Cal Raleigh Gives Definitive Answer on Potential World Baseball Classic Participation
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Seattle Mariners Platinum Glove-winning catcher Cal Raleigh is in the middle of arguably the best two-season stretch by a catcher in MLB history.
In 2024, Raleigh won Gold Glove and Platinum Glove awards, was named a finalist for a Silver Slugger award and set the record for most home runs by a catcher in their first four seasons in MLB history (93). His encore has been better. As of Saturday, Raleigh has scored 42 runs and has hit 11 doubles and 24 home runs with 49 RBIs in 62 games. He's slashed .269/.379/.634 with a 1.013 OPS.
Raleigh's numbers, and his string of franchise and MLB accomplishments over the last two seasons, has led for to fans to clamor for the Seattle catcher to participate in the 2025 Home Run Derby and compete in the upcoming 2026 World Baseball Classic with Team U.S.A.
Raleigh has already given an emphatic yes on the possibility of competing in the Home Run Derby.
In a recent appearance on the "Mina Kimes Show," Raleigh had a just-as-definitive an answer about competing in the World Baseball Classic:
"Yeah, in a heartbeat. I feel like that's a like a once in a lifetime opportunity," Raleigh said. "And you saw what it was like the last time with the whole Mike Trout-(Shohei) Ohtani (at-bat), and how many good people were tuning in and how good it was for baseball. I'd love to do that."
Raleigh could be one of several Mariners to participate in the WBC. Julio Rodriguez competed with the Dominican Republic in the 2023 WBC, top 100 prospect and fellow catcher Harry Ford was on the Great Britain roster in the 2023 WBC and another top 100 prospect, Michael Arroyo, competed for Colombia in the qualifying round of the WBC this past spring. Randy Arozarena and Rowdy Tellez both played for Mexico the last time around as well.
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