Cal Raleigh’s 2026 season has taken a sharp turn, and the numbers tell the story plainly. With the Mariners 119 games into the year, sitting seven games under .500 and 3.5 games out of a Wild Card spot, Raleigh’s bat has gone quiet compared with the explosion he put together in 2025.
Last season, Raleigh launched 60 home runs and looked like one of the most dangerous power threats in the game. This year, even with a missed stretch from May 14 to June 16 because of a right oblique strain, he has only 12 homers.
The injury explains part of the absence, but it doesn’t explain all of it. The pop that defined his breakout has largely vanished.
The drop shows up across his batted-ball metrics. In 2025, Raleigh posted a .547 expected slugging percentage, a 91.3 mph average exit velocity, a 19.5% barrel rate and a 49.6% hard-hit rate.
Those were elite numbers, the kind that backed up the home run total. He’s still barreling the ball well this season at a 13.1% clip, but the damage behind those contact points just isn’t there anymore.
His average exit velocity has fallen to 88.9 mph, and his hard-hit rate has slid to 34.3%. That’s a major step back for a hitter whose bat speed is still intact.
The power is supposed to show up somewhere else if the speed remains. For Raleigh, it hasn’t.
The biggest issue appears to be fastballs. Against offspeed pitches, his production has tracked close to last year’s level, and while his numbers against breaking balls have dipped, that’s not the main problem. The fastball has become the pitch that’s giving him fits.
In 2025, Raleigh hit 39 fastballs for home runs, while batting .254 with a .662 slugging percentage against the pitch. This season, those numbers have crashed to a .139 batting average and a .242 slugging percentage, with only five home runs off fastballs.
Opposing teams have clearly picked up on it. Raleigh saw fastballs 49.5% of the time in 2025, and that figure has jumped to 55.4% this year. The scouting reports have found the weakness, and so far, that adjustment has worked.
In Other News...
Mariners Pressure Is Rising Around Dan Wilson And His Staff
Around the majors, the impatient turn has already arrived. The Angels recently made a sweeping coaching change, parting with pitching coach Mike Maddux, bullpen coach Dom Chiti and assistant pitching coach Darryl Scott after a run of poor results, and the move came with a pointed explanation about underusing technology. It was the kind of midseason reset that can rattle a clubhouse, but it also serves as a reminder of how quickly front offices can decide the current message is no longer working.
That is the backdrop hanging over Seattle, where the Mariners struggles have kept the pressure on Dan Wilson and his staff. Wilson has drawn criticism, and so have hitting coaches Edgar Martinez and Kevin Seitzer, even as other clubs such as the Phillies and Red Sox have shown how far an organization can go when it decides change is necessary. For the Mariners, the larger question is not whether the noise is getting louder. It is how long they can keep carrying it before someone higher up decides the conversation has to become action. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Add Catching Insurance Behind Cal Raleigh
The Mariners added another layer of catching depth this week, claiming Willie MacIver off waivers from the Blue Jays and sending him to Triple-A Tacoma. For a club that values stability behind the plate, it is the kind of low-key move that can matter over the course of a long season, especially with Cal Raleigh entrenched as the top option and the organization looking to keep the position covered at the upper levels.
MacIvers path has been a little unsettled, with Toronto designating him for assignment after previously claiming him from Texas. Seattle had the roster flexibility to take a look, and with open 40-man spots, the team could add a player it views as useful insurance without forcing a tougher decision elsewhere. For now, Tacoma is where that depth begins, and the Mariners can see if MacIver gives them another name to keep in the mix. [Read more 🡒]
Cole Young Gives Mariners A Needed Bright Spot This Season
Cole Young has quietly become one of the more encouraging developments in Seattles season. In his second MLB year, the Mariners second baseman has taken a real step forward from his rookie campaign, showing better contact rates, more consistent barrel work and stronger defensive numbers that have lifted his overall value. For a club that has needed more steady production in a few spots, Youngs growth has offered something tangible to point to.
Edgar Martinez has been part of that climb, and Young has credited work with the Mariners legend for helping unlock more offensive progress. The result is a player who now looks more settled at the plate and more reliable in the field, which matters in a lineup and infield that can use every bit of stability it can get. Whether this becomes a true breakout or simply the next stage of his development, Young has already given Seattle one of its clearest bright spots. [Read more 🡒]