Cal Raleigh… for AL MVP? Mariners catcher on pace for historic season
For every big swing and eye-popping home run, Cal Raleigh is building his case for something bigger. Chants of “M-V-P! M-V-P!” are growing louder in the Emerald City for Seattle’s 28-year-old catcher as opposing spectators look away, grit their teeth, and wait for Big Dumper to strike.
The calls for American League MVP reached Raleigh last Friday on a sunny afternoon at Chicago’s Wrigley Field — moments after he and Mitch Garver each delivered two-homer games in a 9-4 win over the Cubs and became the first pair of catching teammates to homer twice in the same MLB game since 1979.
Raleigh smiled: “Catchers rake, I guess.”
If not for Yankees superstar Aaron Judge, Raleigh would be running away with the American League’s MVP Award. And as days pass, it’s less hyperbolic to suggest that Seattle’s Platinum Glove winner is on pace for the greatest single season by a backstop in major league history.
With 32 home runs and 69 RBI in his first 77 games this season, Raleigh has surpassed All-Star status and has instead forced the baseball world to consider: Where does Big Dumper rank among MLB’s elite?
By now, Seattle’s George Kirby has come to expect the nightly fireworks show. Mariners manager and former catcher Dan Wilson routinely watches in disbelief from the dugout steps, entitled to a front-row seat for history in the making.
“He just continues to find barrels,” Wilson said. “Gets himself into good counts. He’s just doing it all. It’s amazing what he’s been doing.
“He’s locked in. I think he’s just so dangerous because he’s tough to pitch to. He hits breaking balls, he hits the hard stuff… and he hits to all fields.”
In MLB’s latest round of All-Star polling updates, Raleigh (1,901,389) paces American League catchers by more than one million votes, a surefire pick to start next month’s Midsummer Classic in Atlanta. He homered again Monday night in Minnesota — a blast in four straight games that kept him on pace to hit 67 home runs and shatter Judge’s single-season league record (62) set in 2022.
The first switch-hitter to reach 30 home runs before the All-Star Break in MLB history, Raleigh joined another elite club of major leaguers to notch that mark before July 1: Babe Ruth (twice), Ken Griffey Jr. (twice), Sammy Sosa (twice), Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, Luis Gonzalez, Albert Pujols, Chris Davis, Shohei Ohtani, and Aaron Judge. Raleigh still has six games before the calendar flips.
“I’m very gracious for all of that,” Raleigh told reporters last week. “It’s great. But for now, I’ll just try to keep my head down. The minute you look up and start to admire (is) when the game will come around and put you in your place.
“I’m just trying to keep going and get as many wins as we can… and the rest will take care of itself.”
Big Dumper ranks in the top 10 percent of major league hitters in each of wOBA (.494), expected slugging percentage (.593), barrel percentage (20.0), and walk rate (13.6%), per Statcast. Opposing arms afraid to serve meatballs pitch Raleigh on the edges — and he crushes those, too.
Mariners right-hander Bryan Woo said he’s surprised some pitchers elect to throw anything Raleigh’s way instead of holding up four fingers and awarding him first base via intentional walk.
“I think a lot of people don’t want to pitch to him,” Seattle starter Logan Gilbert said Sunday, Raleigh’s minor-league roommate. “He can beat you in a lot of different ways, and it seems like he’s doing it every single game. It’s awesome.”
Sportsbooks in Las Vegas consider the hunt for the American League MVP a two-man race between Judge (-2000) and Raleigh (+650) with no other contenders closer than a 75-1 long shot. The Yankees center fielder has slashed .367/.468/.734 with 28 home runs and 62 RBI in 78 games, another marvelous campaign by the engine of the Bronx Bombers.
So how does Raleigh compare? Aside from elite defense behind the plate, he’s slashing .278/.383/.665 with a major league-leading 32 home runs and 69 RBI. Raleigh is homering every nine at-bats, on average, with a spray chart populated from foul pole to foul pole.
“I think I’m just trying to have good at-bats and stay within myself,” Raleigh said. “I’m trying to stay consistent and have that baseline of what I’m trying to do up there.
“Also, I think just focusing on my approach and what I’m trying to do rather than what the pitcher’s trying to do. Sometimes, we can get caught up in their pitches and locations. … I think that’s the difference.”
Raleigh went 2-for-4 with a double, intentional walk, and RBI in Tuesday’s 6-5 win over the Minnesota Twins, Seattle’s third straight victory.
The Mariners (41-37) hold the AL’s third and final wild card allocation but remain 4.5 games behind the Houston Astros for the American League West lead.
This story was originally published June 25, 2025 at 12:00 PM with the headline "Cal Raleigh… for AL MVP? Mariners catcher on pace for historic season."
