Raleigh's Rough Start: Home Run Hopes Fade?

Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh is facing an early-season slump as the 2026 MLB season gets underway. In the initial games, Raleigh has struggled significantly, recording nine strikeouts and two walks in just 11 at-bats. This performance follows a disappointing showing in the World Baseball Classic, where he was benched.

Fans recall Raleigh's remarkable 2025 season, which saw him hit 60 home runs. However, this campaign is now being framed as an exceptional outlier, unlikely to be replicated. Even in his prolific 2025 season, he accumulated a career-high 188 strikeouts, indicating a history of inconsistent contact.

Current struggles suggest that even a slight dip in performance could return Raleigh to the 30-home run level seen in 2023 and 2024, rather than his extraordinary 2025 numbers. While this early funk may not persist, it highlights the inherent difficulty of hitting in professional baseball.