Cal Raleigh's Early Season Struggles and Swing Adjustments

Why this matters: Raleigh's performance is crucial to the Mariners' success. Understanding the reasons behind his struggles and the adjustments he's making provides insights into the team's overall performance and potential for improvement.

Cal Raleigh's early-season woes can be attributed to several factors, including an overly uppercut swing and difficulty making contact with pitches in the strike zone. Data from MLB and Baseball Savant indicates that Raleigh's swing path tilt had increased to 38°-40°, steeper than his 2025 average. This adjustment led to more swing-and-misses, particularly on elevated fastballs and cutters.

The Mariners' other key hitters, including Julio Rodriguez, Josh Naylor, and Randy Arozarena, are also experiencing slow starts. As a result, the team's overall hard-hit rate has declined significantly compared to last season.

Raleigh is actively working to flatten his swing, aiming to return to his 2025 form. While it's still early in the season, these adjustments, along with improved pitch selection and timing, are crucial for Raleigh and the Mariners to turn their season around.

Swing Path Tilt measures the angle of the bat's path relative to the ground in the final milliseconds before contact.

His in-zone contact rate has dropped significantly, indicating issues with timing and pitch selection.

Raleigh is working to flatten his swing, reducing the uppercut motion to improve contact and timing.

Do you think Cal Raleigh will bounce back and return to his 2025 form? Let us know your thoughts!

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