Raleigh is mired in an 0-for-36 slump after another 0-fer on Monday night. Harold Reynolds took to MLB Network before the game to discuss what the issue with Raleigh is right now.
Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh went hitless again on Monday night as the Mariners defeated the Houston Astros 3-1 at Daikin Park.
With the win, the Mariners are now 20-22 on the season, but Raleigh is mired in a deep slump. He's 0-for-his-last-36 dating back to April 27, a period of 10 games.
In fairness to Raleigh, his season has been disjointed.
As noted by Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times over the weekend, Raleigh got off to a slow start, hitting .132 over his first 10 games. That can likely be partly explained by the World Baseball Classic, where Raleigh played in just four of seven games for Team USA - and the team did not play every day - making the workload even more sporadic. Raleigh didn't get consistent at-bats, especially right-handed, as a result.
Then, Raleigh got hot, hitting .241 with seven homers over his next 89 at-bats, not an insignificant sample size. Then, Raleigh hit the 0-for-36 skid, which coincided with "right side discomfort" that kept him out of the lineup for three full games and in the designated hitter spot in two others.
Without making an excuse for Raleigh's struggles, it's fair to acknowledge the disjoined nature of his season and it's also to fair to say "it's clear that the good version of Cal Raleigh still exists." So, with that being the case, what exactly is wrong with the 2025 MVP runner-up?
Pitch recognition
To the viewer at home, it's evident that Raleigh is having trouble recognizing pitches and laying off of bad ones as a result. He's regularly chasing fastballs above the zone, and is regularly out in front of changeups and breaking balls below the zone.
The pitchers are begging Raleigh to get himself out, and he's obliging. It's part of the reason why he's striking out at a 31.4 percent clip, which is the highest mark of his career since he became a regular in 2022.
But it's deeper than that
Did Raleigh's eyes suddenly get worse from last season? That's highly doubtful. So what is it?
Former Mariners All-Star Harold Reynolds put out a fascinating video on MLB Network on Monday explaining that the issue is Raleigh's timing.
As you can see in the video below, Raleigh is late in getting the mechanics of his stride done in time, which means there's a lot of moving parts still happening right as the pitch is coming to him.
It's hard to discern what pitch is being thrown, where it's going, the speed it's at and if it's a strike, all while trying to finish the mechanics of your swing.
He's late, he's early, he's not able to clearly see the pitches. Reynolds thinks that if he gets back to starting his swing earlier, he'll give himself every chance to get back in a groove.
The Mariners need it, especially as the injuries in the bullpen mount. No lead is safe for the Mariners right now, and they'll need the offense to provide some cushion and comfort. That starts with Raleigh.
The M's will take on the Astros again on Tuesday night at 5:10 p.m. PT.
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