Experts on Cal Raleigh: ‘The single greatest first half a catcher has ever had’
By winning the Home Run Derby Monday night, Cal Raleigh added another accomplishment to his long list of historic feats this season.
What’s next? Surely, he’ll hit home runs from both sides of the plate tonight in the All-Star Game. The second one will be a grand slam in the ninth inning, rallying the American League from a 7-4 deficit to an 8-7 win over the National League.
Then Raleigh will be named the Most Valuable Player in the game and return to Seattle to hit home runs No. 39 and 40 against the Astros this weekend.
None of what he’s doing seemed possible when the Mariners were preparing for their season at spring training in Peoria. Raleigh had been a very good player, maybe even the most valuable on his team, but nobody could have foreseen the year he’s having, one that is rewriting history.
That includes Raleigh’s agent because if he had, his client would have gotten a contract worth much more than the one he received - a six-year deal averaging $17.8 million a year. This season Raleigh is making $11 million, which has to be the best bang for your buck in baseball.
As you know, he reached the All-Star break with 38 home runs in 94 games - sitting out for only two - a pace for 66 if he plays in the final 66 games. That would tie Sammy Sosa for third-most in a season all-time, seven behind Barry Bonds, who blasted a steroid-aided 73 in 2001.
It’s widely believed that Raleigh is doing it without an assist from drugs, but some skeptics are suspicious since he averaged 30 home runs in his previous three seasons and is suddenly on the verge of more than doubling that total in 2025.
It’s more fair to suggest that the so-called torpedo bats are a contributing factor, but they’re legal so that’s not a controversial issue at all.
All of what’s happening got me to thinking - out of everything that Raleigh is doing, what’s the most amazing thing to you?
There are many options. Maybe you think it’s the fact that he’s dramatically improved his power numbers from the right side. In the previous three years he hit a combined 20 HRs right-handed. This year 17 of his 38 homers have been right-handed.
Maybe that he’s doing it while having to play in a hitter-unfriendly park 82 times a year. Or that he’s doing it as a catcher who has priorities elsewhere, game-planning with his pitchers on a nightly basis, detailing what works best against hitters in the opposing lineups. Or that he remains an elite defensive catcher.
I asked two reporters and a broadcaster who cover the Mariners on a daily basis the same question.
Adam Jude, Seattle Times:
“This has to be the greatest first half in Mariners history, and no one saw this coming. To think Raleigh would eclipse anything Ken Griffey Jr. ever did — I mean, come on.
“Raleigh made some swing adjustments in the offseason, but to do what he’s doing from the right side, in particular, is very impressive. I don’t know the exact number, but I’d guess Raleigh spends something like 70% of his time on catching duties, which just further highlights how remarkable he’s been offensively.
“And what I think stands out the most is teammates’ reactions to Raleigh’s historic stretch — everyone is in awe, yes. But everyone just universally respects him as a player, a person and a leader, and that seems to be even more rare than anything he’s done with his bat.
Tim Booth, Seattle Times:
“The most amazing thing I think Cal Raleigh is doing is what he is accomplishing as a right-handed hitter. His catching has remained among the best in the league. His throwing feels like it’s gotten better as the season has gone on and we all knew what he was capable of doing as a left-handed hitter.
“But in the past there could be an argument made that when a lefty was on the mound, that was a chance to give Cal the day off because he just wasn’t as good of a hitter from that side. Coming into this season, Raleigh had a career slash line of .202/.271/.410/.681 with 20 homers, 15 doubles and 60 RBI from the right side of the plate.
“This season, his numbers are off the charts. He’s slashing .337/.385/.861/1.247 with 17 homers. I think it speaks tremendously to the kind of drive Raleigh has to not be satisfied with being regarded as the best defensive catcher in the game, but rather be regarded as one of the best players – period – in the game.
Gary Hill, Mariners color analyst and play-by-play broadcaster:
“I’m astonished that with each swing he is knocking down records set by the very best this game has ever seen. Griffey, Johnny Bench, Mickey Mantle and the list goes on. We may have just witnessed the single greatest first half a catcher has ever had. This is not a statement I make lightly. Thousands of catchers in well over a century of baseball. Even asking the question is a statement on what Cal has done. He has been incredible.”
My answer is a different one - I just greatly appreciate how humble Raleigh is, and in this day and age, that stands out as amazing to me. He could get caught up in his startling greatness and become full of himself. But Raleigh hasn’t, and this appears to be something that will stay with him the rest of his career, even if he becomes the best catcher ever and a future Hall of Famer.
Raleigh’s a big deal who doesn’t think he’s a big deal. When he was selected to the All-Star team after being heavily promoted by the Mariners, he apologized to his teammates for being the center of attention and was glad that the Cal campaign had ended.
He was seen handing out water to teammates during that ungodly hot weather in Chicago last month when, as the catcher with all that gear on, he’s the one who needed relief the most.
Humility in my book is an outstanding trait, one that eclipses his greatness on the field, setting him apart in the best way possible. It makes it easy to say you’re happy for him because you truly are.
You hope he can keep going at this unprecedented pace and I’m guessing he hopes he can give us something else we’ve never seen before - a World Series appearance by the Mariners.
Jim Moore has covered Washington’s sports scene from every angle for multiple news outlets. He appears Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 10 a.m. on Jason Puckett’s podcast at PuckSports.com. He writes a Substack blog at jimmoorethego2guy.substack.com. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) @cougsgo.
This story was originally published July 15, 2025 at 8:53 AM with the headline "Experts on Cal Raleigh: ‘The single greatest first half a catcher has ever had’."