PEORIA, Ariz. - If you pick up nothing else from Seattle Mariners spring training this year, pick up this: Cal Raleigh is the most popular player here.

Don't get me wrong: The fans love Julio Rodriguez, and they love J.P. Crawford and several of the pitchers draw big crowds and big praise, but Raleigh's star shines the brighest.

Breaking the drought with a home run in 2022, winning the Home Run Derby in 2025 and hitting a franchise-best 60 home runs will do that for you. Throw in one of the most recognizable nicknames in sports and you're all set.

Raleigh can't go anywhere without being hounded by autograph seekers, kids who want a piece of memorabilia, fans who want a picture, or even fans who just want a simple acknowledgement. 

There's nothing wrong with adoring fans, but this much is also clear: The fact that Raleigh has time for the fans and still has the discipline to get his work in shows just how special he really is.

I talked about it all on the most recent 'Refuse to Lose' podcast:

"But Cal Raleigh gets ovations and gets comments and gets requests everywhere he goes. I mean, Cal is waiting to hit live the other day and kids are asking him for a ball, for a bat, for batting gloves, for an autograph, and it's constant, and it's special to see just how much Cal Raleigh is resonating with the fan base...

I mean, that's, that's what people are doing for Cal, everything he does. And he's able to take it in stride, and he's not annoyed by it, and he stops when he can, and he signs when he can but, like, he's got a job to do. My point is just, he can't go anywhere, so the level of popularity that Cal Raleigh has and the level of discipline he has to still get all his work in, while also being kind of a great steward for the fans, it's pretty special, and it's pretty impressive. The fans love him. Cal loves them back. He can't do everything, but he makes a pretty big effort to do as much as he possibly can.."

That discipline has always been part of Raleigh's personality, as we learned from another recent episode of the podcast with his father Todd. 

The Mariners are back in action on Monday afternoon against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Camelback Ranch. Raleigh played in a 14-8 win over the Reds on Sunday, going 0-for-3 with a walk. 

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