Mariners' Cal Raleigh on track to set dubious never-before-seen MLB history originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Seattle Mariners are having a brutal 2026 season so far. They really should be atop the AL West but have been in a free fall lately, dropping 21 of their last 32 games, and now sit at 58-66.
A lot has gone wrong this season, and if there were one major issue for this team that's been a reason for the struggles, it would be Cal Raleigh's regression. Unfortunately, it's a record-breaking regression from Raleigh.
USA Today's Bob Nightengale highlighted how Raleigh is on track to make some dubious never-before-seen MLB history, as he can smash the record for fewest homers hit in a season after clobbering 60.
Cal Raleigh on track to make dubious MLB history
"There have been 10 instances in which a player hit at least 60 homers in a season," Nightengale writes. "No one has hit fewer than 32 the following season. Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh has 12, while hitting .158."
Raleigh has 12 home runs this season through 327 at-bats in 90 games played. He hit 60 homers last season, leading all of MLB. This year, he's hit less than a quarter of those HRs, and he's not looking likely to really turn things around anytime soon either.
Unless Raleigh were to hit 20 home runs in the final 38 games of the season, which is practically impossible, he's going to set the record for fewest homers hit in a season after hitting 60.
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While injuries obviously played a big part in Raleigh setting this record, he's well on his way to falling potentially more than 10 homers shy of the previous low of 32 HR.
This is some dubious MLB history Raleigh is well on his way to set, and considering his .156 average, he also has a chance to break Chris Davis' record from 2018 of a .168 for the lowest batting average from a qualified hitter in modern-day MLB.
Raleigh's 2026 season is one to forget, as he's about to make some very unfortunate MLB history that he, realistically, has no chance of avoiding.
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