Cal Raleigh, the Seattle Mariners catcher known as "Big Dumper," is having a historically bad season after an unprecedented 60-home run campaign last year. His current slash line is a brutal .163/.266/.307, resulting in a .573 OPS. This marks a stark contrast to his previous season where he had one of the best offensive performances by a catcher in baseball history. Only one other player in the majors with comparable playing time has an OPS under .580 this season.
Historically, Raleigh has been a power hitter, making the most of the contact he does make despite being prone to strikeouts. However, his hard-hit rate has plummeted from 49.6% last season (top 15% in the league) to just 32.1% this year (bottom 15%). He has only 10 home runs and 7 doubles in 69 games this season, compared to 26 home runs in the same number of games to start last season. He even went hitless in 36 consecutive at-bats earlier in the season and was placed on the injured list with an oblique strain.
Despite Raleigh's struggles, the Mariners have managed to stay competitive, holding a half-game lead in the AL West with a 51-50 record. There is hope that if Raleigh can improve to even a mediocre performance in the second half, it would significantly boost the team's playoff chances. Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona intentionally walked the batter before Raleigh in a recent game, demonstrating how little concern opposing teams currently have for Raleigh's bat.
