Why Cal Raleigh Can’t Catch Up to Fastballs This Season
Sports Illustrated • • sports
Key Points:
- Cal Raleigh has experienced a significant decline in performance this season, dropping from a .948 OPS with 60 home runs last year to a .579 OPS with 11 home runs by July.
- His downturn is historically notable, as no player who hit 50 home runs in a season has seen their OPS fall as low as Raleigh's in the following year.
- The primary issue appears to be his difficulty hitting fastballs, with Statcast data revealing he is consistently late on high-velocity pitches.
- Opposing pitchers have exploited this weakness by increasing the number of fastballs they throw to him.
