A family affair, Cal Raleigh gave FSU a nice infomercial winning MLB HR Derby

Former FSU baseball catcher Cal Raleigh has hit more home runs than anyone before the 2025 MLB All-Star break, so it's only right he would win the HR Derby.

It was a family affair, with his father pitching and his brother catching as he defeated Tampa Bay Devil Rays third baseman Junior Caminero 18-15 in the finals.

Raleigh hit 17 home runs in the first round to advance to the semifinals because his longest home run was less than an inch more than Oakland's designated hitter Brent Rooker.

Raleigh, a switch-hitter hit home runs from both sides of the plate early in the contest, with both going nearly 470 feet.

Besides Raleigh's family participating and him winning my other favorite part was seeing him represent FSU with a Tomahawk Chop. Also, former FSU baseball player and MLB Broadcaster Eduardo Perez used every opportunity to represent FSU in the broadcast.

It was like an infomercial for the Noles, but it couldn't have come at a better time, as FSU tied for the most players drafted (11) in the 2025 MLB Draft.

Cal Raleigh is the FSU player and first catcher ever to win the HR Derby and also the first switch-hitter to win it outright.

Cal Raleigh will start in the All-Star game on Tuesday night before resuming his chase to win the American League MVP. He has some stiff competition from the Yankee's Aaron Judge. The Mariners will need his bat to stay hot, as they are in second place in their division. Congrats to Cal Raleigh for an outstanding performance on the big stage because it's something he predicted when he was a little kid!