Cal Raleigh is having a season for the ages in 2025.
The Baltimore Orioles and Seattle Mariners met for a series this week in Seattle. It featured two of Major League Baseball’s most talked-about catchers entering 2025: Adley Rutschman and Cal Raleigh. Over the first two months into the season, that debate has ended. Cal Raleigh has not only emerged as the best catcher in baseball—he’s arguably been the second-best player in the sport.
On Thursday, Raleigh showcased his dominance with a towering 24th home run of the year off Zach Eflin, followed by an RBI single. He drove in all three runs for the Mariners in a 4–3 loss to the Orioles.
If not for Aaron Judge’s historic run—potentially one of the greatest seasons in MLB history—Raleigh would be the clear frontrunner for American League MVP.
The 2024 AL Platinum Glove winner has taken an enormous leap with the bat in 2025. His numbers are staggering: 24 home runs, a slash line of .269/.379/.634 and a 186 wRC+. He’s on pace for 62 home runs and 10.4 fWAR. Those marks have only been hit by 2 players this century: Barry Bonds in 2001 and Aaron Judge in 2022.
Even more remarkable: Raleigh is doing this while playing the most physically demanding position in baseball. His 186 wRC+ would be the highest ever for a primary catcher—surpassing Mike Piazza’s 183 from 1997. And no catcher in history has reached 10 fWAR in a season. Buster Posey’s 9.8 in 2012 is the current high. Only three catchers—Posey, Johnny Bench (9.2 in 1972), and Piazza (9.1 in 1997)—have even crossed the 9-fWAR mark. Raleigh is on pace to blow past all of them.
And then there’s the power. The home run record for a primary catcher is 48, set by Salvador Pérez in 2021. Raleigh is on pace to shatter that. He’s also doing it as a switch-hitter—something only one player in MLB history, Mickey Mantle, has ever done with more than 50 home runs. Mantle hit 52 in 1956 and 54 in 1961. Raleigh is on pace to beat even that.
Factor in his home ballpark—Seattle’s T-Mobile Park, notorious as a hitter’s graveyard—and the feat becomes even more impressive. Since the Mariners moved there in 1999, no player has hit more than 44 home runs in a season (Nelson Cruz in 2015). Raleigh, who’s slashing .254/.353/.627 with 13 home runs at home, is on track to hit 31 at T-Mobile alone. Only Richie Sexson has hit more than 20 at home in a single season there, with 21 in 2005.
How Is He Doing It? His ground ball rate has dropped from 31.1% in 2024 to 25.2% in 2025. He’s hitting line drives at a career-high 20% clip. He’s pulling the ball more than ever (56.8%) and hitting fewer fly balls to the opposite field (14.2%). His pulled fly ball rate has jumped to 54.8% (up from 45.5% in 2024), and his barrel rate is up to a staggering 23.2%, placing him among MLB’s elite.
He’s also showing improved plate discipline, with a career-high walk rate of 14.1% and a career-low chase rate of 28.2%
He’s forcing pitchers into the zone—and punishing mistakes. His bat speed ranks in the 87th percentile, and his barrel rate is third in MLB. His wOBA ranks fourth (.426), while his xwOBA is 11th (.404) — indicating that while he may be outperforming slightly, the production is largely sustainable.
Can He Keep This Up?
Sustaining a 60-plus homer pace is rare in any era, especially so with how good pitchers are in 2025, but nothing in Raleigh’s profile screams fluke. The biggest threat to his pace might be the physical toll of catching, especially in the second half. But given his importance to the Mariners’ lineup—and his durability—those days off may be minimal.
Cal Raleigh isn’t just the best catcher in MLB this season — he might be putting together the greatest season by a catcher in MLB history.
Photo: Seattle Mariners’ Cal Raleigh, right, hits a two-run home run as Los Angeles Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe watches during the first inning of a baseball game Saturday, June 7, 2025, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
