Mariners' Rodríguez: Raleigh 'deserves his 1st shot' at MVP
Seattle Mariners outfielder Julio Rodríguez is backing teammate Cal Raleigh as the AL MVP favorite after the star catcher homered in a fourth straight game to increase his MLB-leading total to 32.
"It's unbelievable what we're watching," Rodríguez said following Monday's 11-2 win over the Minnesota Twins, according to Adam Jude of The Seattle Times. "I feel like that's something that we have never seen before. Coming from a catcher too - what he's doing so special. I'm very happy for him. It feels really good to see him succeed."
Rodríguez added: "The way that he can impact the game - truly on both sides of the game, I just don't think there's anybody doing that right now. I think he definitely deserves his first shot at the MVP."
Raleigh became the first player in Mariners history to hit 10 or more home runs in three straight months. The feat is impressive considering Ken Griffey Jr., Alex Rodriguez, Edgar Martinez, and Adrian Beltré are among the great sluggers that have played for Seattle.
"He's just in a really good spot,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said, according to Patrick Donnelly of The Associated Press. "I think he feels comfortable, clearly, and he's getting good pitches. And when he gets them, he doesn't miss them."
Raleigh already joined Hall of Famers Mike Piazza, Johnny Bench, and Roy Campanella as the only primary catchers with at least three 30-homer campaigns. He's the first switch-hitter ever to reach 30 long balls before the All-Star break.
The 28-year-old Raleigh leads baseball with 68 RBIs to pair with a 1.048 OPS across 76 games.