Cal Raleigh, torpedo bat convert, hits 6 homers in one week

Cal Raleigh is a switch-hitting catcher for the Mariners, and one who hits for power. On Wednesday, he launched the 99th and 100th home runs of his career, and then on Thursday night, hit another for good measure. That’s all normal stuff for "Big Dumper," as he’s been so affectionately nicknamed, but what’s new is his choice of bat.

Raleigh is a recent convert to torpedo bats, which he picked up just a week ago for the start of a Mariners-Rangers series. That week has gone pretty well, but there is also something important to note here: Raleigh is only using a torpedo bat when hitting from the left side of the plate. Which, granted, is more often than he bats from the right side since there are far more right-handed pitchers in the league than there are lefties, but it’s still not something he’s doing for every plate appearance. Enough for five of the six home runs he's hit since last Friday to be from the left side with a torpedo bat in hand, though.

The reason for that, as Raleigh explained on The Cal Raleigh Show, which broadcasts on the Seattle Sports radio network, is due to how he prefers the weight distribution of his bats depending on which side of the plate he’s hitting on. From the left, the torpedo bat’s thicker barrel works for him, given the nature of his swing. From the right, though, Raleigh’s swing is "flatter," so he would rather have more weight at the end of the bat instead of centered on the barrel. 

While Raleigh feels that the torpedo bat is as natural in his hands as what he was using previously, there are differences. The barrel, of course, but what has gotten less attention is the kind of wood used to produce these bats in their notable shape. "There’s regulations on maple bats because of the way