Seattle Mariners Catcher Cal Raleigh Among Exclusive Group of Players
The Seattle Mariners are still trying to rebound from a disappointing 2024 season this offseason.
Despite having one of the best starting rotations in baseball, the Mariners missed out on the playoffs by one game for the second season in a row. It was the fourth straight year where the playoff race came down to the final week of the regular season for Seattle.
The lineup was the biggest point of grief for the Mariners in 2024. At one point the offense was on pace to set the major league record for amount of times striking out in a single season. They ended up avoiding being on the wrong side of history, but they still led the league in that category and were fanned 1,625 times.
There were a few bright spots for Seattle's offense. And one of them was catcher Cal Raleigh. He set the major league record for home runs by a catcher through their first four seasons with 93, passing Hall of Famer Mike Piazza. He also set franchise records for home runs by a catcher (34) and RBIs by a catcher (100) in a single season.
Cal Raleigh hits his 93rd career home run, most all-time among catchers through their first four seasons! pic.twitter.com/iSC0lfDbSE
— MLB (@MLB) September 29, 2024
Raleigh was arguably the best catcher in baseball last season. And according to a recent story from Brent Stecker of Seattle Sports, Raleigh set himself apart even from fellow switch-hitters.
Of Raleigh's 34 home runs in 2024, 21 were from the left side of the plate and 13 were from the right side.
Raleigh's hardest-hit home run batting lefty had a 113.9 MPH exit velocity. His hardest-hit homer batting right-handed was registered at 113.8 MPH. Both those home runs came in the same game against the Los Angeles Angels on July 11.
According to Stecker's story, Raleigh ranked 18th in baseball in barrels last season. There were only two switch-hitters ranked above Raleigh in that category: New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (14th) and Colorado Rockies first baseman Michael Toglia (15th). Neither of them had a hit from either side of the plate in 2024 that clocked in at 113 miles an hour.
When looking at switch-hitters as a whole, only one player had hits registered at 114 miles an hour or above from both sides of the plate: Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz. But when it came to barrels, he ranked 57th compared to Raleigh's 18th.
Raleigh took significant steps forward in 2024 at maintaining his power from both sides of the plate. And based on the statistics that Stecker laid out, there's very few players in the majors (if any) that can match Raleigh's all-around power. Especially among other switch-hitters.
Raleigh and center fielder Julio Rodriguez have cemented themselves as the faces of the Mariners offense. And the encore in 2025, with a full offseason of instruction under Senior Director of Hitting Strategy Edgar Martinez and hitting coach Kevin Seitzer, has a chance to be just as good.
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