Cal Raleigh eyes legends after hitting 50th home run of season

Seattle Mariners star Cal Raleigh etched his name into the MLB's record books when he slammed his 50th homer of the season against the San Diego Padres on Monday, becoming the first catcher in baseball history to do so. 

With 30 games remaining for Seattle, though, the MVP candidate should do even more damage before the regular season concludes. The only question is how much.

In the first year of a six-year, $105 million extension, Raleigh has quickly proven to be a massive bargain for a Mariners squad hungry to return to the postseason. 

Following his 50th long ball, Raleigh is already tied for 45th on the MLB's all-time single-season home run list. But even if he adds a half dozen to his final tally before the regular season wraps up, the first-time All-Star will have gained some serious ground. 

Raleigh would need to belt one homer for every three games played, but a 60-home run season remains a possibility. It'd take a historic final month from the fifth-year catcher. But he'd be joining an exclusive club with just six other names, including one active member, Raleigh's closest competition for MVP, New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge.

Judge won't come close to his career-best numbers this season after missing time due to injury, but his 62 homers in 2022 will be tough to beat. However, when looking at Raleigh's 2025 averages, it suddenly seems as though he'll have a legitimate shot at doing so.

With 130 games under his belt this season, Raleigh is currently averaging a home run every 2.6 games. If he were to play in each of Seattle's remaining 30 games while keeping that same pace, Raleigh would land just around Judge's record. 

The Big Dumper likely won't sniff the numbers of Barry Bonds or Mark McGwire by the end of September. But he could pass other legends, including Alex Rodriguez (54 HR in 2007), Ken Griffey Jr. (56 HR in 1997 and 1998), and David Ortiz (54 HR in 2006), while setting the standard for what a catcher can be.