It has been an unbelievable start to the season for Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh of Cullowhee, North Carolina. On Thursday, Raleigh was named the American League Player of the Month for June. He was honoured alongside New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, who was named the National League Player of the Month.
Cal Raleigh hitting for power
Raleigh batted .300 with 11 home runs and 27 runs batted in during June. This was the second straight month Raleigh reached double digits in home runs for the month. He had 12 home runs in May. Raleigh now leads the Major Leagues with 33 home runs, and his 71 runs batted in lead the American League.
Also in June during 26 games, 100 at bats and 118 plate appearances, Raleigh scored 22 runs and had 30 hits, six doubles, three stolen bases, 16 walks, 69 total bases, one sacrifice fly, an on base percentage of .398, and a slugging percentage of .690. Raleigh’s sacrifice fly in June (his second of the season) came in a 6-2 Mariners win over the Kansas City Royals on June 30. Raleigh’s first sacrifice fly in 2025 also came in a Mariners’s win, a 6-1 Mariners win over the San Diego Padres on May 18.
In June, Raleigh had two three-hit game performances. He had a single, double, grand slam, and six runs batted in during an 8-0 Mariners win over the Boston Red Sox on June 17, and then had two home runs and a single in a 9-4 Mariners win over the Chicago Cubs on June 20.
In 2025, Raleigh is batting .268 with 60 runs scored, 85 hits, 16 doubles, nine stolen bases, 53 walks, and 200 total bases. He has an on base percentage of .378, and a slugging percentage of .631.
Juan Soto’s great month
Soto batted .322 with 11 home runs and 20 runs batted in during June. He actually had more home runs in June than he had in the first two months of the year combined (nine).
During 27 games, 90 at bats and 116 plate appearances, Soto scored 25 runs, and had 29 hits, three doubles, two stolen bases, 25 walks, 65 total bases, an on base percentage of .474 and a slugging percentage of .722. Soto’s most notable game came on June 21 when he had four hits (two singles and two home runs) in an 11-4 Mets win over the Philadelphia Phillies. Soto also hit two home runs in a 7-3 Mets win over the Atlanta Braves on June 26.
In 2025, Soto leads the Major Leagues with 71 walks. He is batting .260 with 20 home runs and 48 runs batted in. Soto has scored 62 runs, and has 80 hits, 14 doubles, 10 stolen bases, 154 total bases, four sacrifice flies, an on base percentage of .396 and a slugging percentage of .500.
