What we have to remember is baseball is a kid's game at its core. Professional sports are designed for mass appeal so that anyone and everyone across the globe will want to be invested in their big television product. Of the many things I have grown out of as an adult, I can forever do without the Home Run Derby. Chris Berman screaming "back" a million times a night is my own version of Hell.
So what does this have to do with Cal Raleigh? Everything. The Seattle Mariners All-Star slugger behind the plate has been downright dreadful at the plate of late. One Reddit user by the handle Alternative-Focus542 pointed out Raleigh's struggles over the last month and change. Since July 1 through Aug. 6, Raleigh had 19 hits in 109 at-bats for a .174 average. Nine of those hits were homers.
The Reddit user mentioned that Raleigh refined his mechanics in the batter's box to have a more compact and powerful swing. The result was a first half to never forget. While a regression to the mean was largely expected after the All-Star Break, Raleigh is no longer carrying the Mariners' offense. He has been to the team's detriment. He may snap out of it, but all hail the Home Run Derby!
We have seen it before and we will see it again. Star players love to ruin their swings for the long ball...
For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop during the MLB season.
Cal Raleigh must change approach at plate for Mariners to make playoffs
While I still think it is important for players to receive recognition by way of All-Star Games and Pro Bowls, I feel the fans these leagues are trying to connect with would rather see their star players healthy and playing well in the second half. We live in a microwave culture where we need to have everything now, if not instantaneously. The Home Run Derby is a tradition, but one I no longer enjoy.
I think the genesis to that for me was watching Bobby Abreu do work in his that one time in the 2000s. I cannot honestly remember what year, or if he won the Home Run Derby that summer. All I remember is he was having a great year for the Philadelphia Phillies and his production went down at the plate. He had home run power, but that was never a focal point in his great career in Philadelphia.
Look, Raleigh is still a young player, one that is still trying to figure out what he can be in his prime at the big-league level. Seattle has one big bopper at the plate after another, but he needs to get back to what made him special before it is too late. We are talking about the best baseball players in the world. Everyone is on top of their game. You will get figured out. It is all about adapting to survive it.
I still like Seattle's chances of making the playoffs, but the Mariners feel like a one-and-done team.