Cal Raleigh made an even bigger name for himself Monday when he became the first catcher to win the Major League Baseball Home Run Derby.
The All-Star catcher is part of a baseball-rich family tree that has roots all the way to Peoria.
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That’s where Uncle Jim and Aunt Robin live. Or former Bradley Braves soccer coach Jim DeRose and his wife, Robin.
Cal Raleigh was a third-round pick by the Mariners in the 2018 MLB Draft. He showed his power potential with 29 home runs between Single-A and Double-A in the 2019 season.
Over the last four MLB seasons, he has belted 129 home runs for the Mariners in 511 at-bats. He’s on an historic ride this season, with 38 home runs in 94 games as the 2025 All-Star break arrived.
Raleigh out-lasted Tampa Bay infielder Junior Caminero, 18-15, in the final round Monday at Truist Park in Atlanta. The MLB All-Star Game will be played there Tuesday night.
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“Usually the guy that’s leading the league in homers doesn’t win the whole thing,” Raleigh told ESPN. “That’s as surprising to me as anybody else.”
Raleigh’s 38 home runs so far this season were the most brought into the contest in its history. Luis Gonzalez had 35 at the All-Star break when he entered the contest in 2001. So did Ken Griffey Jr. in 1998.
It was a family effort Monday. Raleigh was pitched to by his father, Todd, the former baseball head coach at Tennessee and Western Carolina. His younger brother Todd Raleigh Jr., did the catching.
“Just to do it with my family was awesome,” Raleigh said.
Cal Raleigh, center, poses for a photo with his dad Todd Raleigh and brother ‘T’ after winning the Home RunDerby.
Todd Raleigh’s sister is Robin DeRose. Todd Raleigh’s daughter, Emma, played volleyball as a libero for Bradley, and as a junior set a Missouri Valley Conference single-match record with 48 digs.
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But baseball is all over the family history. Cal Raleigh has an uncle, Matt, who played Triple-A ball for the Expos and Tigers and was a Double-A coach. He earned a World Series ring with the Marlins.
More: Cleve In The Eve: BU volleyball’s Emma Raleigh likes her uncle Jim DeRose’s advice, and his cooking
Cal Raleigh has another uncle who played baseball at Central Florida, and two more who played small college ball. And Todd Raleigh was a catcher in the Red Sox organization in 1991 before moving on to his college coaching career.
Jim DeRose played baseball and soccer at Johnson State, where he met his wife, Robin, a softball player there.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Peoria’s ties to MLB’s newest Home Run Derby champion Cal Raleigh
