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Cal Raleigh
American baseball player (born 1996) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Caleb John Raleigh (born November 26, 1996), nicknamed "Big Dumper",[2][3] is an American professional baseball catcher and designated hitter for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB). Raleigh is widely regarded as one of MLB's elite power threats, all-around catchers, and switch hitters.[4][5]
In 2024, Raleigh received his first Gold Glove Award and won the American League 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 in MLB history to win the Home Run Derby, and broke the record for the most home runs in a season by a primary catcher, with 50 so far in 2025.
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Amateur career
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Raleigh attended Smoky Mountain High School in Sylva, North Carolina. In his senior season, he hit .469 with 10 home runs and 20 stolen bases. He was named an All-American by Louisville Slugger, MaxPreps, and Under Armour.[6][7] He was named a conference player of the year in baseball and basketball. After originally committing to play for Clemson, Raleigh attended Florida State University (FSU), playing college baseball for the FSU Seminoles.[7][8][9] In 2016, he started all but one game and hit .301 with a .412 on-base percentage and was named a freshman All-American by Baseball America, the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, Louisville Slugger, and Perfect Game. That summer, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League, struggling to a .204 batting average.[10]
He had several dramatic hits in 2017, including driving in the winning run in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game, driving in the tying run in the Super Regional final against Sam Houston State, and hitting a home run in the bottom of the ninth inning of a College World Series game against the LSU Tigers.[6] In 2018, his final year at FSU, he slashed .326/.447/.583 with 13 home runs and 54 RBIs in 62 games.[11]
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Professional career
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Minor leagues (2018–2021)
Raleigh was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the third round, with the 90th overall pick, of the 2018 Major League Baseball draft.[12] He signed with the Mariners, receiving an $854,000 signing bonus.[13] 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[14] before being promoted to the Double-A Arkansas Travelers in mid-July.[15] In 121 games for the two clubs, Raleigh slashed .251/.323/.497 with 29 home runs and 82 RBIs.[16]
Raleigh practiced and scrimmaged at the Mariners' alternate site in Tacoma in 2020[17] but did not play in a game because the minor league baseball season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[18] Raleigh returned to Tacoma to start 2021 with the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers, hitting .324/.377/.608 with nine home runs in 44 games.[19]
Seattle Mariners (2021–present)
2021
On July 11, 2021, Raleigh was selected to the 40-man roster and promoted to the major leagues for the first time.[20] He made his MLB debut that day, starting at catcher against the Los Angeles Angels, striking out twice in four hitless at bats.[21] 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.[22][23] On July 23, Raleigh hit his first MLB home run, a two-run, 444-foot blast off Oakland Athletics starter Frankie Montas.[24] 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.[25]
2022
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.[26] He was optioned down to Tacoma on April 28,[27] returning to the Mariners on May 7 after Murphy suffered a dislocated shoulder.[28] After another 10 games with a .091 average, Raleigh's bat blossomed, hitting .228 with an .854 on-base plus slugging and 24 home runs the rest of the season.[26][28][29] On September 30, Raleigh hit a pinch-hit, walk-off home run against Domingo Acevedo of the Athletics[30] to clinch the Mariners' first postseason appearance since 2001,[3] ending the longest active playoff drought amongst the four major North American sports leagues.[31] He would also have big hits in the postseason. In the Wild Card Series against the Toronto Blue Jays, Raleigh hit a two-run home run off of Alek Manoah,[32] an RBI single off of Anthony Bass,[33] and scored the winning run in Game Two. His offense disappeared in the Division Series, as he went 1-for-14 in three consecutive losses to the Houston Astros.[34] Raleigh finished the 2022 regular season with a .211/.284/.489 slash line, 20 doubles, one triple, and 63 RBI in 119 games.[35] His 27 home runs led all MLB catchers and surpassed Mike Zunino for the most home runs by a Mariners catcher in a season.[36][37] He was a finalist at catcher for the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards, losing to Jose Trevino of the New York Yankees and Alejandro Kirk of the Toronto Blue Jays, respectively.[38][39][40][41]
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.[42][43] 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."[44] He was a Silver Slugger finalist again in 2023.[45]
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.[46][47] 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.[48][49] 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.[50] In the Mariners' final game of 2024, Raleigh hit his 34th home run of the season[51] to reach 100 RBIs in a season for the first time in his career.[35] It was his 93rd career home run, topping Mike Piazza for the most home runs in a catcher's first four MLB seasons.[52] However, Raleigh hit 15 of his home runs as designated hitter or pinch hitter,[53] while Piazza hit only one home run while not playing catcher in his first four seasons.[54]
Raleigh hit .220/.312/.436 with 34 home runs, 100 RBI, and a career-high six stolen bases and 176 strikeouts in 2024.[35] He won the Gold Glove and Platinum Glove awards in 2024, becoming the first Mariner in franchise history to receive the latter honor.[55][56] 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.[57][58] He was a Silver Slugger finalist for the third consecutive year.[59]
2025
On March 25, 2025, Raleigh and the Mariners agreed to a six-year, $105 million contract extension with a seventh-year $20 million vesting player option with a $2 million buyout.[60]
On April 11, Raleigh became the Mariners' franchise home run leader among catchers, hitting his 96th career home run in the bottom of the 8th inning against the Texas Rangers.[61] 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 only Gary Sánchez (355), Mike Piazza (422), and Rudy York (422).[62] He finished April with 10 home runs, tied for the major league lead with Aaron Judge and former teammate Eugenio Suárez.[63] On May 30 against the Minnesota Twins, Raleigh hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the first inning, thus becoming the first catcher in history to hit 20 home runs before the end of May. It marks just the 29th time in MLB history and the 5th time a Mariners player has reached 20 homers by the end of May, joining Ken Griffey Jr. (3×, 1994, ’97, ’99) and Alex Rodriguez (1998).[64] On June 2, Raleigh was named the American League Player of the Week, co-winning with Junior Caminero for May 26-June 1, a span in which he batted .348 (8–23) with 6 Runs, 6 home runs, 10 RBI, and an OPS of 1.575. It was his first career Player of the Week Award.[65] Raleigh became the first player in the season to reach 25 home runs against the Los Angeles Angels on June 7 when he hit a three-run home run off of pitcher Jack Kochanowicz in the first inning.[66] On June 17, Raleigh registered his eighth stolen base, the most stolen bases in a single season by a catcher in Mariners history.[67] On June 20, Raleigh hit his 28th and 29th home runs against the Chicago Cubs. With his performance, Raleigh passed Johnny Bench for the most home runs by a primary catcher before the All-Star break. Bench set the record during the 1970 season with 28 home runs in 87 games. Raleigh broke the 55-year-old record with 22 games remaining before the All-Star game.[68] On June 21, Raleigh became the first player to reach 30 home runs in the season, and became the first catcher in MLB history—and first switch-hitter—to hit 30 homers before the All-Star break. He was the fastest player to 30 home runs in a season since Barry Bonds and Luis Gonzales in 2001. In Mariners franchise history, Raleigh joins Ken Griffey Jr. as the only Mariners players to reach 30-plus homers before the break.[69] On June 23, Raleigh was named the American League 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.[70]
At the end of June, Raleigh reached 33 home runs, putting him in a three-way tie for third place for the most home runs in Major League history through June with Ken Griffey Jr. and Sammy Sosa in 1998. At the time, Raleigh trailed only Barry Bonds with 39 in 2001 and Mark McGwire with 37 in 1998.[71] Raleigh was named the American League Player of the Month in June 2025, after slashing .300/.398/.690 with 11 homers and 27 RBIs on the month. The honor was Raleigh's first Player of the Month.[72]
On July 4, Raleigh hit two home runs against the Pittsburgh Pirates, where he set a new single-season career high of 35 homers in 61 fewer games. With his second homer, he tied Ken Griffey Jr. (1998) for most homers in franchise history before the All-Star break. The first homer he hit was 115.2 mph as well, the hardest-hit ball of Raleigh's career.[73] Raleigh was selected as the American League's starting catcher on July 2, winning both the fan vote and player vote and trailing only Aaron Judge in total votes.[74] On July 8, Raleigh passed Ken Griffey Jr. for the most home runs hit before the All-Star break in Mariners history with a home run against the Yankees.[75] On July 11, 2025, 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.[76]
On June 27, Raleigh announced that he would participate in the 2025 Major League Baseball Home Run Derby, and invited his dad Todd, former coach of the Tennessee Volunteers baseball team, to pitch to him with his brother Todd Jr. catching.[77][78] Raleigh won the Home Run Derby, defeating Rays infielder Junior Caminero in the final round, 18–15. Raleigh became the first switch hitter to win the derby outright, the first Mariner to win the derby since Ken Griffey Jr. did so three times in 1994, 1998, and 1999; and the first catcher in MLB history to win the derby.[79] On July 22, Raleigh tied Griffey with the most homers in a player's first five seasons in Mariners franchise history, with 132 when hit the only run of the game via a solo home run against the Milwaukee Brewers.[80] On July 27, Raleigh hit a 416-foot home run against the Los Angeles Angels off pitcher José Fermín. 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’s now the fifth different player in Mariners franchise history to hit at least 40 home runs in a single season, putting him alongside Ken Griffey Jr., Jay Buhner, Alex Rodriguez, and Nelson Cruz. Raleigh is also the seventh catcher with 40+ home runs in a season, joining Johnny Bench, Mike Piazza (who each did it twice), Roy Campanella, Todd Hundley, Javy López, and Salvador Perez.[81] On July 31, Raleigh hit his 42nd home run against the Texas Rangers off Rangers pitcher Kumar Rocker. With that homer, Raleigh has the most homers in a single season by a switch-hitting catcher, surpassing Todd Hundley.[82] On August 24, Raleigh hit his 48th and 49th home runs against the Athletics. With his second homer, Raleigh has the most homers in a single season by a primary catcher, surpassing Salvador Perez. Also, in that same game, Raleigh has the most multi-homer games in a season by a switch-hitter with nine games, surpassing Mickey Mantle and most multi-homer games in a season in Mariners history with nine games, surpassing Ken Griffey Jr.[83] 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 Ken Griffey, Jr.[84] Also in the same game, Raleigh became the second switch-hitter in Major League history to hit 50 home runs in a season, joining Mickey Mantle. He also became the first player to hit 20 home runs from each side of the plate in a season.[85]
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Personal life
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Raleigh's parents are Stephanie and Todd Raleigh and he has three siblings, Emma Grace, Carley, and Todd Jr. Many of his relatives also play baseball. His father coached college baseball for the Western Carolina Catamounts and Tennessee Volunteers[6] and was a catcher for Western Carolina from 1988 to 1991.[86] 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 on July 14, 2025.[87][88] Raleigh's uncle Matt was a minor league infielder from 1992 to 2000 after playing alongside Todd at Western Carolina.[89] Raleigh's cousin and Matt's son, Brody, is an outfielder at Western Carolina.[90]
As a child, Raleigh rooted for Jason Varitek and the Boston Red Sox.[42][91]
Raleigh's Big Dumper nickname 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.[92] Raleigh's mother said she thinks the nickname "stinks" but appreciates fans' support for her son.[93]
Raleigh completed his degree in business entrepreneurship from FSU in December 2020.[94]
On June 13, 2024, Raleigh had his head shaved by former Mariner Jay Buhner as part of the team's "Buhner Buzz Cut" promotion.[95]
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