Cal Raleigh hasn’t been the same since the World Classic

Since the incident involving his teammate Randy Arozarena at the World Baseball Classic, Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh has been unrecognizable.

The player who challenged Aaron Judge for the American League MVP title in 2025 with a record-breaking 60-home-run season is batting .164 since the start of the 2026 season.

Everyone agreed that Raleigh wouldn't hit as many home runs this season, but no one anticipated such a slump for him.

Yesterday, during his team's 6-1 loss to the Chicago White Sox, the Mariners' No. 29 was once again silenced offensively. He finished the game 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.

Just like his team, Raleigh needs to wake up before it's too late. Fortunately for them, no team in the American League West seems to be pulling away, except for the A's, who are the only team with a record above .500.

Cal Raleigh's last 7 games:

0-for-29
, 13 strikeouts

, .580 OPS this season—7th lowest in the AL among qualified hitters. pic.twitter.com/KkooMT7uxX

— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) May 10, 2026

Raleigh is returning from a brief stint on the injured list. Since his return, he has been serving as the designated hitter more often than not. By doing so, Dan Wilson may be trying to give his star player every opportunity to regain his confidence and return to the form he showed last season.

So far, Raleigh has only 24 hits to his name, including seven home runs, whereas last season he had 147. The season is still relatively young, but the player who captured the attention of the baseball world in 2025 with his numerous home runs will have to step up his game between now and the end of the season.

Could his snub of teammate Randy Arozarena's outstretched hand during the World Baseball Classic have something to do with it? It's hard to say for sure, but let's just say that incident certainly didn't help. As for Arozarena, he's having a decent season, batting .278.

What's particularly concerning is the Mariners' overall performance. They've struggled to make their mark since the start of the season, despite having held their own against the Blue Jays in the 2025 American League Championship Series. Many experts even saw them making it all the way to the World Series this year.

With one of the best starting rotations in the majors, the Mariners started with a head start. But as in past years, their offense isn't living up to expectations and is struggling.

Has Cal Raleigh's balloon deflated after his dream season? Let's stay positive and hope for a turnaround on his part. Since his arrival in the Majors, he has never been a hitter with a high batting average, standing out mainly for his power. But let's just say that the sample of 37 games he has played so far in 2026 leaves us wanting more.

Created by humans, assisted by AI.