Cal Raleigh, a catcher for the Seattle Mariners, leads MLB with an incredible 32 home runs. On Friday morning, he had another dinger planned.

On Instagram, Raleigh, who goes by the moniker “Big Dumper,” said that he will be competing in this year’s Home Run Derby.

The second player to declare his intention to participate in the Derby is Raleigh. The 28-year-old Mariners star is joining Ronald Acuña Jr., a right fielder for the Atlanta Braves, who announced earlier this week that he would be attending the event. Atlanta’s Truist Park will host the All-Star celebrations, with Acuña emerging as the hometown favourite.

ALSO READ: A’s Power Past Blue Jays with Trio of Homers, Enter Break on High Note

Six Derby slots are now up for grabs.

With his 2025 campaign, the 28-year-old switch-hitter Raleigh raises the issue of whether he can become the first catcher to earn AL MVP since Joe Mauer in 2009.

At the moment, Raleigh is hitting.275/.380/.651 with 15 doubles, 32 home runs, and an MLB-high 69 RBI. The Florida State player has already had three seasons of 30 or more home runs, and he’s on track to break his single-season career record of 34 home runs established last year.

And it’s not simply power that he possesses. A dependable backstop, the 2024 Gold Glove Award winner is. Since 2023, he has led MLB in innings caught. Instead of taking complete days off, he frequently switches to the designated hitter position while taking a break from behind-the-plate duties. He has started all but two of the Mariners’ first 80 games this season.

In March, Raleigh agreed to a $105 million, six-year extension. He has the potential to become the first catcher to smash 50 home runs in a season and is offering Seattle a great deal for their money.

Raleigh would be the second player to switch-hit in the Derby. In 2023, Adley Rutschman of the Baltimore Orioles was the first.

Courtesy: https://www.covers.com, https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/, https://pechanga.net