MINNEAPOLIS – Major League Baseball announced today that catcher Cal Raleigh has been selected as the American League Player of the Week for June 16-22. It marks Raleigh’s second weekly award of the season, also winning AL Co-Player of the Week at the beginning of June.
Raleigh, 28, hit .417 (10x24) with 10 runs scored, 2 doubles, 5 home runs, 12 RBI and 3 walks, going 2-for-2 in stolen base attempts in 6 games during the week. He registered a .481 on-base percentage, slugging 1.125 with a 1.606 OPS.
The Mariners catcher hit a number of history-making home runs, including his 4 homers during the 3-game series at the Cubs. On June 20, Cal’s multi-homer game gave him 29 on the season, surpassing Hall of Famer Johnny Bench (1970) for most homers hit by a catcher before the All-Star Break.
Raleigh hit home run #30 on June 21, making him the first catcher in MLB history to reach 30 home runs before the end of June. The 30th homer also meant Cal’s third career 30+ homer season, joining Hall of Fame catchers Mike Piazza (9x), Johnny Bench (4x) and Roy Campanella (4x) as the only catchers with three or more 30+ home run seasons. Raleigh and Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. (3x) are the only Mariners to hit 30+ homers before the All-Star Break in team history.
The switch-hitting catcher goes into the current Minnesota series having homered in 3 consecutive contests, tallying 5 homers over his last 5 games. He scored 8 runs during the Mariners series win at the Cubs, tying an MLB record for most runs scored by a catcher during a 3-game series. Also on June 21, his 30 homers across the team’s first 75 games of the season made him the fastest player to reach the 30-homer mark since Barry Bonds and Luis Gonzalez in 2001.
On June 17, Cal went 3-for-4 with a grand slam, 6 RBI, stolen base, and caught an 8-0 shutout all in the same game vs. the Red Sox at T-Mobile Park.
In 75 games this season, Raleigh is batting .276 (77x279) with 55 runs, 14 doubles, 31 home runs, 66 RBI, 45 walks and 9 stolen bases. His 31 homers lead the Majors, while his 66 RBI lead the American League. Cal is one stolen base away from joining Hall of Fame catchers Carlton Fisk (37 HR, 17 SB) in 1985 and Iván Rodríguez (35 HR, 25 SB) in 1999 as the only catchers with a 30+ home run, 10+ stolen base season.
The Mariners lead the Majors in weekly award winners this season, with the following players winning AL Player of the Week: Dylan Moore (April 19), Jorge Polanco (April 26), and Raleigh twice now (June 2, June 23).