Is the WBC to Blame for Cal Raleigh's Dismal Start to 2026?

Some of the best hitters in baseball -- Mariners slugger Cal Raleigh, Bryce Harper, Juan Soto, Fernando Tatis Jr., Alex Bregman, Ronald Acuna Jr., Gunnar Henderson, Will Smith and Pete Crow-Armstrong -- have gotten off to uncharacteristically poor starts so far in 2026.

Also, elite pitchers such as Tarik Skubal, Edwin Diaz, Brayan Bello, Yusei Kikuchi and Daniel Palencia have struggled with either performance, injury issues or both early this season.

The common bond between those struggling MLB stars: They all played for their home countries in the World Baseball Classic in March.

Could that be the reason behind Raleigh's shocking fall from grace in 2026? Could that be driving force behind the 29-year-old catcher going from 60 home runs and a runner-up finish in the American League Most Valuable Player race to 2026 where his batting average has plunged to an almost unthinkable .157 and his homer production is stuck at seven?

Coming out of USA Baseball's runner-up finish in the WBC, Raleigh went just 3 for 23 without a homer in March. He seemed to finally find his rhythm in April when he crushed seven home runs -- something that overshadowed his .202 batting aver for the month.

However, he does not have a hit in May, going 0 for 28 in the month. Dating to the April 27 game in Minnesota -- when Raleigh had his last hit -- he is in an 0 for 36 skid.

Could it be that getting ready to play high-level baseball in March zapped Raleigh, especially after playing all the way to the American League Championship Series in 2025? Raleigh didn't exactly tear the cover off the ball in the WBC, going 0 for nine with five strikeouts and an RBI in the three WBC games he appeared in back in March.

But Mariners fans have to be wondering if it was the prep work for the WBC that robbed Raleigh of his rhythm?