He's Known as ‘Big Dumper'—and He's the Hottest Name in Baseball

Wall Street Journal

a day ago

The most prodigious power hitter in the major leagues this season isn't Aaron Judge. It isn't Shohei Ohtani, either.
It's actually an obscure Seattle Mariners catcher who until recently was less renowned for his performance on the field than for—to put it as politely as possible—his voluminous rear end.
In the grand tradition of colorful baseball nicknames, Cal Raleigh is known as 'Big Dumper.' The explanation is exactly what you think.
'He's got a huge butt,' said Jarred Kelenic, Raleigh's former teammate in the minors. 'That's about as blunt as it gets.'
Raleigh says his backside has been the subject of jokes for much of his life, but his infamous sobriquet exploded into the mainstream when he was first promoted to the Mariners in 2021. Kelenic decided to celebrate the occasion by posting on social media, 'Big dumper to the show.'
Instantly, an inside joke that had existed within the confines of the clubhouse burst into public view—and a phenomenon was born.
Over the past couple months, however, Raleigh has started to receive outsize attention for more than just his moniker. He has been nothing short of a revelation.
In a year where Judge has looked like the second coming of Babe Ruth and Ohtani has cemented his status as a once-in-a-lifetime superhuman, nobody has hit more home runs than the Big Dumper.
Raleigh entered Thursday with 23 homers, tied with Ohtani for the MLB lead. Sharing the leaderboard with the man who might be the most talented baseball player of all time would be impressive under any circumstance. But for a catcher—the most grueling and physically demanding position in the sport—what Raleigh is doing with his bat is unprecedented.
'This doesn't happen at this position,' Mariners general manager Justin Hollander said. 'Ever.'
Typically, catchers aren't expected to contribute much on offense. They derive the most of their value from their role in handling the pitching staff. Raleigh does that exceedingly well: Last year, he won the Platinum Glove, an award that goes to the best overall defender in each league. (The Mariners marked the accomplishment in April by hosting a 'Platinum Dumper' bobblehead promotion, featuring a toy version of Raleigh in a full squat.)
Somehow, his production on offense has been even better. By any measure, Raleigh is on pace to have perhaps the greatest hitting season for a catcher ever.
Salvador Perez currently has the single-season record for home runs for a catcher, after he hit 48 for the Kansas City Royals in 2021. Only 33 of those homers, however, came when Perez was actually behind the plate, with the rest coming in games when he was serving as the designated hitter.
Raleigh has started at catcher in 46 of the Mariners' 60 games. He has hit 21 of his 23 homers while behind the plate, halfway to Javy López's 2003 record of 42 homers hit while catching. The season is barely a third over.
Meanwhile, Raleigh through Wednesday has posted an on-base-plus-slugging percentage of 1.002, which puts him alongside Mike Piazza and Joe Mauer for the best ever for a catcher in the American or National Leagues.
Raleigh's emergence hasn't come entirely out of nowhere. A third-round pick out of Florida State in 2018, Raleigh has averaged 30 homers a year over the past three seasons. It prompted the Mariners in March to give him a $105 million contract extension that could keep Big Dumper in Seattle through 2031.
The difference this season is that 28-year-old Raleigh is doing more than just hitting homers. He entered Thursday with a batting average of .264, far superior to his lifetime mark of .224. He is striking out less, walking more and, perhaps most important, not swinging at balls. Last year, Raleigh offered at 33% pitches out of the strike zone. This season, he's at 28.6%.
'The value to the team on all sides of the ball is so unique in our sport,' Hollander said. 'He's becoming the best version of himself.'
Founded as an expansion team in 1977, the Mariners have long appeared cursed. They are the only active MLB franchise to have never appeared in the World Series. They missed the playoffs for 20 consecutive seasons before finally snapping the drought in 2022, clinching their postseason spot on a walk-off homer by Raleigh.
But now the Mariners are in playoff position again—thanks in large part to Big Dumper.
Raleigh has said he didn't care much for his nickname at first, though he has come to embrace it. At a game back in March, the Mariners gave away T-shirts emblazoned with a slogan that would prove prescient for the season to come.
'Big Dumper Era.'
Write to Jared Diamond at [e-mail]