The Seattle Mariners' 2026 season is off to a rocky start, with the team's best hitters struggling mightily. Cal Raleigh, in particular, is facing intense scrutiny after a record-setting 60-home run season in 2025. In his first 13 games, Raleigh is hitting a mere .143 with just one home run and 21 strikeouts, the second-most in MLB. This early slump has raised concerns about his ability to maintain his previous success.
Raleigh's struggles are not isolated to his own performance. The entire Mariners lineup is hitting an abysmal .184, with the 2-3-4-5 hitters combining for a .133 batting average. This poor performance has resulted in the team sitting at the bottom of the standings with a 4-9 record. The Mariners' struggles are further exacerbated by their recent sweep in Texas, where they scored just three runs over three games and collected only 11 hits.
One area of concern for Raleigh is his performance against left-handed pitching. In 2025, he hit .281/.351/.681 with 22 home runs in 185 at-bats against lefties. However, in 2026, his numbers have dropped significantly, with a .105/.261/.263 average and just one home run in 19 at-bats. This decline in performance against lefties is a significant concern, as it was a key factor in his success in 2025.
Raleigh's swing decisions are also a cause for concern. He draws a lot of walks but also swings-and-misses a lot and chases out of the strike zone. This has led to a low in-zone contact rate, which is a significant issue for a hitter. Out of 187 qualified hitters, only Jose Caballero has a worse in-zone contact rate than Raleigh.
Despite the early struggles, there is some positive news for Raleigh. He has shown the ability to hit hard-hit balls, with an exit velocity of 100.7 mph in his 28th at-bat. However, he has yet to hit a home run, and his first home run of the season came in game 11 against Texas righty Jacob deGrom.
The Mariners' slow start is a cause for concern, especially for a franchise that missed the playoffs by one win in both 2023 and 2024. The team's best hitters are struggling, and their performance against left-handed pitching is a significant issue. However, it is still early in the season, and there is time for the team to turn things around.
In conclusion, the Mariners' 2026 season is off to a rocky start, and Cal Raleigh's early struggles are a cause for concern. However, there is still time for the team to turn things around, and the positive news of hitting hard-hit balls is a sign that things may improve.
