Cal Raleigh's 2025 season is grabbing all the headlines.
That's what happens when you exit June 18 as the MLB leader with 20 home runs. But the Seattle Mariners' catcher hasn't just been historic in this campaign.
Raleigh is in his fifth MLB season, and right now, he has 120 career home runs.
With three-plus months still to play, Raleigh is on pace to hit more homers in his first five seasons than any catcher in MLB history.
Mike Piazza currently holds the record at 128, according to the Mariners' public relations team. Rudy York is second at 121.
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Yes, this season has been unprecedented for Raleigh. But he's been great since his second year.
Raleigh got just a short cup of coffee and struggled in 2021, hitting two homers and batting .180.
But then in 2022, he hit 27 HRs. In 2023, it was 30. In 2024, it was 34.
And now, Raleigh already has 27 homers through 72 games played.
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He just needs nine more in the second half of the season to pass Piazza on this cool list. If Raleigh stays healthy, he should surge well beyond him.
Raleigh didn't make his MLB debut until he was 24, and he'll turn 29 in November. Catching is a tough position to project because of the physical toll on a player's body.
But right now, Raleigh is hitting homers at a single-season and career rate that no catcher ever has before. And that's pretty darn cool.
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