After finishing as the AL MVP runner-up last season, Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh has positioned himself to finish atop a different sort of voting this year. It’s no longer hyperbole to argue that Raleigh is among baseball’s most disappointing players, and he might very well win the crown.
He entered Wednesday’s showdown with the Yankees having provided -0.4 bWAR through 86 games, and his average is down to .159. Incredibly, Raleigh’s .564 OPS would be the worst among qualified players, an even 15 points below Rockies shortstop Ezequiel Tovar’s .579.
Cal Raleigh lumps in his struggles with Mariners teammates
At this point, you would think that Raleigh would take full accountability, even if it meant offering the generic media-friendly responses about being frustrated but confident he’ll turn things around amid a division title race.
Instead, while meeting with reporters on Tuesday night, Raleigh took the bold approach of lumping in his struggles with a Mariners team that had just dropped its fifth straight.
Cal Raleigh is tied for the third-worst single-season batting average in MLB history (min 350 PA).
— Eric Cross (@EricCrossMLB) August 12, 2026
The only two lower than him both played over 100 years ago.
Also, shoutout to Bill Bergen for having two of the three worst marks here. He played 947 MLB games and hit .170. pic.twitter.com/vKKmbXbGAe
“Sometimes, when you’re feeling bad for yourself, you get a little lackadaisical out there and maybe have a little less energy, or maybe you don’t have quite the same edge that you should have every single day,” Raleigh said.
In fairness to Raleigh, he also called himself “awful” and said the team’s losing starts with him. He’s correct on both points.
Don't let Cal Raleigh distract you from reality
That said, what does the Mariners’ recent slump have to do with Raleigh being one of the league’s worst hitters when healthy? You can’t even lump him into Adam Dunn territory where you’re accepting an incredibly low average and high strikeout rate because of the legitimate power threat. Granted, at least Raleigh has better numbers than Dunn did in 2011, when he recorded a staggering -2.9 bWAR with the White Sox.
But is that really the bar that we’re going to set with Raleigh? Saying that you’re “awful” and then immediately pointing out that the team is also riding a cold streak undermines your entire attempt to own up to your repeated hitting failures.
And as for the idea that players can get “a little lackadaisical” when they feel bad for themselves, consider that Raleigh recently suggested that the World Baseball Classic has contributed to his dreadful season. So did he essentially admit that he’s not giving 100% because of how poorly he’s playing? That’s exactly what you would want to hear from your $105 million catcher.
Besides lowering his strikeout rate, perhaps the best thing that Raleigh can do for himself is to stop talking. Even going back to his World Baseball Classic feud with teammate Randy Arozarena, Raleigh has proven that he lacks the maturity and emotional intelligence needed to be a successful leader. He doesn’t know when to keep his mouth shut or end a sentence early.
Those around the Mariners should strongly consider reinforcing that suggestion before it’s too late. Seattle has enough problems without its star catcher voluntarily becoming a distraction during the playoff hunt.
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