Cal Raleigh’s Surprising Surge: What’s Fueling His Latest Breakout?

The Seattle Mariners cruised to another AL West title this season without needing a repeat of Cal Raleigh’s dazzling MVP-level performance from 2025. But here’s the kicker: what they truly cannot afford is a rerun of his painfully cold debut back in 2021. It might be tough to recall—especially after witnessing Raleigh’s rocky start during these past couple of weeks—but his initial plunge into the majors was a brutal slap of reality. In 47 games and 148 plate appearances, he staggered through with a .180 batting average, a paltry .223 on-base, and a .309 slugging percentage, alongside a miserable 46 wRC+ and a jaw-dropping 35.1% strikeout rate, not to mention a meager seven walks. That dismal initiation only ended when he returned in 2022 to stake his claim as a bona fide star, not just in Seattle but across the league. Now, however, the pressure has swelled to even greater heights. The Big Dumper has found himself stuck in the mud with a .143/.236/.245 slash over 55 plate appearances this year, a disheartening 51 wRC+, and a laughably dire 38.2% strikeout rate, knocking out just a single home run along the way.