Cal Raleigh Becomes First Catcher to Win MLB Home Run Derby, Sealing His Ascent to Stardom
ATLANTA — In front of a roaring Truist Park crowd and surrounded by his family, Cal Raleigh made history Monday night — becoming the first catcher ever to win Major League Baseball’s Home Run Derby.
But before he blasted his way into the record books, the day began with a tender, emotional moment. When his mother, Stephanie Raleigh, walked into her hotel room that morning, she found a brand-new navy blue jersey laid out on the bed. Inside the lettering, a handwritten note from her son read:
“Mom, I love you so much! Thank you for all of the sacrifice!” — Cal Raleigh, 29
By the time evening fell, Stephanie was standing on the infield as her son — now the league’s home run leader and the unexpected star of All-Star Week — celebrated a resounding Derby victory.
The moment was made even more meaningful by the presence of his family. His father, Todd Raleigh, a former college baseball coach, pitched to Cal throughout the contest. Meanwhile, Cal’s younger brother, 15-year-old Todd Jr., caught every pitch behind the plate. Other family members wore matching jerseys, each inscribed with heartfelt messages — a touching tribute from a player known as much for his humility as his power.
“He had ’em laid out for us when we got to the hotel,” Stephanie told Yahoo Sports. “Yeah, we got a little misty-eyed.”
Raleigh’s Derby triumph capped a meteoric rise. Drafted in the third round, the switch-hitting catcher has become the heartbeat of the Mariners and a legitimate MVP contender. With 38 home runs in the first half of the 2025 season, Raleigh is rewriting what’s possible for a catcher in today’s game.
While Seattle fans have long revered him — especially after his unforgettable walk-off homer that ended the team’s playoff drought — his dominance this season has catapulted him into the national spotlight. Monday night felt like a coronation.
And yes, the nickname helped set the tone.
The evening kicked off with an electric (and hilarious) introduction from ESPN’s Pat McAfee:
“WITH THE FATTEST ASS IN ALL OF PROFESSIONAL SPORTS… BIG DUMPER CAL RALEIGH!”
From there, Raleigh got to work. He hit 17 home runs in the opening round, narrowly advancing over Oakland’s Brent Rooker by a razor-thin margin — 470.61 feet to 470.53 feet — in one of the tightest tiebreakers in Derby history.
Next, he faced Oneil Cruz, the Pirates’ ultra-athletic slugger who had earlier unleashed a mind-blowing 513-foot bomb — the longest ever recorded outside of Coors Field. But Raleigh stayed steady, launching 19 home runs to Cruz’s 13 to move on to the finals.
There, he met Junior Caminero, the 22-year-old Rays phenom with flashy power and effortless swagger. Caminero had scorched through the early rounds, sending balls into the Hank Aaron Terrace and nearly into the press box. But after Raleigh set the bar with 18 homers in the final round, Caminero ran out of steam, falling just short.
As the clock expired, Cal embraced his family, shared high-fives with Mariners teammates Randy Arozarena, Bryan Woo, and Andrés Muñoz, and basked in the moment.
“I don’t even know what to say,” said Todd Jr. “He’s just a beast. It couldn’t have gone any better.”
“It’s hard for me,” added Todd Sr. “People are saying names like Johnny Bench and Mickey Mantle. I’m still processing that. But the numbers — they’re getting there.”
This may have been Cal’s first MLB Derby win, but it wasn’t his first home run title. Back in 2005, at just 8 years old, Raleigh won a neighborhood home run contest in a friend’s backyard. The “fences” were shrubs and trees. The dream? Exactly what happened Monday night.
And in rare form for the famously humble slugger, young Cal bragged a little.
Now, two decades later, Big Dumper has gone from make-believe fields to Major League immortality — all with his family behind the plate.
