Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The Seattle Mariners are confronting a troubling regression from star catcher Cal Raleigh just weeks into the new season.
- Last season's breakout star is battling intense pressure and a sharp performance decline that goes beyond early-season stats.
- The situation raises serious concerns for the Mariners' long-term plans with Raleigh under contract through 2030.
As he chased the American League single-season home run record last year, even the most in-touch baseball fans were excused if they wondered, “Who is Cal Raleigh?”
Great question, and it wasn’t just, “He’s the Mariners’ starting catcher.” He was a fiery slugger emerging as the newest face of a Seattle team finally working its way back into the national consciousness.
Only weeks into the new season, we’re again asking, “Who is Cal Raleigh?” Except this time, the Mariners might not like the answer.
Cal Raleigh’s 2026 season is a nightmare thus far
Even if you expected Raleigh to regress after last year’s 60-homer season, what we’ve seen through 13 games is disturbing. The reigning AL MVP runner-up has started the season hitting .143 with a .481 OPS.
Raleigh’s one homer through 13 games isn’t the problem, not unless you have a direct stake in his final numbers.
Instead, as we saw during his World Baseball Classic spat with teammate Randy Arozarena, it feels like Raleigh can’t handle the pressure.
There is a misconception that “pressure” really only applies when players are in a clutch situation or the expectations are incredibly high.
Sometimes, the expectations simply being elevated are too much. Raleigh might not be a household name like Aaron Judge or Shohei Ohtani, but far more people outside of the Pacific Northwest know him now.
First, we saw him publicly clash with Arozarena over a perceived snub at the WBC. Things became so uncomfortable following Arozarena’s profanity-laced rant that the two needed to issue a statement through the team.
So much for silencing the critics. Raleigh has struck out in nearly 40% of his plate appearances, no small feat considering he’s been up to bat 55 times.
It gets worse. Baseball Savant lists his “whiff rate” at 39.7%, meaning that we can’t exactly pin his strikeouts on bad luck or wide strike zones.
Should we be worried about Cal Raleigh?
Here’s the problem with Raleigh: All of these struggles and issues are far deeper than just a simple, early-season slump.
While recently discussing Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki, I argued that fixing low self-esteem or confidence is immensely difficult. It is not as easy as tweaking mechanics or adjusting a batting stance.
Through his first three seasons, Raleigh made a name for himself as a noted power threat, one capable of giving the Mariners home runs and an above-average OPS. No one saw last year’s breakout coming.
But between the Arozarena incident and his dismal performance, Raleigh is in a far worse position than one might think.
It would be one thing if Raleigh were on pace to be a one-year wonder, at least in terms of such a massive home run output. He averaged 4.0 bWAR from 2022–24, and every team would take that from their starting catcher.
But what happens if all of this is too much for Raleigh? He’s under contract through 2030, with a $20 million vesting option for 2031. The thought of being stuck with a player overwhelmed by increased eyes on him should terrify the Mariners.
So, who is Cal Raleigh? He’s certainly not someone inspiring much hope, that much is for sure.