While Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh cemented himself last season as one of the MLB’s star players, the added attention leaves him with more scrutiny as well. A Sports Illustrated article titled “MLB’s 10 Biggest Disappointments From the First Half” names Raleigh as one of its headline setbacks of the season so far. It is easy to understand why: Raleigh’s play this year does not even compare to last season.
In 2025, Raleigh batted .247/.359/.589 with 60 home runs and a 9.1 fWAR. His performance made him a neck and neck MVP Candidate with Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees. However, this season he bats .169/.266/.320 with 9 home runs and a 0.6 fWAR in 60 games. Raleigh did miss some of the first half due to an oblique injury. Yet, there has to be more going on than injury.
Since his return, Raleigh has played much better for the Seattle Mariners, but his splits are still around the MLB average offensively. His wRC+ sits at 100 for the months of June and July so far. The Mariners simply need more from their MVP caliber catcher.
MLB: Seattle Mariners Cal Raleigh Leads List of Largest Regressions in 2026
GettyRaleigh’s fall off enters some historical territory.
Looking at Raleigh’s season from a larger scope including the rest of the MLB, he leads a list of players in biggest fallers of wRC+ from last season. His wRC+ last season was 161 and this year it is 72 (increased three points after yesterday’s performance). Its worth noting that Seattle Mariners first baseman Josh Naylor also sits on this list, dropping from 128 to 93 (dropped one point after yesterday’s performance).
The Mariners need more from their offensive stars that helped make this roster a contender for the World Series. However, there are plenty of silver linings for the Seattle Mariners in the MLB. They are still second overall in World Series odds per Fangraphs. With how mediocre the American League continues to be, the Mariners just need their players to improve to easily be the front runner again. Easier said than done obviously, but there is plenty of hope.
Cal Raleigh Still Can Salvage This Season
GettyThe time is now for Raleigh to turn around his season.
In order for the Seattle Mariners to reach the World Series, Raleigh needs to get back to the force he was in 2025. His power and intelligence at the plate caused MLB managers to intentionally walk him to face Julio Rodríguez, a frightening proposition last year for opposing teams. The Mariners now have a deeper lineup, which is why they still sit at 47-45.
This roster is too talented to be hanging around .500, and the sense of urgency is starting to grow. Despite losing 5-6 to the Miami Marlins in Tuesday’s series opener, the Mariners came back from a 4-0 deficit. Raleigh had two doubles in the contest. They finally showed their resilience that made them such a compelling team to follow in the 2025 season.
The Seattle Mariners have a fantastic pitching staff and plenty of MLB ready contributors in the lineup. Once they can figure out their issues with consistency, the fun from last season will be revived. Raleigh will be a massive part of that.
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