Logan Gilbert’s Player Of The Week Honor Carries a Reassuring Hidden Detail

Logan Gilbert earned the spotlight, but the Mariners’ biggest comfort came from who helped guide both starts.

Jun 16, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Marinersstarter Logan Gilbert (36) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images | Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images

Logan Gilbert earning American League Player of the Week honors is a big deal. Especially since he’s only the second pitcher out of the 13 winners so far this season. And the most reassuring part of the whole thing might not even be Gilbert. It might actually be who was behind the plate.

Cal Raleigh caught both of Gilbert’s starts during the award-winning week. That shouldn’t come as a surprise. But after Raleigh missed roughly a month with a right oblique strain, returning behind the plate has already shown what the Mariners pitching staff has been missing.

Gilbert deserves the spotlight. He earned it. But the hidden detail here is that Raleigh’s return already looks like it’s doing exactly what the Mariners hoped it would do.

Walter’s world 🌎@logangilbert22 is your AL Player of the 🔱eek! #TridentsUp

🔗 https://t.co/i1M5BUlXKu pic.twitter.com/QqCk1eL8tM

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) June 22, 2026

Logan Gilbert’s Best Week Came With Cal Raleigh Back Behind the Plate

Gilbert’s Player of the Week came off two starts, both where the Mariners won both by a 3-1 score.

He allowed just two runs across 13 1/3 innings, striking out 18 while holding opponents to a .116 batting average and a .401 OPS. 

This didn’t look like Gilbert simply having a good week. He looked comfortable. And that’s where having your familiar battery comes in.

Catcher impact can be tricky to write about. It’s not like Raleigh was out there throwing pitches for him. But game-calling and trust means so much. And when a pitcher delivers two high-end outings with his regular catcher back behind the plate, Mariners fans are allowed to connect the dots.

Especially with everything Raleigh just went through. His value has never been limited to him blasting home runs. He handles the staff, controls the running game, and gives the Mariners a sense of structure. He is one of the few players on this roster who can change a game with one swing and still matter on the nights when he’s not hitting. And lately, there’s been a lot of the latter.

His absence has felt so heavy because the Mariners have been missing both the slugger and the game-caller. 

Now he is back. And one of the first major things that happens after his return is Gilbert winning AL Player of the Week with Raleigh catching both games.

Now, it’s truly great that he’s getting the pitching staff back on track, but he has plenty of work to do in the batter’s box. Since his return, he’s 3-for-18 with two rbi, six walks, and seven strikeouts, slashing .167/.375/.167. In some ways, his production is up from when he was playing hurt. But still, this isn’t the Big Dumper from 2025. It’s not even the one from 2023 or 2024. 

This has been a pretty odd year for Raleigh. The WBC before the season. The first IL stint of his career. He hasn’t exactly had a clean chance to get into rhythm. But if he can stay healthy, we should expect a real turnaround soon.