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After missing out last season on taking Aaron Judge for the American League’s Most Valuable Player Award, this year Cal Raleigh is in the running for the polar opposite.
The Seattle Mariners catcher became just the seventh player in MLB history to smash 60 home runs in a season in 2025, and while it would have been a challenge to reach that mark this year, every plate appearance is a battle at the moment.
Raleigh went 0-for-4 Monday night in the Mariners’ 3-1 loss to the Houston Astros, continuing a skid in which he is now hitless in his last 36 at-bats.
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Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners reacts after striking out during the eighth inning against the Atlanta Braves at T-Mobile Park in Seattle on May 5, 2026. (Jack Compton/Getty Images)
Before this skid, Raleigh was already struggling at the plate, hitting .205 with a .707 OPS in his first 30 games. But now his average is down to .157, second-worst in baseball, and his OPS is down to .559, 10th-worst.
As a lefty, he’s slashing .167/.256/.370, and on the right side, they’re down to .133/.196/.200.
The last time he had a hit was way back on April 27th.
There’s also not much under the hood that says Raleigh is going to turn things around. Sure, a stretch this poor guy can’t come without some bad luck, but after ranking in the 85th percentile in hard-hit percentage (at least 95 mph exit velo), he’s now in the 10th percentile in that category this season. His slugging percentage and average exit velocity are both overwhelmingly worse than last year as well.
Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners reacts to the at bat during the sixth inning against the Atlanta Braves at T-Mobile Park in Seattle on May 6, 2026. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
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A big problem for Raleigh has been the fastball – after hitting .230 against it with a .594 slugging percentage last year, they are now down to .093 and .222 this year. He has swung and missed on 36.0% of fastballs, as opposed to 26.3% last year. He hit more than half of four-seamers 95 mph or harder last year, but just 23.3% this year.
Heading into the season, the Mariners were right in the conversation to compete for the American League pennant. They are currently 20-22 and will likely turn things around when Raleigh does. They are two games out of the AL West title, trailing only the Athletics, with plenty of season left.
Seattle Mariners’ Cal Raleigh reacts after striking out against the Toronto Blue Jays during the sixth inning of Game 6 of the American League Championship Series in Toronto on Oct. 19, 2025. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press)
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But the season may be getting late early for the switch-hitting catcher who less than a year ago was chasing Judge for an MVP.
