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Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh had a remarkable first half of the 2025 season and he’s hoping to cap his historic start with a Home Run Derby crown. Raleigh emerged as the betting favorite to win the exhibition on the strength of his incredible production for the Mariners.
However, the switch-hitting catcher threw the audience a curveball when he decided to switch sides of the plate during the Derby. Raleigh began the first round batting left-handed. But after a timeout and a conference with teammates, he switched to the right side, per MLB.com's Daniel Kramer.
After his timeout, and a consultation with his Mariners teammates, Cal Raleigh has indeed flipped from the left side to the right here in the Home Run Derby. pic.twitter.com/E2HfvDxNRQ
— Daniel Kramer (@DKramer_) July 15, 2025
After showing off his power as a right-handed hitter, Raleigh again changed sides and took his bonus round swings as a lefty. He had 17 total home runs in the first round, 10 from the left side and eight from the right.
Mariners’ star Cal Raleigh shows off versatility at the Derby
As impressive as his switch-hitting power display was, Raleigh just barely scraped by in the first round. He tied the Athletics’ Brent Rooker with 17 bombs. In the Derby, a tie goes to the batter with the longest dong. Raleigh edged out Rooker by mere inches. The Mariners’ star had a 470.62-foot homer, which just topped Rooker’s best effort of 470.54 feet, per MLB.com.
Ultimately Raleigh advanced to Round 2 where he’ll square off against Pittsburgh Pirates' slugger Oneil Cruz. His longest homer in the first round was just under 471 feet and Raleigh had five homers that traveled over 450 feet. His exit velocity topped out at 112 mph.
Regardless of the Derby’s outcome, 2025 has been a dream season for Raleigh so far. The fifth-year veteran has had an MVP-caliber campaign through the first half. He leads the majors with 38 home runs, putting him on pace for 65 bombs this season.
Raleigh also has an MLB-leading 82 RBI, the second-highest OPS (1.011) and third-most bWAR (4.8). He finished one bomb shy of joining Barry Bonds as the all-time leader with 39 homers before the All-Star break. Bonds reached that total in his historic 2001 campaign when he broke the single-season home run record with 73.
Despite Raleigh’s efforts, the Mariners weren't able to stay atop the AL West. The team is currently five games behind the Houston Astros in the division. But a three-game winning streak to close out the first half has the Mariners in position for a Wild Card berth.
