Raleigh quickly delivers career day at plate

It took just two innings for Cal Raleigh to have a career day at the plate. 
Seattle's 13th-ranked prospect homered during the first two innings of Class A Advanced Modesto's 6-4 win over Lancaster on Sunday, driving in a career-high five runs in the process. It was Raleigh's second career multihomer game.

"I've just been trying to work on some things," he said, "just trying to look for a certain pitch in a certain spot. I got it and I did what you're supposed to do with it."
The 2018 third-round pick belted Will Gaddis' third pitch over the center-field wall in the first inning, driving in Mariners No. 22 prospect Joe Rizzo.
"I hit a home run last night, and the next at-bat, I got challenged with some fastballs," Raleigh said of the solo shot he hit in Saturday's 3-2 loss to the JetHawks. "So I really wasn't trying to overthink it too much. I just went up there in my second at-bat and said I'm going to stick with my same approach and be ready to hit the fastball if I see it. He threw me one and I was ready to go."
The next offering Raleigh saw from the right-hander was smacked over the fence in right for a three-run jack, matching the two-homer game he had on July 28, 2018 with two solo shots for Rookie Advanced Everett against Salem-Keizer.
Gameday box score
The catcher's five-RBI performance shattered his previous best single game with three RBIs, racked up on April 15 for the Nuts and Aug. 1 and Aug. 11 last season with the AquaSox. Raleigh tops the California League in home runs with seven.
The Florida State product's two-hit game brought his average up to .217/.282/.442 with 23 RBIs and 13 extra base hits in 30 Cal League contests. His RBI total ranks second in the Cal League behind teammate Luis Liberato with 26.

Raleigh was pleased the Mariners highly enough of him to send him directly from the Northwest League to the California League for 2019 and he's looking forward to the continued competition this season. "It's not a crazy difference," Raleigh said of jumping from Class A Short Season to Class A Advanced. "I mean obviously the pitchers are better, the play is better, but I feel like I can compete at this level and I don't feel overmatched at all."
The North Carolina native grounded to second in the fifth and flew to center in the seventh. Raleigh wasn't particularly looking for a three-homer game in his later at-bats Sunday, he's just trying to keep the same approach at the plate each time he steps in the box.
"If the home run happens, it happens," Raleigh said. "I'm just trying to be consistent and stubborn with my approach."