Cal Raleigh’s walk-up music got a wild new vibe, and ever since, our big catcher has been absolutely mashing. Frustrated with a season that felt like a grind, Raleigh opened himself up to changing anything and everything to get back on track, and that included letting the clubhouse crew pick his jams. Good call, because on August 24th, clubhouse attendant Tim Kalal, a serious Iron Maiden fan, slapped “The Trooper” on the speakers before a game against the Phillies. What happened next? Cal mashed three dingers in that game and hasn’t looked back!
From “Bad Luck” to Barreling Up
It’s been a ride for Raleigh’s walk-up choices this season, and for his bat too, honestly. For a while, he was using Washington-born Zach Top’s “Bad Luck,” a tune he’d loved since last season. Before that, we heard classics like Eddie Money’s “Take Me Home Tonight” and Dire Straits’ “Money for Nothing.” And who could forget “Drift Away” from his minor league days? But this year, you could tell Cal was in a “Valley of Death” with his bat, as the source article puts it. The less said about that Martina McBride song over the July Fourth homestand, the better! The switch to Iron Maiden’s heavy metal anthem signaled a shift, and it clearly lit a fire under him. He felt like he needed a change, and “The Trooper” has been the perfect battle cry for this late-season surge.
The Mechanical Shift That Changed Everything
Beyond the new anthem, something clicked for Cal in a mid-August series in Milwaukee. He made a key mechanical adjustment, and the numbers since then are just unreal. He’s rocking a wRC+ of 259, which is absolutely elite. Over that span, he’s already hammered eight home runs, which is just one shy of his total from the entire beginning of the season all the way to July 4th! More importantly, his plate discipline is off the charts, walking 19% of the time and striking out only 26%, which is way better than his season averages. He’s also squaring up the ball like never before, boasting a barrel rate over 30% (compared to an MLB average of about 8%) and a hard-hit rate of 64.5% (MLB average around 22%). Cal said the adjustment was all about his hands, getting them a bit higher and further back. “It doesn’t take as long to get to my fire position,” Raleigh noted. He added that the new setup means he can get to that position earlier, leaving “less room for error.” You love to hear it when a player connects with a change like that!
Our Mariners just grabbed a 2-0 win against the Athletics, and with these final few weeks of the 2026 season on the line, every swing from Big Dumper matters. Keep that momentum going, Cal!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Lookout Landing.
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