Mariners' Cal Raleigh garnering unexpected MVP supporters amid incredible season

Raleigh also received MVP chants after he belted two home runs in a 9-4 Mariners road win over the Chicago Cubs on June 20. However, those were from Mariners fans who camped behind the dugout at Wrigley Field.  

Raleigh is solidifying himself as an MVP candidate near the season's halfway point. Through his first 76 games, he led baseball in home runs (32) and RBI (68). 

In doing so, he set records for most homers by a catcher and a switch-hitter before the All-Star break. As of Tuesday morning, FanGraphs Baseball projects that Raleigh is on pace to hit 67 home runs in 160 regular-season games, which would break an American League record for homers in a season. New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge set the record during the 2022 season, with 62 dingers in 157 regular-season games.

"I think [Raleigh] definitely deserves his first shot at MVP," Mariners center fielder Julio Rodriguez said after the 11-2 win over Minnesota, via Kramer. "The way he's just doing it, I think deserves to be looked at. Because what he is doing as a catcher is pretty special, in the way that he can impact the game, and truly both sides of the ball. I just don't think there's anybody doing that right now."

As of Tuesday morning, FanDuel Sportsbook gives Raleigh the second-best AL MVP odds (+600) behind Judge (-1200). With the catcher garnering more support throughout the league, expect him to keep pace with Judge in the race for the award.