Big Dumper to Big Slumper: Is Mariners' Cal Raleigh a one-hit wonder?

Seattle Mariners designated hitter Cal Raleigh. Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Big Dumper to Big Slumper: Is Mariners' Cal Raleigh a one-hit wonder?

By Vanessa Serrao | Last updated Jul 4, 2026 1:23 PM ET

Widely known as the ''Big Dumper'' who crushed a career-high 60 home runs and was the 2025 Home Run Derby champion, Cal Raleigh has significantly underperformed this season, which has raised the debate about whether he's a one hit wonder.

The 29-year-old Seattle Mariners catcher is batting a measly .160 with only eight home runs and a .560 OPS across 246 plate appearances this season. Raleigh had more home runs at this point last year (35) than he has hits (34) this season.

His lengthy offensive slump this season has made many question whether he will be able to break out of it, as his struggles continued in the Mariners' 2-0 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday night.

Raleigh had the opportunity to bring the tying run aboard with one out, but instead struck out against Louis Varland to record the second out. The frustration level rose with Raleigh as he was unable to challenge a called strike two following Randy Arozarena wasting all the Mariners' challenges in the first inning. Raleigh finished his night going 0-for-4 with two strikeouts adding to his prolonged offensive woes.

Yes we feel bad for him and hope he’ll snap out of it, but at this point it’s fair to wonder if Cal Raleigh will ever be the same again, isn’t it? #GoCougs https://t.co/5CM3sleYDd pic.twitter.com/GyYlBJmdR4
— Jim Moore (@cougsgo) July 4, 2026

The mystery behind Cal Raleigh's offensive struggles

Raleigh's struggles have been long stretched since the start of the World Baseball Classic and him getting injured this season isn't the culprit behind his offensive rut this season.

Prior to Monday night's loss, Raleigh recorded 21 strikeouts across 16 games since coming off the shelf and owns a 32.1% strikeout rate that sits in the 5th percentile. Additionally, his 36.7% chase rate sits in the 15th percentile and he's not only chasing high but he's also late (about a full second behind) on fastballs consistently.

As well, he is laying off center cut heaters while sitting on soft pitches, pointing to his lackluster plate approach, despite owning an impressive walk rate that sits in the 84th percentile at 12.6%.

Nevertheless, his dry spell this season has weighed heavily and has added to the black hole of the Mariners' offense, with the only upside of the Mariners roster being the starting rotation. Until the poor production level in the middle of the Mariners' lineup improves, they won't gain any consistent offense as the they rank near the bottom of the league (26th) with a .231 batting average.

Raleigh is one of many busts this season including Kyle Tucker, Edwin Diaz, Ronald Acuna Jr., Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and many more. Both Raleigh and Guerrero have combined for only 12 home runs this season. Whether or not Raleigh will bounce back in the second half of this season remains to be seen.

Vanessa Serrao

Serrao is a freelance baseball writer who has covered all MLB teams, with particular expertise on the Toronto Blue Jays. She is a member of the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America.

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