In 2024,Raleigh won his first American LeagueGold Glove Award and the Platinum Glove Award,given to the best defensive player in the league. In 2025,he earned his first All-Star selection,became the first catcher and switch hitter to win the MLB Home Run Derby,and broke the record for the most home runs in a season by a catcher and a switch hitter. He also became the seventh player in MLB history to hit 60 home runs in a season and was named The Sporting News MLB Player of the Year.[6]
Raleigh was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the third round,with the 90th overall pick,of the 2018 Major League Baseball draft.[14] He signed with the Mariners,receiving an $854,000 signing bonus.[15] Raleigh made his professional debut that summer with the Low-A Everett AquaSox,batting .288 with eight home runs and 29 RBIs in 38 games. He started 2019 with the High-A Modesto Nuts,where he was named a California League All-Star[16] before being promoted to the Double-AArkansas Travelers in mid-July.[17] In 121 games for the two clubs,Raleigh slashed .251/.323/.497 with 29 home runs and 82 RBIs.[18]
Raleigh practiced and scrimmaged at the Mariners' alternate site in Tacoma in 2020[19] but did not play in a game because the minor league baseball season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[20] Raleigh returned to Tacoma to start 2021 with the Triple-ATacoma Rainiers,hitting .324/.377/.608 with nine home runs in 44 games.[21]
2021:MLB debut
On July 11,2021,Raleigh was selected to the 40-man roster and promoted to the major leagues for the first time.[22] He made his MLB debut that day,starting at catcher against the Los Angeles Angels,striking out twice in four hitless at bats.[23] Raleigh recorded his first career hits and RBIs with a two-RBI double and single against Germán Márquez of the Colorado Rockies on July 20.[24][25] On July 23,Raleigh hit his first MLB home run,a two-run,444-foot blast off Oakland Athletics starter Frankie Montas.[26] Splitting time at catcher with Tom Murphy,Raleigh finished the 2021 season with a .180/.223/.309 slash line,two home runs,13 RBI,and 52 strikeouts in 47 games.[27]
2022:drought-ending home run
Raleigh started 2022 continuing to struggle to make contact,with an .083 batting average and striking out in 32 percent of his plate appearances in his first nine games.[28] He was optioned down to Tacoma on April 28,[29] returning to the Mariners on May 7 after Murphy suffered a dislocated shoulder.[30] After another 10 games with a .091 average,Raleigh's bat blossomed,hitting .228 with an .854 on-base plus slugging (OPS) and 24 home runs the rest of the season.[28][30][31] On September 30,Raleigh hit a pinch-hit,walk-off home run against Domingo Acevedo of the Athletics[32] to clinch the Mariners' first postseason appearance since 2001,[3] ending the longest active playoff drought amongst the four major North American sports leagues.[33] Raleigh finished the 2022 regular season with a .211/.284/.489 slash line,20 doubles,one triple,and 63 RBI in 119 games.[34] His 27 home runs led MLB catchers and surpassed Mike Zunino for the most home runs by a Mariners catcher in a season.[35][36] He was a finalist at catcher for the American League (AL) Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards,losing to Jose Trevino of the New York Yankees and Alejandro Kirk of the Toronto Blue Jays,respectively.[37][38][39][40]
Raleigh also had big hits to start the postseason. In the Wild Card Series against the Toronto Blue Jays,Raleigh hit a two-run home run off of Alek Manoah in Game 1.[41] In the second game,he hit an RBI single off of Anthony Bass,[42] then scored the winning run. However,his offense disappeared in the AL Division Series (ALDS),as he went 1-for-14 in three consecutive losses to the Houston Astros.[43]
2023
On May 15,2023,Raleigh became the first catcher to homer from both sides of the plate in the same game at Fenway Park,hitting his home runs in consecutive plate appearances.[44][45] In 145 games for Seattle in 2023,he batted .232/.306/.456 with 30 home runs and 75 RBI. When the Mariners were eliminated from postseason contention,Raleigh criticized the Mariners' lack of spending,saying,"Sometimes,you have to go out and you have to buy. That's just the name of the game."[46] He was a Silver Slugger finalist again in 2023.[47]
2024:Platinum Glove
Raleigh in 2024
Raleigh broke a tooth after biting down on a sandwich on April 23,2024. Despite severe pain,he hit a home run in that night's game against the Texas Rangers. He had oral surgery the following day,missing just one game before his return to catching.[48][49] On June 10,Raleigh hit a walk-off grand slam off Jordan Leasure,capping off a 8–4 comeback win over the Chicago White Sox.[50][51] Raleigh homered from both sides of the plate twice in July,on July 9 against the San Diego Padres,then two days later against the Angels.[52] In the Mariners' final game of the season,Raleigh hit his 34th home run to reach 100 RBIs in a season for the first time in his career.[53][34] It was his 93rd career home run,topping Mike Piazza for the most home runs in a catcher's first four MLB seasons.[54] However,Raleigh hit 15 of his home runs as designated hitter or pinch hitter,[55] while Piazza hit only one home run while not playing catcher in his first four seasons.[56]
Raleigh hit .220/.312/.436 with 34 home runs,100 RBI,and a career-high six stolen bases and 176 strikeouts in 2024.[34] He won the Gold Glove and Platinum Glove awards in 2024,becoming the first Mariner in franchise history to receive the latter honor.[57][58] Raleigh particularly excelled as a pitch framer,playing a key role in elevating the Mariners' rotation to one of the most dominant and consistent in baseball.[59][60] He was a Silver Slugger finalist for the third consecutive year.[61]
2025:Home run records
On March 25,2025,Raleigh and the Mariners agreed to a six-year,$105 million contract extension,with a seventh-year vesting player option worth $20 million,accompanied by a $2 million buyout.[62]
First half:June Player of the Month
On April 11,Raleigh became the Mariners' franchise home run leader among catchers,hitting his 96th career home run in the eighth inning against the Texas Rangers.[63] On April 16,Raleigh recorded his 100th career home run,a solo home run in the top of the seventh inning against the Cincinnati Reds. He became the fourth-fastest catcher (482 games) to reach 100 home runs,trailing Gary Sánchez (355),Mike Piazza (422),and Rudy York (422).[64] He hit 10 home runs in April,tied for the major league lead with Aaron Judge and Eugenio Suárez.[65] On May 30 against the Minnesota Twins,Raleigh hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the first inning,becoming the first catcher in history to hit 20 home runs before the end of May. It was just the 29th time in MLB history and the fifth time a Mariners player has reached 20 home runs by the end of May,joining Ken Griffey Jr. (three times,in 1994,1997,1999) and Alex Rodriguez (1998).[66] On June 2,Raleigh was named the AL Player of the Week,shared with Junior Caminero for May 26–June 1,a span in which he batted .348 with 6 home runs,10 RBI,and a 1.575 OPS. It was his first career Player of the Week Award.[67]
Raleigh became the first player in the season to reach 25 home runs on June 7 when he hit a three-run home run off Jack Kochanowicz of the Angels in the first inning.[68] On June 17,Raleigh achieved his eighth stolen base,the most stolen bases in a single season by a catcher in franchise history.[69] On June 20,Raleigh hit his 28th and 29th home runs against the Chicago Cubs. With his performance,Raleigh passed Johnny Bench's record,set in 1970,for the most home runs by a primary catcher before the All-Star break.[70] On June 21,Raleigh became the first player to reach 30 home runs in the season,and became the first catcher and switch hitter in MLB history to hit 30 home runs before the All-Star break. He was also the fastest player to reach 30 home runs in a season since Barry Bonds and Luis Gonzales in 2001. Griffey was the only other Mariner to hit 30 home runs before the break.[71] On June 23,Raleigh was named the AL Player of the Week for June 16–22,a span in which he batted .417 (10–24) with 10 Runs,five home runs,12 RBI,and an OPS of 1.606.[72]
At the end of June,Raleigh reached 33 home runs,tied for the third-most home runs in major league history through June with Griffey and Sammy Sosa in 1998 and trailing only Barry Bonds with 39 in 2001 and Mark McGwire with 37 in 1998.[73] Raleigh was named the AL Player of the Month in June,after slashing .300/.398/.690 with 11 home runs and 27 RBIs on the month. It was Raleigh's first monthly award.[74]
On July 4,Raleigh hit two home runs against the Pittsburgh Pirates,setting a new single-season career high of 35 home runs. With his second home run,he matched Griffey's 1998 season for most home runs in franchise history before the All-Star break. Raleigh's first home run had a 115.2 mph exit velocity,the hardest-hit ball of his career.[75] On July 8,Raleigh passed Griffey for the most home runs hit before the All-Star break in Mariners history with a home run against the Yankees.[76] On July 11,in a game against the Detroit Tigers,Raleigh hit two home runs—his 37th and 38th of the season. The second was a grand slam and brought him within one home run of Barry Bonds' all-time MLB record of 39 home runs before the All-Star break. With those two home runs,Raleigh set the AL record for most home runs before the All-Star Break.[77]
All-Star break and second half:home run records chase
Raleigh was selected to start in the All-Star Game on July 2,winning both the fan vote and player vote and trailing only Aaron Judge in total votes.[78] Previously,on June 27,Raleigh announced that he would compete in the Home Run Derby,and invited his father Todd,to pitch to him with his younger brother Todd Jr. catching.[79][80] Raleigh won the Home Run Derby,defeating Caminero in the final round,18–15. Raleigh became the first switch-hitter to win the derby outright,the second Mariner to win the derby (following Griffey,who won in 1994,1998,and 1999),and the first catcher in MLB history to win the derby.[81] In the All-Star Game,Raleigh successfully challenged a called ball,with the automated ball-strike challenge system used in the game for the first time changing a Tarik Skubal pitch to a strike.[82] Raleigh was 1-for-2 in his first All-Star Game,singling off David Peterson.[83]
On July 22,Raleigh tied Griffey with the most homers in a player's first five seasons in franchise history,with 132 when he scored the only run of the game with a solo home run against the Milwaukee Brewers.[84] On July 27,Raleigh hit a 416-foot home run against the Los Angeles Angels off pitcher JoséFermín. With that homer,Raleigh became the first catcher and first switch-hitter in MLB history to hit 40 home runs before the end of July. He was the fifth different player in Mariners franchise history to hit at least 40 home runs in a single season,putting him alongside Griffey,Jay Buhner,Alex Rodriguez,and Nelson Cruz.
On August 24,Raleigh hit his 48th and 49th home runs against the Athletics. With that performance,he set the single-season home run record by a player who primarily plays catcher,passing Salvador Perez. He also set records for most multi-homer games in a season by a switch hitter with nine,surpassing Mickey Mantle,and most multi-homer games in a season in Mariners history,surpassing Griffey.[85] On August 25,Raleigh hit his 50th home run of the season against San Diego Padres pitcher JP Sears,becoming the first primary catcher to hit 50 home runs in a season and the second Mariner to do so after Griffey.[86] He also became the first switch hitter to hit 20 home runs from each side of the plate in a season.[87] Raleigh slumped in August,batting .179 with 8 home runs and 9 non-home run hits.[88]
On September 14,Raleigh tied Mantle's 1961 record for most home runs by a switch-hitter.[89] That homer was also Raleigh's 43rd home run this season while playing catcher,passing Javy Lopez in 2003 for the single-season record.[90] On September 16,Raleigh broke Mantle's record,hitting home runs 55 and 56 of the season. He tied Griffey for the most home runs in a season by a Mariner.[91] On September 20,Raleigh hit his 57th home run of the season,passing Griffey for the most home runs in a season in franchise history in a win over the Astros.[92] On September 24,Raleigh hit two home runs to reach his final total of 60 home runs,which led the majors. He was the first catcher to hit 60 home runs,and one of only seven players in MLB history to hit 60 home runs in a season,and the first in the American League who was not a member of the New York Yankees. He also tied the MLB record with 11 multi-homer games in a season,joining Hank Greenberg,Sosa,and Judge.[93][94][88] These achievements came in a 9–2 victory over the Colorado Rockies,with the Mariners clinching their first AL West title since 2001.[95]
Raleigh finished the regular season with a .247/.359/.589 slash line,setting new career highs with 147 hits,110 runs scored,24 doubles,and 14 stolen bases across 159 games. He led the AL with 125 RBI and led the majors with 60 home runs.[34]
Postseason
Raleigh batted .381 with 4 walks in the five-game ALDS win over the Detroit Tigers.[43] In Game 2,he doubled and scored the game-winning run in the eighth inning.[96] He homered in the ninth inning of Game 3 in Detroit. His home run ball was caught by a fan wearing a homemade shirt saying "Dump 61 Here," referring to Raleigh's nickname and season home run total. The fan then took off the shirt,showing a "Dump 62 Here" shirt underneath. He met Raleigh after the game.[97][98] In the 15-inning Game 5,Raleigh was 1-for-5 with two walks and three strikeouts. He committed a passed ball,after allowing none in the regular season,and threw out a would-be base stealer.[99][100][101]
Many of Raleigh's relatives also play baseball. His father,Todd Raleigh,coached college baseball for the Western Carolina Catamounts and Tennessee Volunteers[8] and was a catcher for Western Carolina from 1988 to 1991.[104] Raleigh's younger brother Todd Jr.,nicknamed "T," is,like Cal,a switch-hitting catcher. Todd Jr. served as the catcher for Cal in the 2025 Home Run Derby.[105][106] Raleigh's uncle Matt was a minor league infielder from 1992 to 2000 after playing alongside Todd at Western Carolina.[107] Raleigh's cousin and Matt's son,Brody,is an outfielder at Western Carolina.[108] Raleigh has other siblings.[8]
Raleigh's Big Dumper nickname,referring to his large butt,was popularized by former teammate Jarred Kelenic,who started using it in 2020[2] and tweeted it in 2021 when Raleigh was promoted to the Mariners.[109] Raleigh's mother said she thinks the nickname "stinks" but appreciates fans' support for her son.[110]
Raleigh attended Catholic schools in Knoxville,Tennessee growing up,including Sacred Heart Catholic School before high school.[112] He earned his degree in business entrepreneurship from FSU in December 2020.[113]
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