Cal Raleigh doesn't just hit baseballs. He punishes them. If you’ve spent any time watching the Seattle Mariners lately, you know the sound. It’s a violent, wood-on-leather crack that echoes through T-Mobile Park like a gunshot.
Honestly, it’s getting ridiculous.
The man they call "Big Dumper" has turned the catching position into a home run factory. We aren’t just talking about a "good hitting catcher" anymore. We are talking about historic, Hall-of-Fame-trajectory power. In 2025, Raleigh didn’t just lead catchers; he basically broke the scale by launching 60 home runs. Yeah, you read that right. Sixty.
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The 60-Homer Explosion: What Most People Get Wrong
People think a power surge like this happens overnight. They think it’s just a lucky year or some mechanical tweak in the cage. It’s not.
To understand the Cal Raleigh home run phenomenon, you have to look at the sheer volume of his work. Before the 2025 season even hit the All-Star Break, Raleigh had already smashed 31 home runs. He broke Mickey Mantle’s record for the most homers by a switch-hitter before the break. He took down Johnny Bench’s record for catchers in the same span.
He was essentially Barry Bonds in 2001, but wearing 15 pounds of catcher’s gear in the Seattle humidity.
Why the 2025 Season Changed Everything
- The Switch-Hitting Mastery: Most guys struggle from one side. Cal? He became the first switch-hitting catcher to reach the 60-homer milestone.
- The Triple Crown Hunt: He finished the year with 125 RBIs and a .247 average to go along with those 60 bombs.
- Durability: Catching 159 games while maintaining that kind of power is, frankly, inhuman.
That "Big Dumper" Power: Breaking Down the Physics
Have you ever looked at Cal Raleigh's Statcast data? It’s terrifying if you're a pitcher. On September 24, 2025, against the Rockies, he tattooed a ball with a 110.9 MPH exit velocity. That ball traveled 438 feet.
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It wasn’t a fluke.
Raleigh’s home runs are usually "no-doubters." He doesn't rely on cheapies or Crawford Box specials. He generates massive torque from his lower half—hence the nickname. Most scouts will tell you his bat speed is elite, but it's his ability to keep the barrel in the zone that makes the difference. He uses what teammates call the "torpedo bat," a hitting style that allows him to go down and get low pitches or turn on high heat.
The numbers don't lie. His 153 career home runs through the end of 2025 put him in a category of his own. He surpassed Mike Piazza’s record for the most home runs by a catcher through their first four seasons.
The Moments We Can't Forget
Stats are cool, but a Cal Raleigh home run usually comes when the lights are brightest. We all remember the 2022 walk-off that ended the drought. That slider from Domingo Acevedo that Cal sent into the Seattle night? That wasn't just a hit; it was a cultural reset for the Pacific Northwest.
Then came the 2025 ALCS. Game 1 against the Blue Jays.
Mariners are down. The crowd is tense. Raleigh steps up and demolishes a game-tying shot off Kevin Gausman. The "Big Dumper" rescues the Mariners again. It's becoming a pattern. He’s the first player in Mariners history to win a Platinum Glove while also leading the league in homers. Usually, you get a guy who can hit or a guy who can catch. Seattle got both.
Is This the Greatest Catcher Season Ever?
There’s a lot of debate about this. Johnny Bench in '72 was incredible. Mike Piazza in '97 was a hitting machine. But Raleigh's 2025 campaign, where he slashed .247/.359/.589 with 60 home runs, puts him in a very lonely room at the top.
His 7.4 bWAR in 2025 is the kind of stuff you only see from generational talents.
Some critics point to the strikeout rate. Sure, he fanned 188 times. But when you’re driving in 125 runs and leading your team to an AL West title, nobody cares about the K's. He’s the slam-dunk No. 1 catcher heading into 2026.
What’s Next for Cal Raleigh?
If you’re looking to follow the "Big Dumper" trajectory, keep an eye on these specific metrics:
- Pull Percentage: Raleigh is at his best when he's pulling the ball from both sides. If that percentage stays above 45%, the homers will keep coming.
- Catcher ERA: It’s easy to forget he led the league in catcher ERA (3.30) in 2024. If he keeps the pitching staff focused while hitting 50+ bombs, he’s a perennial MVP candidate.
- The Extension Factor: With his $105 million extension signed in March 2025, the pressure of a contract is gone. He’s playing for legacy now.
Go back and watch the highlights of his 60th home run from late September 2025. The way he just drops the bat and watches it? That’s the confidence of a man who knows he’s the best in the world at what he does.
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To keep up with Cal's 2026 pursuit of more records, watch his launch angle trends on Baseball Savant. If he maintains that 18-degree sweet spot, we might be looking at back-to-back 50-homer seasons, something no catcher in the history of the game has ever done.