MLB news: Five sluggers in contention for home run race

The Major League Baseball regular season is on its final two-month stretch as the leading teams battle it out for playoff contention in October.

One of the most interesting sidelights in this season is the home run race, which has developed into a five-man race to the top.

Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners leads the field with 42 homers while Kyle Schwarber of the Philadelphia Phillies and Shohei Ohtani are in second and third with 40 and 39 round-trippers, respectively.

Closely following the trio are Raleigh’s new teammate Eugenio Suarez and New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge, who both had 37 HRs as of Thursday.

It is rare in the history of the sport that five players have been separated by as few as five home runs going to the critical stages of the regular season.

Home Run Derby winner is the surprise leader

Reigning Home Run Derby winner Cal Raleigh has become the surprise frontrunner in a star-studded race. 

How did he get here? Across the board improvements in batting average (.249), on-base percentage (.357) and slugging percentage (.587).

This is a big improvement from 34 HRs last season and the season is still on-going.

HR Prediction at the end of the season: Raleigh seems to be slowing on his home-run hitting rate in August-September in the past two seasons.

He had 14 in 2023 and 11 in 2024.

The Mariners catcher is on his way to 55-56 homers by the end of the season depending on how the pitchers would throw at him on the plate.

All-Star MVP is close behind

Kyle Schwarber would not have become an All-Star MVP this season if not for his three ‘Schwarbombs’ in the sudden-death hit-off that gave the National League the win over their American League counterparts in the MLB All-Star Game.

At 40 homers, Schwarber is on pace to tie the Phillies record set by Ryan Howard in 2006. However, he has to be aware that the pitchers may opt to walk him to avoid the high-rise homers that you see at the ballpark when Philadelphia is in town.

HR Prediction at the end of the season: The ‘Schwarbombs’ in August-September over the past two seasons have been 20 (2023) and 16 (2024).

That means an average of 18 HRs in that span. He could reach Howard’s number or even break it but it would depend on how he hits the bat in the Phillies next 48 games.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Tennis news: Victoria Mboko stuns Naomi Osaka to capture Canadian Open title

Sho-Time in LA … the baseball variety

Japanese dual-function player Shohei Ohtani has raked in 39 home runs this season and could be on course to break his mark of 54 that he set last year.

Added to that is the Dodgers’ offensive machine that has pulverised opponents this season despite the inefficiency of its pitching.

And this has also forced Ohtani to bring in his other talent – pitching.

HR Prediction at the end of the season: Ohtani signed a $700-million deal with the Dodgers last season and his power was visible on their way to the postseason.

Over that stretch, the Japanese slugger slugged 22 homers and he is capable of reaching 60 homers by the end of the regular season.

Bolibomba Suarez gives Mariners a 1-2 punch

Since his acquisition from a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Eugenio Suarez and Cal Raleigh are giving the Alex Rodriguez-Ken Griffey Jr vibes that the Mariners enjoyed in the late 1990s.

This season, the Venezuelan has amassed 37 home runs and is tied for fourth with Judge.

After hitting 36 in Arizona, Suarez has tapered off a bit, hitting just one round-tripper in six games with Seattle.

HR Prediction at the end of the season: Suarez and Raleigh form a dreaded hit combo for the Mariners.

Suarez in 2023 belted eight homers over the two-month span and improved the following year with 14.

It’s possible that he can reach 50+ homers but it will depend on how the Mariners perform in its push for the playoffs.

All Rise! Aaron Judge is in session

Aaron Judge has proven to be this generation’s “Bronx Bomber” with his Superman-like performances over the past few years.

He has cracked the 50-plus home runs mark three times, including the post-steroid era record of 62 HRs in 2022, and has already tied his 2023 mark of 37 this season.

We could see an explosion from the 6-foot-7 slugger as the Yankees are trying to overcome Boston and Toronto in the AL East standings.

HR Prediction at the end of the season: Judge is a microwave when hot and he has proven that in the past.

In 2024, he belted 19 home runs in August and September on his way to 58.

Two seasons back, he crunched 20 HRs to break the 61 round-trippers set by Roger Maris.

Judge could add 16-18 homers in the next two months as the Yankees are still in contention for at least a wildcard berth in the AL playoffs.

READ NEXT: Championship news: Title favourites Ipswich Town open campaign in Birmingham