Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh prepares to hit in the on-deck circle during a game against the Houston Astros on May 22 at Daikin Park. Erik Williams-Imagn Images

Seattle Mariners Catcher Cal Raleigh's Current Pace Puts Him in Elite Category

Originally posted on Seattle Mariners on SI
By Teren Kowatsch | Last updated Jun 7, 2025 6:30 PM ET

The Seattle Mariners' Platinum Glove-winning catcher Cal Raleigh is on a pace not seen in over five decades.

As of Saturday (June 7), Raleigh has hit 24 home runs this season. He needs just one more to tie a record held by National Baseball Hall of Famer Johnny Bench, which has stood since 1970.

According to a tweet from OptaSTATS on "X," Raleigh's 24 homers are the most by a catcher before the beginning of July since Bench hit 25 in that span in 1970. If Raleigh hits two more homers in June, he'll surpass Bench in that statistic. He was the only catcher in MLB history to hit 20 or more home runs before the end of May.

Cal Raleigh of the @Mariners hit his 24th home run of the year yesterday.

His 24 homers are already the second most by any catcher prior to the start of July in a single season, bested only by Johnny Bench, who hit 25 in 1970. pic.twitter.com/Eqg5o9XtKM
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) June 6, 2025

Raleigh has 22 more games in June, including Saturday's contest against the Los Angeles Angels, to exceed the number set by Bench.

Last season, Raleigh ended the season with 93 career home runs — which passed another Hall of Fame catcher, Mike Piazza, for the most by a catcher through their first four seasons in the major leagues.

Raleigh has scored 42 runs and has hit 11 doubles and 24 homers with 49 RBIs in 62 games. He's slashed .269/.379/.634 with a 1.013 OPS.

NO. 24 FOR BIG DUMPER!

Cal Raleigh scrapes the sky on this towering shot! pic.twitter.com/naXh26a2CG
— MLB (@MLB) June 5, 2025

Raleigh has broken or tied several Seattle and MLB records over the past two seasons. He's been one of the most valuable players in baseball this season. He's second in the major leagues in FanGraphs WAR (4.0) and fourth in Baseball Reference WAR (3.6).

At his current pace, Raleigh will have several more records under his belt before 2025 ends.

This article first appeared on Seattle Mariners on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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