Cal Raleigh Just Proved He's Not a One-Hit Wonder, and That Should Terrify the Rest of Baseball
Look, we all saw what Cal Raleigh did last season. Sixty home runs. Second place in the AL MVP voting. The undisputed main character in the Mariners' first division title in 24 years. And he did it all while catching, which is honestly just ridiculous when you think about it.
So the question everyone's asking right now is simple: was that a peak we'll never see again, or is this the new normal for our guy?
From Solid to Absolutely Elite
Here's the thing, Raleigh walked into 2025 as arguably the most consistent player on the Mariners' roster. The three seasons before his breakout? Twenty-seven, thirty, and thirty-four home runs, with a WAR floating between 3.4 and 4.7. That's all-star caliber stuff right there.
But Julio Rodríguez was still the guy. The three-time All-Star had finished in the top seven of MVP voting three times in his four-year career. He was the Mariners' main man.
Then Cal happened. And honestly, we might be looking at one of the best Mariners seasons of the entire 21st century. The question became: is this the beginning of a legendary run, or a Roger Maris-style exception?
The Hype Machine Has Spoken
MLB Network just answered that question by elevating Raleigh to A-list status in its 2026 player rankings. They've got him fourth in all of baseball behind Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, and Bobby Witt Jr. For context, he was 59th in those same rankings just a year ago. ESPN has him seventh, which is still incredibly bullish.
Let's talk numbers for a second. Raleigh slashed .247/.359/.948 and put up a 9.1 WAR according to FanGraphs. And here's the kicker, he didn't allow a single passed ball all season. That's elite-level defense backing up elite-level offense.
ESPN's David Schoenfield is predicting a 47-home run season in 2026, figuring in a similar decline to the historical average. Baseball Reference is a bit more conservative, projecting 39 home runs with 21 doubles and 96 RBI.
The Mystery of What Comes Next
The truth? There's barely any precedent for what Raleigh did. When Babe Ruth hit 60, he'd already smacked 54 and 59. When Judge hit 62, he had that 52-home run season five years earlier. Roger Maris, though, he'd never hit more than 39 before blasting 61 in 1961. That's probably the closest comparison.
But Maris wasn't a catcher. That amplifies everything Raleigh accomplished.
The Mariners are stacked both in the lineup and on the mound. The team fell one game short of the World Series and is ready for another run at the pennant. They don't need Raleigh to be an MVP finalist again. But if he comes through as an All-Star caliber catcher? That could be the difference between playoff contention and going home early.
My prediction? Another monster season for Cal. Maybe not 50, but somewhere in the mid-to-high 40s. This is just the beginning of his reign as the Mariners' top dog.
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This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.