Latest news with #CalRaleigh
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Mariners' Cal Raleigh emerges as betting favorite to win 2025 Home Run Derby
The post Mariners' Cal Raleigh emerges as betting favorite to win 2025 Home Run Derby appeared first on ClutchPoints. The 2025 Home Run Derby is just two days away. The derby is always one of the top events to watch in sports, as there is nothing like seeing a ton of baseballs being hit out of the park. The field is set with eight sluggers ready to win their first-ever derby. Atlanta Braves' Matt Olson is replacing Ronald Acuna Jr. for the derby, keeping at least one hometown player in the event. Acuna did not want to risk an injury. When the field was initially set, Pittsburgh Pirates' Oneil Cruz was the betting favorite to win the event. Now, Cruz is no longer the favorite. After Cal Raleigh smashed two home runs on Friday night, the slugging catcher found his odds at the top to win the derby. This should be expected, as the catcher has an astonishing 38 homers before the All-Star break. He is on pace for 65+ homers on the season, which would put him in a category of his own when it comes to power-hitting catchers. The switch-hitter doesn't seem to be slowing down either. Raleigh joins more historic company with his latest two-homer game. Here are the odds to win the 2025 Home Run Derby, courtesy of FanDuel. Cal Raleigh: +280 Oneil Cruz: +350 James Wood: +400 Matt Olson: +750 Byron Buxton: +850 Brent Rooker: +1000 Junior Caminero: +1100 Jazz Chisholm: +1500 It is unclear if Raleigh will hit from the right side or the left. It's expected that he will bat left-handed, as right field is shorter than left at Truist Park. Raleigh, Wood, Cruz, and Olson all have the top odds as they are batting from the left side. Chisholm is not expected to win, but he has a smooth swing that could smash a ton over the fence. This could be anyone's derby to win, but with the way Raleigh is smashing home runs left and right, it's hard not to imagine him not winning the event. Related: Mariners' Cal Raleigh has perfect reaction to latest HR feat Related: Mariners' Cal Raleigh joins historic company with grand slam vs. Tigers
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Cal Raleigh shows off with wild move during HR Derby
The post Cal Raleigh shows off with wild move during HR Derby appeared first on ClutchPoints. Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh had a remarkable first half of the 2025 season and he's hoping to cap his historic start with a Home Run Derby crown. Raleigh emerged as the betting favorite to win the exhibition on the strength of his incredible production for the Mariners. However, the switch-hitting catcher threw the audience a curveball when he decided to switch sides of the plate during the Derby. Raleigh began the first round batting left-handed. But after a timeout and a conference with teammates, he switched to the right side, per Daniel Kramer. After showing off his power as a right-handed hitter, Raleigh again changed sides and took his bonus round swings as a lefty. He had 17 total home runs in the first round, 10 from the left side and eight from the right. Mariners' star Cal Raleigh shows off versatility at the Derby As impressive as his switch-hitting power display was, Raleigh just barely scraped by in the first round. He tied the Athletics' Brent Rooker with 17 bombs. In the Derby, a tie goes to the batter with the longest dong. Raleigh edged out Rooker by mere inches. The Mariners' star had a 470.62-foot homer, which just topped Rooker's best effort of 470.54 feet, per Ultimately Raleigh advanced to Round 2 where he'll square off against Pittsburgh Pirates' slugger Oneil Cruz. His longest homer in the first round was just under 471 feet and Raleigh had five homers that traveled over 450 feet. His exit velocity topped out at 112 mph. Regardless of the Derby's outcome, 2025 has been a dream season for Raleigh so far. The fifth-year veteran has had an MVP-caliber campaign through the first half. He leads the majors with 38 home runs, putting him on pace for 65 bombs this season. Raleigh also has an MLB-leading 82 RBI, the second-highest OPS (1.011) and third-most bWAR (4.8). He finished one bomb shy of joining Barry Bonds as the all-time leader with 39 homers before the All-Star break. Bonds reached that total in his historic 2001 campaign when he broke the single-season home run record with 73. Despite Raleigh's efforts, the Mariners weren't able to stay atop the AL West. The team is currently five games behind the Houston Astros in the division. But a three-game winning streak to close out the first half has the Mariners in position for a Wild Card berth. Related: Mariners' Cal Raleigh hits multiple milestones in historic Home Run Derby triumph Related: Baseball erupts after Cal Raleigh wins 2025 MLB Home Run Derby thriller
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Baseball erupts after Cal Raleigh wins 2025 MLB Home Run Derby thriller
The post Baseball erupts after Cal Raleigh wins 2025 MLB Home Run Derby thriller appeared first on ClutchPoints. Cal Raleigh's dream season continued Monday night when the Seattle Mariners' slugger capped off a remarkable first half with a historic Home Run Derby performance. The All-Star catcher was the betting favorite to win the event after leading the majors in homers at the break. And Raleigh came through with a strong showing. After out-donging the competition over three rounds, Raleigh was crowned the 2025 Home Run Derby champion, per MLB. While the fifth-year veteran was expected to dominate the event, the Big Dumper barely made it out of the first round. Raleigh showed off his versatility by switching to the right side of the plate during Round 1 and then changing back to the left side for his bonus swings. However, he ended up in a tie with the Athletics' Brent Rooker as both players had 17 homers. In the first round, distance is the tiebreaker and the longest dong wins. Raleigh just edged out Rooker's 470.54-foot blast with a 470.62-foot bomb, narrowly advancing to the second round. Mariners' star Cal Raleigh makes Home Run Derby history But after just squeaking by early, the Mariners' backstop found his groove. Raleigh easily surpassed Pittsburgh Pirates' slugger Oneil Cruz in Round 2, mashing 19 homers to move onto the finals. Raleigh squared off against Junior Caminero in the championship round. He put the pressure on Caminero by opening with 18 dingers and, despite a strong effort from the Tampa Bay Rays third baseman, Raleigh emerged as the Derby champ. It's the latest achievement in a historic season for the Mariners' veteran. Raleigh is the first catcher and the first switch hitter to ever win the Home Run Derby, per Daniel Kramer of He's the first Mariner to win the competition since Ken Griffey Jr. took back-to-back titles in 1998 and 1999. Raleigh leads the majors with 38 bombs on the season. He fell just one blast short of joining Barry Bonds with the most home runs all-time before the All-Star break. Raleigh is on pace to leave the yard 65 times this season as he attempts to lead the Mariners to a Wild Card berth. Raleigh's epic Home Run Derby win got fans talking. Sports Analyst wrote: 'Best power-hitting catcher in MLB history' Juju was still upset about that tiebreaker: 'Brent Rooker was robbed.' RangersReports2 added: 'This was Mariners fans' World Series' The Chairman commented: 'Congrats Cal you put on a historic performance from both sides of the plate. Keep it going in the second half!' And MLB Digest noted: 'And he did it with his brother catching & his dad on the mound' Related: Mariners' Cal Raleigh has no answers for Jacob Wilson Related: Mariners star Cal Raleigh's dad, brother react to Home Run Derby triumph
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Randy Arozarena joins Cal Raleigh in crazy home run stat
The post Randy Arozarena joins Cal Raleigh in crazy home run stat appeared first on ClutchPoints. Cal Raleigh emerged as the unquestioned home run king of the season's first half. The Seattle Mariners catcher leads the majors with 38 long balls and even won the 2025 Home Run Derby. But Randy Arozarena has matched his teammate in one power stat. In the fourth inning of Friday's matchup against the Houston Astros, Arozarena hammered a four-seamer from Brandon Walter 445 feet to left center. It was his 10th home run in the last 14 games. Arozarena and Raleigh are the only MLB players to hit 10 homers in a 14-game span this season, per Mariners PR on X. Randy Arozarena continues home run hot streak Arozarena began his 14-game run with a major career milestone. The Mariners left fielder hit his 100th home run in a multi-homer game against the Kansas City Royals on June 30. And he's stayed hot since then. The seventh-year veteran is hitting .252 with an .827 OPS. He's up to 18 home runs and 49 RBI with 3.7 bWAR in 95 games for Seattle. Arozarena is on pace to easily surpass his previous season high of 23 homers from 2023. He also has 16 stolen bases so far this year, setting him up for his fifth straight 20/20 season. Arozarena was recognized for his strong first half with an All-Star Game nod. The 30-year-old outfielder was added to the event as an injury replacement and gave the Mariners a total of five players selected to the 2025 Midsummer Classic. Only the Detroit Tigers were better represented, sending six All-Stars. While Raleigh stole the show with an epic Home Run Derby performance, Arozarena found the spotlight as well. He was called on as one of three American League players to participate in the tie-breaking swing-off. Arozarena hit one home run, giving the AL a 3-1 lead. However, Kyle Schwarber won the game for the National League, going 3-3 in the swing-off. Still, Arozarena has shown a knack for crushing exhibition dingers. He joined the 2023 Home Run Derby and finished second to Vladimir Guerrero Jr, just falling short in the final round 25-23. Related: Mariners' Luis Castillo gets 100% real on clutch effort vs. Jose Altuve, Astros Related: 1 fatal flaw Seattle Mariners must address before 2025 MLB trade deadline
New York Post
4 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Latest Home Run Derby winners prove contest curse is a myth
The Home Run Derby 'curse' is a persistent myth in fantasy baseball circles, suggesting that winners of the annual slugfest see a dip in performance in the second half due to disrupted swings or plate discipline. The theory goes that the high-intensity, maximum-effort swings in the Derby throw off a player's mechanics, leading to slumps. However, a closer look at the past four Derby winners debunks this notion. Data shows that the curse is largely overstated, and Seattle's Cal Raleigh remains a strong power asset for fantasy managers in the second half of 2025. Let's begin with last season's winner, Teoscar Hernández, who stepped into the Derby after batting .261 with 19 home runs and 62 RBIs in the first half of the season. He finished the first round with 19 homers, won a swing-off in Round 2 to advance to the finals, then narrowly edged out Bobby Witt with another 14 home runs to earn the title. 3 Cal Raleigh #29 of the Seattle Mariners celebrates with teammates after scoring during the eighth inning against the Houston Astros at T-Mobile Park on July 18, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. Getty Images Typically a mid-tier power guy whose career-best 32-homer mark in 2021, the year MLB basically used a golf ball, Hernández went on to produce just as well in the second half. His strikeout rate remained well within the range of his career norms, and his batting average actually jumped 20 points. In 2023, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. won the Derby and also showed no signs of a curse. In the first half, he posted a .274 average with 13 home runs and a 15.6 percent strikeout rate. Post-Derby saw a slight dip in average, but he also hit the same number of homers in fewer games and dropped his strikeout rate to just 13.4 percent. A high-quality hitter, Guerrero never changed. 3 Teoscar Hernandez #37 of the Los Angeles Dodgers warms up prior to the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Dodger Stadium on July 18, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. Getty Images Juan Soto's 2022 Derby win is often cited as evidence of the curse, but context matters. In the first half with Washington, Soto hit .250 with 20 home runs, 43 RBIs, and a 13.7 percent strikeout rate. After winning the Derby, he was traded to San Diego, and his second-half stats dipped to a .231 average with just seven home runs and a 15.5 percent strikeout rate. Not a steep decline in plate discipline, but the power was sapped by the cavernous dimensions of Petco Park. But was it the Derby that led to the reduced numbers, or was this decline more about adjusting to a new team and environment? Pete Alonso, the 2021 Derby winner, further debunks the myth as he carried his momentum into the second half with more homers in fewer games, better plate discipline numbers overall and a batting average increase by almost 30 points. Fantasy managers who bet on Alonso's power were rewarded. 3 Juan Soto strikes out swinging in the 7th inning at Citi Field for David Wright Day at Citi Field in Queens, New York, USA, Saturday, July 19, 2025. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST The data is clear. Three of the past four Derby winners either maintained or improved their performance post-Derby, with Soto's dip explained by external factors. For Raleigh, his power profile, plate discipline and switch-hitting ability make him a safe bet to avoid any mythical curse. Fantasy managers should confidently roster him, expecting robust home run and RBI contributions in the second half of 2025. The Home Run Derby is a showcase of power, not a swing wrecker. Howard Bender is the head of content at Follow him on X @rotobuzzguy and catch him on the award-winning 'Fantasy Alarm Radio Show' on the SiriusXM fantasy sports channel weekdays from 6-8 p.m. Go to for all your fantasy baseball news and advice.
