SEATTLE — Last offseason, Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh won the Gold Glove award and Platinum Glove award for the American League. He became the first catcher in team history to win the Gold Glove and first player in team history to win the Platinum Glove.
Raleigh followed that with arguably the best offensive season by a catcher in MLB history. He scored 110 runs in 159 games and hit 24 doubles and 60 home runs with 125 RBIs and slashed .247/.359/.589 with a .948 OPS. His 60 homers were the most by a catcher and switch-hitter in MLB history.
Raleigh couples his historic offensive season with solid defensive numbers. He played 121 of his 159 games as catcher and caught 1,072 innings. His innings caught led the American League and was third in the majors. He didn't allow a passed ball all season and caught 21 batters stealing in 99 attempts, which finished 10th in the majors.
Despite the stellar numbers, Raleigh won't have an opportunity to defend his awards from last offseason.
MLB released the list of Rawlings Gold Glove finalists on Wednesday, ahead of Game 3 of the American League Championship Series between the Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays. Raleigh's teammate, Julio Rodriguez, was listed among the finalists for the award for center field. Raleigh wasn't included among the finalists for catcher.
The three AL catchers up for the Gold Glove are Alejandro Kirk (Blue Jays, Carlos Narvaez (Boston Red Sox) and Dillon Dingler (Detroit Tigers).
"A lot of that is based off of numbers and analytics," Raleigh said in a pregame news conference Wednesday. "I think this year with the new strike zone it kind of changed a lot. That big article came out and they mentioned they shrunk the (buffer zone) for the umpires. ... I'd say that was a big factor early on. Right now, I'm not crazy looking into it. We've obviously got bigger things ahead of us. That's something maybe I'll address in the offseason. Take a look at something maybe I can do better and kind of dive a little deeper into that."
In addition to his surface stats, Raleigh has also navigated a pitching staff that has included lengthy to three-of-five members of the starting rotation (George Kirby, Logan Gilbert, Bryce Miller) and a significant amount of turnover and reshuffling in the bullpen.
"It's a mystery," Seattle manager Dan Wilson said in a news conference Wednesday. "I think we've seen nothing but Gold Glove-performance from him all season long. When you look at some of the stuff he has to deal with in terms of our pitching staff — a lot of our split-fingers, particularly (Logan Gilbert) — and then the amount o blocking he does, his throwing has been great. There are some tough things that happen along the way. ... But I think the season, the year that Cal has had has just been outstanding."
Raleigh this season has two caught stealing above average, which ranked in the 66th percentile among catchers, according to Baseball Savant. His seven framing runs tied for seventh-most among catchers and is the 93rd percentile of baseball. The one advanced stat Raleigh ranked low in was defensive runs saved (DRS). He had two DRS, which was tied for 21st in the majors, according to Fielding Bible.
Per his own words, Raleigh will evaluate his defense in the offseason and will look to return to his Platinum Glove form in 2026. This postseason, Raleigh and the Mariners are two wins away from reaching the first World Series in playoff history.
Game 3 of the ALCS between Seattle and Toronto is scheduled for 5:08 p.m. PT on Wednesday at T-Mobile Park in Seattle.
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