Cal Raleigh a big factor in Mariners’ MLB-leading stat

Cal Raleigh has led the charge for the Seattle Mariners this season.

MLB’s leader in home runs and RBIs is having a historic campaign for both a switch-hitter and catcher, and he’s even on track to challenge Aaron Judge’s AL home record.

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With that in mind, it comes as no surprise that Raleigh has been the catalyst for his team’s MLB lead in first-pitch home runs.

The Mariners have hit 35 home runs on the first pitch this season, four more than any other team. Raleigh has 12 of those, which also leads the league.

It’s been more than just home runs Raleigh on the first pitch, too. He’s worn out pitchers with a .511 average and 1.830 OPS on the first pitch, the latter of which trails only Judge (2.010). Raleigh’s 21 RBIs in those situations lead the league, and his 24 hits are fifth.

During the latest edition of The Cal Raleigh Show on Seattle Sports, Raleigh spoke about the importance of being ready to do damage early in at-bats with Mariners insider Shannon Drayer.

“I’ve always been taught from a young age to be ready to go first pitch, and that kind of falls into what every pitcher wants to do,” Raleigh said. “Most pitchers in the league, they want to get ahead and it’s no secret. It’s kind of what makes pitchers successful. So (it’s) being timed up, being ready to go, knowing what you’re looking for early in the at bat.”

Statistics show that putting the ball in play on the first pitch is beneficial. MLB hitters averaged a .243 batting average and .711 OPS last season. On the first pitch, they hit .333 with a .904 OPS.

Putting the ball in play early also avoids two-strike counts, where the MLB batting average dropped to .168 and OPS to .509 in 2024.

“(You) try to stay out of two-strike (counts) because it’s hard for anybody – it doesn’t matter how good you are – in the league with two strikes,” Raleigh said. “It’s going to happen around 50% of the time over a course of the season for every hitter usually. If you could stay out of those counts and be ready to hit early, you could be in a good spot.”

Seattle Mariners first-pitch HR leaders

Here’s a break down of the Mariners’ first-pitch home runs.

• Raleigh, 12 (leads MLB)
• Julio Rodríguez, 5
• Rowdy Tellez, 3*
• Randy Arozarena, 2
• J.P. Crawford, 2
• Dylan Moore, 2
• Jorge Polanco, 2
• Leody Taveras, 2
• Ryan Bliss, 1
• Dominic Canzone, 1
• Mitch Garver, 1
• Miles Mastrobuoni, 1
• Luke Raley, 1

* – no longer with organization.

Hear the full conversation at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. The Cal Raleigh Show airs weekly during Wyman and Bob, typically at 5 p.m. Thursday. 

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