6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
An MLB player became known for his big butt. Turns out he can play, too.
ATLANTA — Cal Raleigh endured the busiest all-star 'break' in the history of the term this week at Truist Park. The 28-year-old won the Home Run Derby, answered literally hundreds of questions about his buttocks-inspired nickname, executed the first successful automated balls and strikes challenge in MLB All-Star Game history, did a dozen or so on-camera interviews, caught five innings, singled and even hustled from first to third.
By the time it was over, it was clear Raleigh's busy week, plus a historically prolific first half of the season, had launched him into a new stratosphere of stardom. Because Wednesday morning, corporate America took notice of Raleigh's escapades by announcing a partnership unthinkable even for the likes of Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge.
'Honey Bucket, a leader in portable sanitation services, is proud to announce a new partnership with Seattle's powerhouse catcher and fan favorite, all-star Cal Raleigh — affectionately known as Big Dumper,' a Pacific Northwest company tweeted, complete with a picture of Raleigh stepping out of one of its portable bathrooms giving a thumbs up.
In other words, when the unofficial second half of the season begins Friday, Raleigh will have officially arrived.
'Obviously all this is great, and it's what you want as a player and it's good attention,' Raleigh said, though at the time he was not yet a sanitation spokesman. 'But at the same time, you've got to put it in perspective and [make] sure you're putting your priorities in the right order.'
Raleigh says his priority is leading his Seattle Mariners to the playoffs, of course. In the spring, when he signed an extension that will pay him $105 million to stay in Seattle for six more seasons, he did so to cement his status as the anchor of an annually solid roster hoping to win its first postseason game since 2022.
But he has other targets to juggle. The switch-hitting catcher erupted this season with 38 home runs before the all-star break, one shy of the major league record set by Barry Bonds, who hit 39 before the break in 2001, when he finished with 73. No catcher has ever hit more than 48 homers in a season. No switch hitter has ever slugged more than 54.
'This is kind of insane,' said right-hander Bryan Woo, Raleigh's Mariners teammate and fellow all-star. 'At first I was like, 'He's off to a good start.' Then I was like, 'Okay, he's having a good month, staying hot.' Then it started feeling like he was hitting a homer every day, and everybody starts looking at each other like, 'What's going on?''
What's going on is one of the best all-around seasons in recent baseball history, if not ever. Because in addition to being the most prolific power hitter in the sport this year, Raleigh is also playing the most physically and logistically demanding position. Only two catchers have hit 40 homers in a season since 2000. Only six have ever done it.
'It's just about compartmentalizing, setting good routines for yourself, obviously taking care of yourself physically and mentally,' Raleigh said. 'Obviously, the catching comes first, hitting comes next. You learn as a catcher you've got a lot going on all the time, so you learn to compartmentalize really well.'
But Raleigh is not merely catching. He is doing so with positive defensive impact. He is an above-average pitch framer, according to Baseball Savant. He is above average at controlling the running game, according to Savant's caught stealing metric. And he is a trusted ally for his own pitching staff, known for diligent studying, reliable instincts and dependable game-calling.
'I've asked him before, and he says he calls games like he wouldn't want to be pitched to. So I don't know if that's just Cal-specific and because he's such a good hitter that if it's something he can't hit, then it just works out,' Woo said. 'But he calls games much more — I think while some guys call games on sequencing, so throw one pitch to set up another and set up another — he's more just like: 'If you're not hitting it, you're not hitting it. I'm just going to keep throwing it until you hit it.''
As Woo suggested, Raleigh has proved himself a strong hitter from both sides of the plate. But he was never quite this good before 2025: He never finished a season with an OPS above .774. As the second half opens, his OPS is 1.011, aided by a massive power surge he said is the result of conviction in his approach more than some small-but-visible tweaks to his setup and leg kick.
'To me, it was just about being more consistent with it and committing to it and trusting the plan rather than changing and changing again and constantly looking for something new,' Raleigh said. 'It's more about how consistent can I be rather than 'What can I change?''
In keeping with the Gumpian nature of his all-star break and season, Raleigh did make one other major change this year: He was one of the first prominent players to embrace the torpedo bat.
'Just one of those things where I picked it up, started using it, and it worked,' Raleigh said. 'Baseball players are like that sometimes.'
Baseball players also tend to benefit from strength in their lower half, but for some reason, it is Raleigh's backside that has jutted into national prominence as his star has risen. When Raleigh was first called up to the majors in 2021, his former Mariners teammate Jarred Kelenic tweeted 'Big Dumper to the Show,' publicizing Raleigh's clubhouse nickname to the baseball world. Any player with 38 homers at the all-star break would see his national profile explode. But a nickname such as 'Big Dumper' adds undeniable potency.
'It's pretty iconic,' Washington Nationals outfielder James Wood said, nodding with appreciation.
'I've always had a big butt,' said Raleigh, who has 10 weeks to cement his season as the best by a catcher in baseball history.
