With more homers before the All-Star break than any catcher or switch-hitter has ever hit before, Cal Raleigh has started the 2025 season on a historic, MVP-caliber pace.

For every big swing and eye-popping home run, Cal Raleigh is building his case for something bigger. Chants of "M-V-P! M-V-P!" are growing louder in the Emerald City for Seattle's 28-year-old catcher as opposing spectators look away,

Raleigh is on pace to join Johnny Bench in 1974 and Joe Torre in 1970 as the only players whose primary position was catcher in MLB history to reach 700 plate appearances in a season, becoming too essential on both sides of the ball for the Mariners to rest him. Not that he’d want to, anyway.