Seattle Mariners Catcher Cal Raleigh Still Looking For His Groove in Spring Training
PEORIA, Ariz. — The Seattle Mariners are two weeks away from the first game of the season against the Athletics on March 27 at T-Mobile Park.
And so far in Cactus League play, the team has shown some positives.
The few times the Mariners have sent out a major league lineup (or close to it), the team has performed well. But one of the team's better hitters is still trying to find his groove at the plate.
Seattle starting catcher Cal Raleigh was arguably the best at his position in 2024. He won the American League Gold Glove and Platinum Glove awards in the offseason and set several franchise and MLB records during the year. He became the Mariners all time leader in home runs by a player in their first four seasons with the franchise (93). That same number set the MLB record for the most homers by a catcher through their first four years — passing Hall of Famer Mike Piazza.
Cal Raleigh is now the leader among catchers with a 3.6 fWARpic.twitter.com/2IpUYrlJoU
— Steve (@MarinersSteve) August 12, 2024
But so far in spring training, Raleigh hasn't been able to find consistency. Entering Thursday, he's hit .129 (4-for-31) with one home run and five RBIs.
It is spring training. Any stats, good or bad, have to be taken with a grain of salt. Raleigh also hasn't hit for a "high" average in his career. His four-year single-season batting averages are: .180 in 2021, .211 in 2022, .232 in 2023 and .220 in 2024. He's also had single-season home runs of: two in 2021, 27 in 2022, 30 in 2023 and 34 in 2024.
There's still a week-and-a-half left of spring training, and there's not reason to suspect Raleigh won't put it together by the time the first pitch of the season is thrown March 27.
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