Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh has already established himself as one of the game’s premier backstops, but entered 2025 coming off his best season to date. Raleigh won the Platinum Glove Award as the American League’s best defender while hitting a career-high 34 home runs and reaching the 100 RBI mark for the first time.
He’s also incredibly well-liked within the Mariners clubhouse and with the fan base.
The production was worth 4.7 WAR and earned Raleigh some down-ballot MVP votes (he’d finish 12th in voting). More importantly, it resulted in a six-year, $105M extension (with a vesting player option for a seventh season) during spring training, which will allow him to remain with the Mariners long-term.
Since signing his new deal, Raleigh has only stepped things up at the plate offensively. His start to the 2025 season would put him on pace for one of the greatest offensive seasons by a catcher in MLB history.
Raleigh is also now making history while on his torrid pace. The 28-year-old went 2-for-5 on Tuesday against the Nationals, hitting a pair of solo home runs. That puts him at 19 homers on the season through 53 games.