Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh lit up the majors last year with his record-breaking year. Whereas he had averaged 30 homers a year in his prior three seasons, he was suddenly in Babe Ruth territory by hitting 60 homers in 2025. He became the talk of the baseball world, as he outpaced Yankees slugger Aaron Judge for the home run title and finished as runner-up for the AL MVP Award. He had some of the hottest baseball cards in the collectibles industry.

But 2026 is a drastically different story. With roughly a third of the major-league season under the belt, Raleigh has belted only seven home runs. Yes, you read that correctly, SEVEN. Considering all the surprises and success he generated last year, Raleigh is the biggest disappointment in the majors this year.

His current .161/.243/.317 slash line is pathetic. His 62 OPS+ (Adjusted On-Base Plus Slugging) means he is 38% worse than the average MLB player (with a 100 OPS+). Putting his woeful performance another way, he is among the worst 25 players in both leagues with at least 40 games played this season. At one point this season, he had 41 straight plate appearances without a hit, which puts him in Mario Mendoza territory (the infamous major leaguer who couldn’t above .200).

Was Raleigh just a “one-season wonder?”

Has he changed his approach at the plate? Is his batting rhythm off? (That does occasionally happen to hitters).

Have pitchers figured out and exploited his weaknesses at the plate?

Does he have a nagging injury? (Remember Albert Pujols and his plantar fasciitis issue he dealt with for years?)

Is Raleigh trying too hard to replicate last year’s Ruth-like performance? Was he simply an over-achiever last year?

These are all possible explanations, but let’s look at some objective data.

• Raleigh’s “hard-hit rate” is roughly half that of last year. He is not hitting the ball with authority.

• His strikeout rate is higher, suggesting timing issues in his swing, difficulty picking up pitches, or possible changes in his hitting mechanics.
• 
  
• His expected numbers for batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage are down. His performance does not indicate a case of bad luck.

Perhaps we should have seen this coming, given his inferior performance in the World Baseball Classic in March. After going hitless in 14 plate appearances, Raleigh was benched for Team USA’s semi-final game.

But Raleigh is not the only player experiencing a power shortage this season. San Diego’s Fernando Tatis Jr., who usually averages 25 home runs a season, has yet to hit one. San Francisco’s Matt Chapman, who averages 27 home runs a season, has hit only one so far. Is there a home run-drought “bug” going around the league?

There is still a lot of time for Raleigh to correct his current trajectory. I am sure Mariners coaches are frantically trying to help him figure out how to right his ship. The American League West Division is shaping up to be a close race this year, and Seattle is going to need all the help it can get.