Almost immediately, Justin Turner could sense the bubbling frustration from Cal Raleigh. A veteran slugger with a World Series ring and an NL Championship Series MVP on his résumé, Turner arrived in Seattle just before the trade deadline in July 2024 and quickly began to form a connection with the Mariners catcher.

Raleigh’s 93 home runs prior to this year were the most through a catcher’s first four seasons in MLB history, but 73 of those homers came hitting left-handed. Entering the 2025 season, Raleigh had never slugged above .450 as a right-handed hitter.