Cal Raleigh home run pace: Can Mariners star crack 60 homers?

A slumping Seattle Mariners offense did the seemingly impossible over the weekend, as they outslugged a Chicago Cubs team which is second in the majors in runs. When it was all said and done at Wrigley Field, the visitors won two of the three games after outscoring their hosts by a combined 30-20.

There was plenty of praise to go around as the likes of Donovan Solano, Mitch Garver, and Dominic Canzone all played their part against one of the best clubs in the National League. Ultimately though, it was tough for anyone to take their eyes off Cal Raleigh, who continues to put together a season for the ages.

Raleigh's 2025 campaign can so far be described as anything from the sublime to the ridiculous, and quite rightly so. His 66 RBI are one off the Major League lead, after he added another six during the weekend in Chicago.

Cal Raleigh ties an MLB record

The switch-hitter also became just the third catcher in league history to score eight runs in a three-game series, joining Charlie Moore in 1982 with the Milwaukee Brewers and Gary Carter in 1985 with the New York Mets. However, the highlight was undoubtedly hitting four home runs to give him 31 on the season.

Raleigh is on such a hot pace that even Aaron Judge and Shoehi Ohtani are struggling to keep up, with 27 and 26 home runs respectively. The question is: Just how special could this season end up being for the best catcher in the game (nice try, Dodgers) and a leading candidate to win AL MVP?

With still 20 games to go until the All-Star break, it's entirely conceivable that Raleigh can equal if not outright pass Ken Griffey Jr.'s club record of 35 home runs in the first half. This would in turn lead to the genuine possibility of taking aim at the Hall of Famer's Mariners record of 56 homers in a season.

As thing stand, Raleigh is projected to finish this season with 66 home runs, which would surpass the all-time American League record of 62 homers set by Judge in 2022. So, just how sustainable is the 2024 Platinum Glove winner's current pace?

Mariners clubhouse leader gives plenty of reason for optimism

Raleigh is in a zone right now and hitting better than ever. His .276 batting average and 1.042 OPS compare extremely favorably to his respective career averages of .227 and .786. As per a recent analysis by Sodo Mojo's Levi Coovert, his improved timing has allowed him to add more plate discipline to his skillset, as seen in his career-low 24.9 percent strikeout rate.

The 28-year-old is pulling the ball more than anyone else in 2025, with his 37.4 pull air percentage ranking first in the Majors by Statcast. He also has a 25.3 ground-ball rate percentage, which is lowest among all qualifying hitters.

As well as Raleigh is hitting right now, there is the understandable concern of whether he will break down as we enter the dog days of summer. Notorious for hating to take any time off, he has so far missed only one game out of 76, catching in 58 and playing DH in the other 17 contests.

If this isn't enough, the 2018 third-round draft pick has also indicated a keen interest to participate in this year's Home Run Derby. His enthusiasm is admirable and it would bring more attention to him and the Mariners, but is it really worth taking the risk no matter how durable he's been so far in his career?

Raleigh has the opportunity to leave his mark on both team and Major League history this year, which could in turn galvanize the Mariners' attempts to make just their second playoff appearance since 2001. While there are no guarantees he can keep up his current torrid pace, he should at least do everything possible to help the situation, and reduce his chances of wear and tear.