Mariners Superstar Cal Raleigh Snubbed For Major Award Recognition

Not much is going wrong for the Seattle Mariners these days.

You know things are looking up when the biggest issue to complain about is awards voting. Just two wins away from their first World Series appearance, however, the Mariners had a pretty major snub when Gold Glove finalists were announced on Wednesday.

When Rawlings Sports released the lists of three finalists at each position, the American League catcher spot carried a pretty glaring omission: top Most Valuable Player candidate Cal Raleigh.

Raleigh snubbed for Gold Glove nomination

Oct 10, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh (29) tags out Detroit Tigers third baseman Zach McKinstry (39) at home plate during the twelfth inning during game five of the ALDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images | Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images

Detroit Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler, Boston Red Sox catcher Carlos Narváez, and Toronto Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk were the finalists. The smart money appears to be on Kirk, who also has a case to win Platinum Glove honors with 22 fielding runs, which tied him for second-most in all of baseball.

The finalists were determined by taking the votes of all 30 managers and up to six coaches from each team (who could not vote for their own players) and weighing them 75% to 25% against the SABR Defensive Index.

Raleigh, who finished second behind New York Yankees star Aaron Judge in wins above replacement for position players last season, was the Platinum Glove winner for the American League a year ago. But although his offense went through the roof, his defense took a minor step back.

After ranking third in fielding run value among all catchers last season, Raleigh dropped to eighth this season. That's still well above average, and getting that sort of defense from a catcher with 60 home runs is unheard of, but the Gold Glove is a defense-only award.

Raleigh dropped from 13 framing runs to seven this season, and his blocking and throwing got marginally worse as well. One also has to credit Dingler, Narváez, and Kirk for putting together great seasons behind the dish, as catcher defense has gotten better across the AL.

Ultimately, Raleigh probably wasn't going to win the award over Kirk, so it doesn't particularly matter whether he was named a finalist or not. And delivering the Mariners their first-ever World Series appearance would vastly supersede any personal recognition.

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