Big Dumper: The Thread

[monkeyman576]

Is Cal Raleigh going to chase Aaron Judge or even better Barry Bonds after his home run derby win?

[Déjà Bru]

I am still wondering if that is the coolest or the worst nickname in sports, ever. It's got to be one or the other. No middle ground.

[monkeyman576]

Coolest obviously.

[Déjà Bru]

Well, yeah!

[kq76]

Did you hear the part in that promo where the players are in the restaurant and Francisco Lindor (I think it was him) is looking at a menu, turns around, and says, "I'll take the big dumper." On my! I'm so glad I wasn't eat or drinking anything at the time as I might have spilled it right then and there. I was stunned. I thought, "that did not just happen... no, actually I'm pretty sure it did!" Well, at least it probably got a laugh out of some of us. I certainly wasn't paying much attention to the promo until that point.

I don't hate the nickname, I'm just surprised MLB didn't tell him, "No, you are not going to go by that nickname. We don't care how cool you think it is. Absolutely not. It's out of the question."

[Déjà Bru]

They say that Cal was only one home run behind Bond's pace in 2001, his record year, for most homers before the All-Star break.

The problem with that, though, is that the All-Star break moves around somewhat from season to season. I would be more interested in a comparison to Bonds in terms of games played or, even better, at-bats.

[monkeyman576]

Cal has 39 home runs in 96 games played by the Mariners for a 41% chance of a home run per game.

Barry had 42 home runs in 2001 through 96 games by the Giants for a 44% chance of a home run per game.

[Cobra Mgr]

I think what he is doing from behind the plate is amazing enough. What is the highest season HR total for a catcher?

[monkeyman576]

Javy Lopez, 42, 2003

Salvador Perez hit 48 in 2021 but not all games were as a catcher.

[Cobra Mgr]

Originally Posted by monkeyman576

Javy Lopez, 42, 2003

You're kidding?! Never would have picked him. Would have said someone like Piazza, Bench or Lance Parrish.

[monkeyman576]

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

You're kidding?! Never would have picked him. Would have said someone like Piazza, Bench or Lance Parrish.

I guess google did me wrong, Johnny Bench did have 45 home runs in 1970.

Edit: I guess that's because Bench played several non catcher games in 1970.

[Amazin69]

How did they come up with that nickname, anyhow? I hear it and all I can think about is "Man, I hope his pipes can handle those big dumps"

I mean, regularity is nice, but plumbers cost $$$

[dsvitak]

Originally Posted by monkeyman576

Javy Lopez, 42, 2003

Salvador Perez hit 48 in 2021 but not all games were as a catcher.

Bench also hit 45 in 1970, but only 38 as a catcher.

[Déjà Bru]

I will share this article from The Athletic, but with only links to the videos instead of the embedded versions.

Mariners’ Cal Raleigh first to 40 homers this season. Here are some of his best swings

By Dhani Joseph



It isn’t hyperbole to say Cal Raleigh is doing things we’ve never seen in baseball. His 2025 campaign has been a record-breaking one, and his league-leading 40th home run, a majestic 416-foot shot that came during Seattle’s 7-2 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday, earned the Mariners’ catcher another spot in the history books.

Raleigh has the chance to not only crush the record for homers in a season by a catcher set by Salvador Perez with 48 in 2021, but he is also on pace to equal Aaron Judge’s single-season record for most bombs in American League history with 62, set in 2022. Judge won his first MVP that year.

“I mean, in the grand scheme of things, not much right now,” Raleigh said about the accomplishment at Angel Stadium. “I mean, it’s a cool milestone to hit, and I’m very thankful for it. It’s a cool moment for sure. When I hit 30, that was cool. And 40 is definitely very cool as well. I’m not trying to downplay it, but I’m glad we got the win tonight.”

Raleigh is now the seventh catcher in MLB history to reach the 40-homer mark in one campaign, joining Johnny Bench, Mike Piazza and Perez, among others.

https://x.com/MLB/status/19493082273...0-home-runs%2F

Raleigh, who became the first catcher to win the MLB Home Run Derby in the 40-year history of the event, has been authoring a special year. Here are some of his most memorable home run swings, ones that hold historic significance.

No. 39: July 22

Catchers have arguably the most demanding job in baseball. Between managing a pitching staff and working on the nuances of being behind the plate, they also have to juggle offensive responsibilities.

That’s what makes Raleigh so impressive. And home run No. 39 encompassed all of that in a way that nobody else ever had. With that blast, Raleigh became the first player in MLB history to homer in a 1-0 victory and catch a shutout with two or fewer hits and a dozen or more strikeouts in the same game.

https://www.mlb.com/mariners/video/c...ge_video-share

No. 38: July 12

Raleigh’s final blast before the All-Star break gave him the most homers before the break in AL history (the record was previously set by the Baltimore Orioles’ Chris Davis with 37 in 2013). It also gave him the second-most in MLB history before that point in a season, trailing only Barry Bonds’ 39 home runs for the San Francisco Giants in 2001.

https://x.com/MLB/status/1943851694930243893

No. 30: June 21

No. 30 cemented Raleigh’s place in history as having one of the best switch-hitting seasons of all time. He passed Mickey Mantle, José Ramírez and Lance Berkman for the most home runs by a switch hitter before the All-Star break.

https://www.mlb.com/mariners/video/c...ch_video-share

No. 29: June 20

Raleigh’s 29th homer, which gave him his sixth game this year with more than one, moved him ahead of Bench’s record for most home runs by a catcher before the All-Star break. The record at the time was 28 bombs — and it stood for over 50 years before Raleigh broke it. That’s a mark even Raleigh’s father couldn’t believe.

https://www.mlb.com/mariners/video/c...ge_video-share

No. 7: April 16

In Raleigh’s fourth year as an everyday catcher for Seattle, he reached the 100 career home run mark on his seventh round-tripper of the season.

https://www.mlb.com/mariners/video/c...ch_video-share

Bonus: A trip down memory lane

The Mariners entered their game one game behind Judge’s New York Yankees for the first wild-card spot in the playoff hunt. The Big Dumper’s continued power from the plate will surely be a key part of whether they stay in that race.

He has previous experience on that front. In 2022, he was once thrust into a late-season contest with the team’s playoff hopes in the balance.

In arguably the biggest moment of his career to that point, Raleigh was called to pinch hit for the Mariners in a 1-1 game against the A’s. In the bottom of the ninth, on a full-count and with two outs, the catcher crushed a walk-off homer that sent Seattle to the playoffs for the first time in 21 years.

While Raleigh might not be called upon to deliver a blast to get them into the playoffs this year, he’s shown that he is more than capable of providing clutch hits. The Mariners’ plans to play deep into October may very well hinge on Raleigh’s ability to continue hitting bombs beyond the regular season.

https://x.com/MLB/status/1576067362092376064

Watch the joy on his face as he rounds the bases in that last video.

[Cobra Mgr]

God, I'm old. Can't believe the Derby is 40.

[Ragnar]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

I am still wondering if that is the coolest or the worst nickname in sports, ever. It's got to be one or the other. No middle ground.

I don't know. That just sounds like someone that is obese, eats a lot, and.........fills the bowl.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

Watch the joy on his face as he rounds the bases in that last video.

This guy has an expressive face. Here he is, after a strikeout perhaps?




He seems to have cooled off a bit recently, which was to be expected:

[monkeyman576]

Dumper with a 3 run go ahead homer in the 8th against the Rays. Who's cooled off?

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by monkeyman576

Dumper with a 3 run go ahead homer in the 9th against the Rays. Who's cooled off?

Well, alrighty then!

[monkeyman576]

https://youtu.be/qpLtmPz-UkU?si=MMg5h-G_7YrMjMJ-