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There has yet to be a major league catcher who hit 50 homers in a season. Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh is looking to carve his name into the history books.
Raleigh entered action on Monday with a career best .276/.383/.659 batting line in 329 plate appearances. His 31 homers lead the majors and set a record for the most home runs by a catcher before the All-Star Break, surpassing Reds legend Johnny Bench.
He also broke the record for most homers for a switch hitter before the All-Star break, passing Yankees legend Mickey Mantle, Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez and Astros outfielder Lance Berkman. Barry Bonds holds the record for most home runs before the All-Star Game, belting 39 homers in 2001.
Raleigh may not be done making history.Â
Royals backstop Salvador Perez set the record for the most home runs by a catcher in major league history in 2021 as he belted 48 homers, breaking Bench’s record set in 1970.
At his current pace, Raleigh could surpass Perez by the middle of August. He is on pace to hit 66 home runs this season, which would make him just the seventh player in MLB history to reach the 60 home run plateau.
The biggest question is whether or not Raleigh can continue his impressive performance this season. He has a career .222/.298/.457 batting line in 884 plate appearances after the All-Star break with 49 home runs. His 5% home-run-per-plate-appearance pace in the second half may be enough to surpass Perez if Raleigh does revert to his previous performance.
Raleigh has put together an impressive showing over the first three months of the season. If he can continue at his current pace, he will carve his name into the history books.
