for a catcher
- Reach 100 runs and 100 RBIs
- Tie Ken Griffey Jr.’s home run record at the club
- Possibility of obtaining the most total bases for a catcher
With his 55th home run, Raleigh surpassed Mickey Mantle, who hit 54 in 1961. Surpassing Salvador Perez’s record of 48 home runs by a primary catcher drew a lot of attention, but surpassing Mantle’s mark is arguably more impressive, given the longevity of the record and the importance of the Hall of Famer.
In May, Raleigh hit .304/.430/.739 with 12 home runs and 26 RBIs. Only four catchers have hit more home runs in a calendar month, and only eight with at least 100 plate appearances produced a higher slugging percentage. Raleigh was nearly as good in June, hitting .300/.398/.690 with 11 home runs and 27 RBIs, giving him two-month totals of .302/.414/.714 with 23 home runs and 53 RBIs. In a 24-game stretch from May 12 to June 7, Raleigh hit .319 with 14 home runs.
Raleigh has 107 runs scored and leads the American League with 121 RBIs. Only eight other primary catchers have reached 100 runs in both categories in the same season; Mike Piazza did it twice, in 1997 and 1999, and he and Ivan Rodriguez were the last catchers to achieve it in ’99. Of the other catchers, seven are in the Hall of Fame (Piazza, Rodriguez, Mickey Cochrane, Yogi Berra, Roy Campanella, Johnny Bench, and Carlton Fisk). The only exception is Darrell Porter, who reached the milestone with the Royals in 1979.
Griffey hit 56 home runs for the Mariners in 1997 and 1998, leading the American League in both seasons and winning the MVP award in 1997. Griffey had the advantage of playing in the Kingdome in those years, although his home/away splits were fairly even. Raleigh, however, has had to play in a difficult park for hitting, with 30 of his 56 home runs on the road, where his OPS is about 100 points higher. That marks only the 19th time a player has reached 30 home runs on the road (in contrast, 30 home runs at home have been achieved 37 times).
With 337 total bases, Raleigh’s 2025 campaign is already one of the 20 seasons by a catcher with 300 total bases (yes, time as a designated hitter has helped him here). The record is 355, shared by Piazza in 1997 and Bench in 1970 (both played more than 150 games in those seasons). Raleigh would need a great finish to get there, but at least he could move up to third place ahead of Perez’s 337 total bases in 2021. Not counting in Raleigh’s total bases: his 14 stolen bases!
