SportsGrid Contributor Just Baseball

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For the first time in league history, five hitters reached the 30 home run mark within the first half of the season. We dive deep into the historic 2025 first half for five sluggers rewriting MLB lore and look at what's expected to be an explosive second half.

5 Home Run Hitters Making History

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Nobody’s sending baseballs into orbit quite like <a href="https://www.sportsgrid.com/mlb/players/caleb-raleigh/57472">Cal Raleigh</a>. The <a href="https://www.sportsgrid.com/mlb/depth-chart/seattle-mariners-depth-chart">Seattle Mariners</a> catcher isn't just leading the league with 38 home runs—he’s chasing legends. Only Barry Bonds hit more before an All-Star break, and Raleigh’s 64-homer pace threatens Aaron Judge’s AL record of 62 and <a href="https://www.sportsgrid.com/mlb/players/salvador-perez/57881">Salvador Perez</a>’s catcher record of 48.
Raleigh has weaponized the fly ball like few before him. This season, 22% of his batted balls are pulled in the air—the highest rate in any season with 200+ tracked balls since 2008. His pulled air rate of 37.6% is flat-out historic. May alone saw him post a 50% pulled air rate, the highest single-month mark on record (since 2008, with a minimum of 50 BBEs).
After already being one of the league’s most extreme pull/fly-ball mashers, Raleigh’s elevated both in 2025. His pull rate jumped by nearly 10 percentage points from 2024, now sitting at 54.7%, while his fly ball rate has climbed to 43.3%. He’s built for homers—and he’s proving it with every swing.
Thanks to <a href="https://www.justbaseball.com/mlb/how-mlbs-30-home-run-hitters-are-contributing-to-history/">Just Baseball</a> for the stats, analysis, and insights for this slideshow article.

Cal Raleigh – Big Dumper, Bigger Bombs

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<a href="https://www.sportsgrid.com/mlb/players/aaron-judge/57768">Aaron Judge</a>’s bat has aged like a fine barrel-aged whiskey—powerful, refined, and still dangerous. With 36 home runs by the break, the Yankees captain is on pace for his fourth 50-homer season, joining legends like Babe Ruth, Mark McGwire, and Sammy Sosa in rare air.
His elite barrel consistency is nothing new. Judge owns four of the top five barrel rate seasons since tracking began, including this year’s 26.3% clip. In fact, 2025 marks the fourth time he’s hit 30+ before the break—and he’s never had more plate appearances or first-half homers than right now.
Still a slugging machine at age 33, Judge ranks among the league leaders in exit velocity, fly ball damage, and raw power. With a third AL MVP potentially on the way, the only real surprise is that we’re still surprised.
Swing for the Fences with SportsGrid’s free daily<a href="https://www.sportsgrid.com/mlb/picks"> MLB Game Picks</a> and <a href="https://www.sportsgrid.com/mlb/player-props">MLB Prop Picks.</a>

Aaron Judge – The Bronx Bomber Reloads

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We’re running out of superlatives for <a href="https://www.sportsgrid.com/mlb/players/shohei-ohtani/58686">Shohei Ohtani</a>. The <a href="https://www.sportsgrid.com/mlb/depth-chart/los-angeles-dodgers-depth-chart">Los Angeles Dodgers</a>’ superstar has 35 first-half homers, but it’s how he’s doing it that sets this year apart. Ohtani made a minor but effective stance adjustment, moving off the plate by about two inches—and it’s paying off in barrel-loads.
His 100.1 mph average exit velocity on fly balls leads the majors, and he’s obliterating inside pitches like never before, slugging .804 on them—tops among lefties. Even more impressive, his outside-pitch power hasn’t dipped; he’s slugging .611 on those offerings, the third-best mark among left-handers.
The result? Another shot at 50 homers and an elite pull/fly ball profile that mirrors fellow sluggers like Raleigh. The only thing more dangerous than Ohtani is an evolving Ohtani.
Stay ahead of the game and elevate your sports betting experience with<a href="https://www.sportsgrid.com/"> SportsGrid</a>.

Shohei Ohtani – Adjusting, Adapting, Dominating

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<a href="https://www.sportsgrid.com/mlb/players/eugenio-suarez/58621">Eugenio Suárez</a> didn’t just rediscover his power—he rebuilt it. After a brutal first half in 2024 (.591 OPS, 30% K rate), Suárez made a bold move: he crept closer to the pitcher, shifting up in the batter’s box by nine inches by season’s end. The payoff was immediate—and explosive.
He finished 2024 with a .974 OPS and 24 homers in his final 78 games, then carried that momentum into 2025. At the break, he’s already smashed 31 home runs, eclipsing his total from all of last year.
His pull rate on fly balls remains elite at 38.8%, ranking top-20 league-wide. Suárez’s success stems from being earlier to contact and attacking pitches with an out-front, pull-heavy swing. Nobody is further out in front of the ball on average than the <a href="https://www.sportsgrid.com/mlb/depth-chart/arizona-diamondbacks-depth-chart">Arizona Diamondbacks</a> slugger in 2025, and the results speak for themselves.

Eugenio Suárez – Power Surge with a New Setup

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The heat is on, and <a href="https://www.sportsgrid.com/mlb/players/kyle-schwarber/58453">Kyle Schwarber</a> is loving it. The <a href="https://www.sportsgrid.com/mlb/depth-chart/philadelphia-phillies-depth-chart">Philadelphia Phillies</a> masher has clubbed 30 home runs, the most he’s ever hit before the break, thanks to a revamped approach against velocity.
In 2025, Schwarber is slugging .603 against pitches 95+ mph, a massive jump from .333 just three seasons ago. His whiff rate on those pitches has also dropped to 25.7%, showcasing a key area of growth that’s unlocked more power.
His pulled air rate (28.7%) is the second-best of his career, and his 52.5% pull rate ties a personal high. Fly balls are up, strikeouts are slightly down, and Schwarber is back to blasting fastballs like few others. Don’t be surprised if he finishes closer to 50 than 40.
For all your MLB deep dives, check out our friends at <a href="https://www.justbaseball.com/">Just Baseball.</a>

Kyle Schwarber – Heat Seeker, Homer Smasher

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Five players hit 30 HR before the 2025 All-Star break. Here’s how Judge, Ohtani, Schwarber, Raleigh &amp; Suárez are powering one of the most historic seasons ever.

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