A chunk of the country is presently experiencing a heat wave to begin summer, but Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh has somehow been hotter at the plate.

Raleigh cranked his major-league-leading 32nd home run in the ninth inning of the Seattle Mariners' 11-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Monday night. The catcher is now on pace to mash 40 home runs before the All-Star break, and surpass the record of 39 by Barry Bonds during the 2001 season, where he finished the campaign with a single-season record 73.

“He's hit a lot of home runs, but he's found a lot of barrels, and when you're hitting .270 with that kind of power, you're putting up a lot of good at-bats,” Wilson said. “He's hitting the ball hard. He's hitting the ball on the line, and then occasionally he's getting … underneath it a little bit more and driving it out of the ballpark.”

The 28-year-old is also three home runs away from matching Ken Griffey Jr. for the most before the Midsummer Classic in Mariners history. Raleigh signed a six-year extension in March and could potentially end his season with multiple career-high marks.

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To put his recent play into perspective, Raleigh is now only two home runs and nine doubles away from matching his previous single-season highs. The North Carolina native ranks in the 98th percentile in Barrel%, the 92nd percentile in BB%, and the 100th percentile in Batting Run Value.

“I'd put up four fingers and let him take first base,” Mariners starter Bryan Woo said. “Yeah, I'm not pitching to him.”

Raleigh’s All-Star start has been pivotal. The Mariners could realistically compete for either the American League West crown or a Wild Card spot. If they have designs on unseating the first-place Houston Astros or simply returning to the Postseason for the first time since 2022, Seattle will need Raleigh to continue playing like a legitimate MVP candidate.