The Seattle Mariners are currently 39-37 after taking two of three from the Chicago Cubs this weekend.
Seattle is four-and-a-half games back from the Houston Astros for first place in the American League West and are tied for the third AL wild card spot with the Boston Red Sox.
The Mariners are typically a team with a strong pitching staff and a not-so-strong offense, but this season, the Mariners have flipped the script.
Julio Rodriguez, J.P. Crawford and Randy Arozarena have put together solid campaigns, but the real reason the offense is strong is Cal Raleigh.
Raleigh, 28, is having an incredible season and is on pace to have the greatest offensive season by a catcher ever.
Raleigh has hit a whopping 31 home runs and driven in 66 RBI in 75 games this season. He is slashing .276/.383/.659 and has the second-best OPS in Major League Baseball (1.042).
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According to MLB on X, Raleigh is the first switch-hitter in history to have 30+ home runs before the All-Star break. He is the fastest to 30 home runs (75 games) in a season since Barry Bonds and Luis Gonzalez in 2001.
He joins Ken Griffey Jr. (three times) as the only Mariners to hit 30 home runs prior to the All-Star break.
Raleigh’s historic season has him on pace for 66 home runs and 141 RBI over 160 games. Nobody knows how many home runs Raleigh will hit, but if he surpasses the catcher home run record, he may just steal the Most Valuable Player award from Aaron Judge.
While Josh Gibson once hit 75 home runs in a season in the Negro Leagues, the most home runs by a catcher in MLB was 48 by Salvador Perez in 2021.
Considering Raleigh plays elite-level defense at the toughest position, if he hits 50 home runs and leads the Mariners to the playoffs, he has a real chance at the MVP award.
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