
#29 C · Mariners
Height
6'2"
Weight
235 lbs
Age
29
College
Florida State
Draft
2018, Rd 3, #90
Experience
5 yrs
Bats/Throws
B/R
Grade CAL Raleigh
Your grade joins the crowd-sourced Fan Verdict.
On the field, CAL Raleigh grades out as an excellent C for Mariners (A+ Performance). That places him 1st of 92 graded catchers. The money matches the play — the Contract Value Index lands at A, a clear bargain. The public read is positive (B- Sentiment), drawn from current news and social signal rather than the box score.
| Year | Team | GP | AVG | HR | RBI | OPS | SB | H |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Career | ![]() | 664 | 0.22150537 | 160 | 394 | 0.7814039 | 23 | 515 |
| 2026 | ![]() | 41 | .161 | 7 | 18 | .560 | 2 | 26 |
| 2025 |
Length
6 years
Total Value
$105.0M
Guaranteed
$63.0M
AAV
$17.5M/yr
How Cal Raleigh plays at C earns him an A+ performance grade. At 29, a six-year veteran and a 2025 Silver Slugger and All-MLB 1st Team selection, Raleigh represents franchise-caliber catcher production—the kind of elite, two-way contributor who impacts both sides of the plate and behind the dish. His 2026 season tells a complicated story: across 41 games, he's posted a .161 AVG with 7 HR and 57 K, numbers that reflect a sluggish start and significantly reduced playing time, yet his walk-off heroics and clutch delivery in high-leverage spots have kept his reputation intact despite the raw output. The strikeout rate stands as the most glaring weakness—57 K in 41 games signals swing-and-miss issues that weren't hallmarks of his Silver Slugger caliber in recent years—though his power stroke (7 HR in a limited role) remains intact. What complicates the narrative is the timing: Raleigh's early-season slump and brief injury absence have coincided with Seattle's roster reshuffling, which has relegated him to a part-time role even as he's worked his way back to health; media coverage has centered more on his injury status and deployment questions than on celebration of an elite talent. The disconnect between his A+ grade and B- sentiment reflects this reality—his body of work as one of baseball's most complete catchers is undeniable, but the 2026 reality has been muddied by situational noise that, if resolved through full-time health and regular at-bats, should correct itself quickly as the Mariners navigate the stretch run.
Other same-position deals the Contract Value Index also places in the A band — a quick read on where CAL's contract sits relative to comparable money.
CAL Raleigh ranks 1st of 92 graded catchers by performance. CAL grades out ahead of names like Will Smith (A).
Peers ranked by Performance grade among players at the same position. Tap any name for their full profile.
| Date | OPP | Result | AB | H | R | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed, 6/17 | vs BAL | W 3-1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
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CAL Raleigh is a player in his 5th MLB season listed at C for the Mariners. FanVerdicts covers every MLB player, team, GM, and transaction — and puts your verdict on all of it. Sign in to cast your Fan Verdict on CAL Raleigh, see where the crowd lands, and argue the call. FanVerdicts also brings its own read — performance, sentiment, and Contract Value Index — as one honest input alongside the crowd's. Where FanVerdicts has weighed in so far: Contract Value Index A, Performance A+, Sentiment B-.
The crowd's Fan Verdict moves in real time as fans vote on this profile. FanVerdicts' own read updates as new data lands — performance recalculates when MLB game stats post, sentiment shifts with media coverage and fan discussion, and the Contract Value Index recomputes when contract terms change. Contract details below show the structure (years, total value, average annual value, guarantees) behind the Contract Value Index read.
For league-wide context, the MLB hub has team rankings, GM report cards, the transactions feed, and live scoreboards. The MLB player rankings page sorts every active player by performance and contract value within their position.
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| 159 |
| .247 |
| 60 |
| 125 |
| .948 |
| 14 |
| 147 |
| 2024 | ![]() | 153 | .220 | 34 | 100 | .748 | 6 | 120 |
| 2023 | ![]() | 145 | .232 | 30 | 75 | .762 | 0 | 119 |
| 2022 | ![]() | 119 | .211 | 27 | 63 | .773 | 1 | 78 |
| 2021 | ![]() | 47 | .180 | 2 | 13 | .532 | 0 | 25 |
Cal Raleigh's public perception sits at a B- — respectable but notably muted relative to what his on-field track record warrants. The narrative driving that gap is a combination of a slow start to the 2026 season and a reduced starting role that has fans and media hedging despite his history of delivering in the biggest moments; the walk-off heroics off the bench against the Yankees, rather than quieting the noise, have actually amplified the underlying concern about his deployment. That disconnect is stark when you stack the sentiment against his A+ performance grade — a 2025 Silver Slugger, 2025 All-MLB 1st Team selection, and a 2024 Gold Glove paint the picture of one of the most complete catchers in the game, yet the conversation in the last two weeks has been defined more by injury updates and MRI results than by celebration of an elite talent. His recent return to the lineup after a brief injury absence has done little to reset the narrative, and a high-profile moment of sportsmanship toward Angels outfielder Jo Adell — publicly tipping his cap after Adell robbed multiple home runs — has at least kept the character framing of Raleigh strongly positive. Seattle's flurry of recent roster activity, including signings at third base and in the bullpen, suggests a front office actively trying to shore up a 18-20 club sitting on the bubble of the American League playoff picture, which makes Raleigh's health and availability all the more critical to how this team is perceived heading forward. The bottom line: Raleigh's sentiment grade is being weighed down by situational concerns — injury, reduced starts, a sluggish early-season stretch — that feel temporary when measured against the body of work of a franchise-caliber catcher; if he returns to full-time duty healthy, the narrative should correct itself quickly.