Mariners' Cal Raleigh Hits 60 Home Runs in 2025 but Slumps with 0-for-36 Skid

Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh, who narrowly missed the American League Most Valuable Player Award last season behind Aaron Judge, has hit the opposite extreme this year.

Raleigh became just the seventh player in MLB history to hit 60 home runs in a season during 2025. Every plate appearance has turned into a struggle lately.

He went 0-for-4 on Monday night in the Mariners' 3-1 loss to the Houston Astros. That extended a skid in which he is now hitless in his last 36 at-bats.

Before the slump, Raleigh hit .205 with a .707 OPS in his first 30 games. His average has fallen to .157, second-worst in baseball, and his OPS is .559, 10th-worst.

As a left-handed batter, he is slashing .167/.256/.370. From the right side, the numbers are .133/.196/.200.

His last hit came on April 27.

Little in his underlying stats suggests a quick turnaround. After ranking in the 85th percentile for hard-hit percentage last year, with exit velocities of at least 95 mph, he sits in the 10th percentile this season. His barrel percentage and average exit velocity have dropped sharply from 2024.

Fastballs have given him trouble. He hit .230 against them last year with a .594 slugging percentage. This year, those marks are .093 and .222. He has swung and missed on 36.0 percent of fastballs, up from 26.3 percent. Last year, he put more than half of four-seamers at 95 mph or harder in play; this year, it is 23.3 percent.

The Mariners entered the season in the American League pennant race. They stand 20-22, two games behind the Athletics in the AL West, with much of the season remaining.

The switch-hitter's slump arrived less than a year after his MVP chase.