Last week, I posted a story about the Seattle Mariners inability to control the running game this season. In the article, I addressed the potential problems of the M's pitching staff, but I also addressed the possible culpability of catcher Cal Raleigh, who has seen his pop time increase and his throwing strength decrease.

When I posted that article, I was met with a chorus of replies from people who think that Raleigh is no longer good defensively, or needs to transition to more of a designated hitter role.

With those comments in mind, I sought answers. So, I went out to former catcher AJ Pierzynski on the most recent 'Refuse to Lose Territory' podcast. We'll get to his answers later.

First, the facts:

Note: Raleigh missed about a month of action because of an oblique injury in 2026. In 2024, he led the American League in games caught. In 2025, he led the majors.

Raleigh is now 29 years old and will be 30 next season.

He was the perfect person to go talk to, considering he caught 120 games or more in 10 of 11 years from 2002-13.

"I mean, I wanted to play every day. If I could have caught 150 games, I would have caught 150 games. So, I think it's all relative. I think it's all about the person and the body.

For me, it wasn't a physical thing. It was more of a mental thing where you get worn out because you're involved in every pitch. That was what was tired. It was never like, 'oh, man, I'm just physically exhausted.'

I mean, were there days where you catch 12, 13 innings, which they don't even have to do anymore because of the new rules, and then have a day game or something the next day? That's when you come in, usually have that day off and say, 'oh, man, I'm tired.'

Like, I think there'd be...It'd almost be better if, yeah, he wants to catch 120 games or whatever they want to do to him. But don't give them the other 35 as DH because that still takes a wear and tear on your body.

Yes, I know it's not catching, but it'll still take a toll on your body, especially, you've got to get ready, you got to take swings, you've got to get ready. You know, you've got to run, you've got to do all that stuff. Yes, you're not catching, but it still does take a toll on your body.

Instead of saying, you know what? You're going to get 30 games off a year where you just do nothing and you might have to come in and pinch hit here and there. Okay, that's fine.

But I understand why they want Cals bat in the lineup. But it still does take a toll."

I'm not ready to say that. The Mariners played deep into the 2025 season. Raleigh had a shorter offseason than usual, and then had an even shorter offseason because of his preparation for the World Baseball Classic. I think that created a perfect storm, and then he got injured while trying to play catch up. So no, I don't think his workload created this problem for Raleigh, I think it was a lot of factors. Now that he's healthy, he's actually performed quite well at the plate for about 40 games now.

Pierzynski knows what it's like to catch a heavy workload, and he knows the impact of needing to DH on a player's body, so I trust his word. 

And even though I don't think the workload caused the issues of 2026 for Raleigh, think it's probably fair to say that the Mariners do need to start to develop a plan that eases back the throttle on him a bit in 2027. He's going to be 30 years old, his bat is too important to be bogged down with tired legs and the nicks and dings that come with being a catcher.

I think catching 100 games and DH-ing 40-50 is probably the best plan forward.

But in order for that to happen, the Mariners have to do a few things.

1) They need to find a backup catcher that is truly capable of playing 50-70 games. Someone who can handle the pitching staff and someone who can handle the bat enough to be in the lineup.

2) If they are committed to using Raleigh at DH a bunch, they need to have players that are capable of playing defense and aren't best suited at DH-only. For instance, Laz Montes and Michael Arroyo both profile as better DH's currently. If you want them in the lineup, they have to be able to play the field when Raleigh is in that spot - and do it well.

3) It's an imperfect comparison, But Salvador Perez of the Kansas City Royals led the majors in games caught in his age 24 and 25 seasons. He led the American League in his age 26 season. By 27, he was at 115. He missed the 2019 season and then played 34 in the shortened 2020 season.

He has caught only 100 games or more once since then. He's the kind of player who has the same impact on the Royals as Raleigh has on the Mariners. Just food for thought. They dialed him back. The Mariners need to think about the same thing, soon.