SEATTLE (AP) — Just before Big Dumper put a thump into a soaring flyball, a smattering of “MVP! MVP!” chants broke out from behind home plate Sunday.
Given the way Cal Raleigh’s season has started, perhaps the Mariners’ catcher is wholly deserving of such high praise. With a solo shot during Seattle’s latest victory, Raleigh upped his total to a major league-leading 23 home runs.
“He’s having an excellent season, not only offensively but also defensively,” teammate Randy Arozarena said, with bench coach Manny Acta translating. “What he’s doing right now, it’s great because he’s carrying our offense pretty much.”
That’s no exaggeration on Arozarena’s part. And what Raleigh is doing is also unprecedented.
The 28-year-old backstop from North Carolina with the funny nickname became the first catcher in major league history to reach 20 home runs before the end of May. His 22 home runs entering June tied for the second-most in Mariners history behind only Ken Griffey Jr., who had 24 in 1997.
“He just continues to grow and mature in this game,” said Mariners manager Dan Wilson, a former catcher who was on that Seattle team in 1997. “And the pace that he’s on right now with home runs — and he’s not just hitting home runs, he’s still just hitting the ball hard.
“You add that to what he does behind the plate in a game like this — whew, he’s a real special player and he’s doing it all right now.”
According to Baseball Savant, Raleigh ranks eighth among big league catchers in Fielding Run Value.
He also has more home runs than Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge. So it’s no wonder Raleigh has already been worth 3.3 Wins Above Replacement, per baseball-reference.com, less than 60 games into the season for the AL West-leading Mariners.
“I just wish that he continues to stay healthy and (has) a very long career,” Seattle pitcher Luis Castillo said, with Acta translating. “Because it’s a lot of fun right now.”
Salvador Perez of the Kansas City Royals holds the big league record for home runs in a season by a catcher with 48 in 2021. Raleigh is on pace for 64 this year, which would break the American League mark of 62 set by Judge in 2022.
Sure, there’s still a long way to go in 2025.
But, awfully impressive for someone playing such a demanding and taxing position, where offense is often considered a luxury rather than a requirement.
“Sometimes it’s not playing harder, it’s playing smarter,” said Wilson, a major league catcher for 14 years. “And he continues to play smart baseball whether it’s behind the plate or at the bat. He’s coming up huge for us all over the place.”
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