Here’s a bold statement: the size of a baseball player’s backside might just be the unsung hero of their success on the field. But here’s where it gets controversial—while some players are naturally gifted in this department, others work tirelessly to build it up, and not everyone agrees on its importance. So, does a big dumper make you better at baseball? Let’s dive in.
Former Mariners Minor League strength and conditioning coach Michael Sadler recalls his first encounter with Cal Raleigh in 2019, during Single-A Modesto. ‘He’ll probably kill me for saying this, but he looked like he had a lot of baby fat on him,’ Sadler chuckled. ‘Big body, but not really toned at all.’ Yet, Raleigh had the raw potential of a future star: standing at 6-foot-2 and over 200 pounds, he could hit with power from both sides of the plate and boasted an above-average caught-stealing percentage in the California League. And this is the part most people miss—Raleigh also had one other standout feature from the start: a notably rotund backside. This asset, often joked about, would later become his trademark, helping him endure the physical demands of catching for 162-game seasons and powering his way to 60 home runs. It even inspired T-shirts, bat designs, and Porta-Potty ads.
‘People didn’t call him The Big Dumper yet,’ Sadler recalled. ‘But it was like, ‘Oh shoot, that guy’s got a huge [butt].’’
Bigger backsides have long been a feature of baseball players. Take early 20th-century legend Honus Wagner, whose physique was still impressive at 59, or Lou Gehrig, whose lesser-known nickname ‘Biscuit Pants’ hints at his own robust rear. Even Stan Musial understood the importance of strong core muscles for consistent hitting. As four-time Manager of the Year Buck Showalter once noted, ‘You don’t see a lot of good power hitters or pitchers with great arm speed who don’t have a good, high butt on them.’
Today, tighter uniforms, advanced nutrition, and intense workouts have elevated the modern player’s physique, with blogs even ranking the biggest and fittest backsides in the game. But why has this feature always been so prominent in baseball? And why is it so crucial?
‘I’m so glad you asked, because this is such a fascinating topic,’ Bret ‘The Glute Guy’ Contreras told me. Contreras, a leading expert on glute muscles, owns three gyms called Glute Labs and boasts over 1.5 million Instagram followers. With a PhD in Sports Science and a focus on the lower body, he’s the go-to authority on this subject. ‘I did my thesis on the glutes,’ he laughed.
Contreras explains that large glutes in baseball players can be both genetic and the result of rigorous resistance training. Raleigh, for instance, likely had a genetic head start, as Sadler confirmed: ‘He can thank his mom and dad for that.’ Regardless of origin, strong, large glute muscles are a significant advantage on the field. ‘Baseball is anaerobic and power-oriented,’ Contreras said. ‘Whether you’re sprinting to first base or swinging a bat, you’re using your glutes.’ He cites Don Mattingly as an example, whose powerful swings engaged all three actions of the glutes simultaneously: hip extension, external rotation, and abduction.
‘It’s about using the ground to create force,’ Sadler added. ‘Cal’s big lower body and swing mechanics allow him to hit balls over 400 feet when he connects.’ Raleigh’s position as a catcher further enhances his glute development, as squatting for hours each game acts as an isometric workout for his lower half.
Interestingly, pitchers with larger backsides also benefit from this muscle group. ‘Rotational sports rely heavily on the glutes,’ Contreras explained. ‘They’re a triplanar muscle, working in all three planes of motion.’
Scouts often take note of a player’s backside when evaluating prospects, though it’s not always explicitly graded. ‘Power is generated by the core, and a big part of your core is your butt,’ said Kevin Goldstein, Twins VP of International Scouting. He points to power hitters like Raleigh, Kyle Schwarber, and Aaron Judge, all known for their robust cores. However, exceptions like Byron Buxton and Chris Sale prove that a big backside isn’t the only path to success. ‘There’s strength with core power and then there’s twitch power,’ Goldstein noted. ‘Baseball is full of exceptions, but big butts tend to work when it comes to power.’
Take Anthony Recker, for example. The former catcher and current MLB Network analyst was known for his defense, clutch home runs, and, of course, his larger-than-life behind. ‘I had nicknames as a kid, it just comes with the territory,’ Recker said. ‘It’s hereditary.’ Despite the attention, Recker emphasizes that baseball success requires a balanced physique. ‘If you’re strong in your glutes, you have to connect it all—core, back, shoulders, hamstrings. It’s about power output.’
Even though Recker’s backside is a topic of fascination, he’s embraced it. ‘It is what it is,’ he said with a laugh. ‘People find it, and it’s out there.’
Back in Modesto, Raleigh initially wasn’t a fan of the ‘Big Dumper’ nickname, but he’s since embraced it, even as his trainer Sadler notes its growth over the years. ‘It’s increased in size a little bit, yeah,’ Sadler joked.
Raleigh once called his broad bottom half ‘a gift and a curse,’ but Contreras disagrees. ‘The glutes are the centerpiece of an athlete’s anatomy, like a Swiss Army Knife,’ he said. And as seen with Raleigh, Recker, and countless others, when it comes to the glutes, bigger is almost always better. ‘It’s never a detriment,’ Contreras concluded. ‘The bigger the glutes, the more the power.’
Thought-provoking question for you: Do you think the focus on physical attributes like a player’s backside overshadows other aspects of their talent? Share your thoughts in the comments—let’s spark a discussion!
