Seattle Mariners Star Backstop on Pace For Incredible Baseball History on Multiple Fronts
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Seattle Mariners' catcher Cal Raleigh is on pace for some incredible baseball history this season - on multiple fronts.
First, per Paul Hembekides of ESPN on social media (prior to Thursday's 9-2 loss against the Houston Astros):
Cal Raleigh pace this season:
108 runs
54 home runs
111 RBI
108 walks
340 total bases
9.5 fWAR
He's played all 48 games (and caught 38). No catcher has ever played 162.
Cal Raleigh pace this season:
— Paul Hembekides (Hembo) (@PaulHembo) May 22, 2025
108 runs
54 home runs
111 RBI
108 walks
340 total bases
9.5 fWAR
He's played all 48 games (and caught 38). No catcher has ever played 162. pic.twitter.com/EvKkQOPC9u
So, Raleigh will make history if he plays in all 162 games, and the M's seem committed to keeping him in the lineup as much as possible as long as he's healthy.
Furthermore, Adam Jude of the Seattle Times reports that only three catchers have ever produced a 9.0 WAR season: Buster Posey, Johnny Bench and Mike Piazza. The latter two are in the Hall of Fame and Posey won an MVP Award.
The 28-year-old Raleigh is hitting .253 this season with a .371 on-base percentage. He's got 16 homers, putting him near the top of the leaderboard in the American League, and he's got 33 RBIs. One of the best defensive players in baseball, he won the Platinum Glove Award a year ago as well.
The Mariners enter play on Friday night at 28-21 and in first place in the American League West. They'll take on the Astros for Game 2 of the series at Daikin Park with first pitch coming at 8:10 p.m. ET.
Emerson Hancock will get the start on the mound for Seattle while Ryan Gusto goes for Houston.
Hancock is 1-2 with a 6.21 ERA and Gusto is 3-2 with a 4.65.
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