Mariners Catcher Cal Raleigh Making Waves
If you don’t live in the Pacific Northwest, you might just be catching onto Cal Raleigh’s impressive style as a catcher.
Now firmly established in Seattle, Raleigh has really taken charge in what could be one of the most offensively impactful seasons seen from a catcher. He’s definitely a candidate for the MVP race in the American League, alongside big names like Aaron Judge.
This weekend, he continued to demonstrate his prowess, hitting four home runs over three games at Wrigley Field. He added another on Monday in Minnesota, totaling six homers over his last six games. It’s almost like he’s a rare gem in the league—primarily a power-hitting switch hitter who also plays catcher. Remarkably, he’s already surpassed Johnny Bench’s record for the most home runs by a catcher before the All-Star break. With 32 home runs entering Monday, he’s got a shot at breaking Barry Bonds’ all-time record of 39 before the break, requiring eight more in the next 20 games.
Bonds set this record back in 2001, later achieving the highest single-season home run record with 73. Raleigh is currently on track for 66.
With 32 home runs, he’s already outpacing Judge, who has 28, and Raleigh’s 68 RBIs lead the American League, outstripping Judge’s 62. While Judge excels in several other metrics like OPS (1.202 compared to 1.049), FWAR (6.1 against 5.3), and WRC+ (227 versus 193), he’s spent a good amount of time on the field, which can be tough on a player’s body.
This durability should earn Raleigh some extra credit.
His WRC+ of 193 ties him with Roy Piazza’s 183 WRC+ from 1945, marking one of the best performances for a catcher in MLB history. While he hasn’t hit 50 homers like Salvador Perez did with 48 in 2021, that was largely during his time as a designated hitter. Players like Bench, Javy Lopez, and Piazza have all hit at least 40 homers, and Raleigh is just nine away from that halfway through this season.
He’s notched a 5.3 fWAR so far, possibly moving towards a season that could hit 10.8, which would be remarkable. The highest WAR recorded for a catcher was Buster Posey’s 9.8 in 2012.
But Raleigh isn’t some newcomer; since he became the Mariners’ regular catcher in 2022, he’s amassed 122 home runs, ranking sixth among all players in baseball. Only a handful of players—like Judge, Shohei Ohtani, and Kyle Schwarber—have more. Even though he occasionally takes a break as DH, he’s made 57 starts as a catcher and 17 as DH.
Interestingly, he performs better when catching, with a 1.156 OPS compared to a .659 OPS as DH. He’s not just offensive; he’s also won Gold Glove awards and is a favorite to win again, although he admits his defensive metrics have slipped a bit this season.
Don’t forget, he’s a switch hitter, which is becoming increasingly rare these days. He’s hit 21 home runs from the left side and 10 from the right. Over the weekend, he tied an MLB record for most runs scored in a three-game series by a catcher—something special.
Raleigh has shown improvement in every offensive category this year. His batting averages in previous seasons were .211, .232, and .220; this year, it’s .278. His walk rate has increased significantly, from 9.2% in 2022 to 13.5% now, and his strikeout rate stands at a career-low 24.9%. His on-base percentage has reached a career-high of .383.
He’s pulling the ball more than ever, with a 55% pull rate, up from 48.9% last year. This season, he’s also hitting 55% fly balls, compared to 51.9% before the season. It’s all about leaning into his strengths, I suppose.
Of course, it’s likely we’ll see him slow down a bit as summer heats up. Being behind the plate can impact his performance as the season goes on. Meanwhile, Aaron Judge might shake off his recent performance slump, likely ending the season with impressive numbers in multiple categories.
But sometimes, a player’s impact extends beyond just the numbers. If Cal Raleigh maintains this level of performance and achieves a record-setting season for catchers, he’s definitely a strong contender for the AL MVP.
