The Seattle Mariners' 2025 season will go down as one of the best years in the history of the franchise.

The Mariners had five All-Stars, won their first American League West championship since 2001, made it to the American League Championship Series for the first time since '01 and, for the first time since the franchise was established in 1977, were one win away from winning an American League pennant.

A large part of Seattle's success was the MVP-caliber season from starting catcher Cal Raleigh.

Raleigh began the year on a strong note and signed a six-year, $105 million contract days before the season began. He was one of the team's five All-Stars, became the first catcher in MLB history to win the Home Run Derby and had the greatest season by a catcher in MLB history.

Raleigh slashed .247/.359/.589 with a .948 OPS in 159 games and hit 24 doubles and 60 home runs with 125 RBIs. His 60 homers were the most in a single season in MLB history by a switch-hitter, and a catcher, and set the Mariners franchise record for the most in a single year, passing National Baseball Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr.

Raleigh's 60 homers accounted for 25.2% of the team's 238 bombs, which ranked third in the majors and second in the AL.

Raleigh ended up finishing the year second in AL MVP voting behind eventual winner Aaron Judge.

Before last season, Raleigh hadn't hit more than 34 home runs and he beat his previous career-high in RBIs by 25.

In a recent appearance on Seattle Sports 710's Hot Stove show on Jan. 27, Seattle assistant hitting coach Bobby Magallanes discussed Raleigh's mindset and reaffirmed his belief that he was the MVP of the American League in '25.

"I can't really say how (it happened)," Magallanes said on Hot Stove. "Because it takes a special talent. That goes to show you he's one of the greatest in the history of the game. No one has ever done that as a catcher, what he did. And he's a special talent. Cal just keeps things simple. He's so low-key and nothing phases him. He doesn't get too high, doesn't get too low. ... Social media, the press, just talking about the (home run) record — for him to block that out and go baseball — we didn't even talk about that in the cage. It was all about who we were facing tonight, how are we gonna get this guy. For him to have that mental discipline, it takes a special player. Which is why, for me, he's the MVP. Because of everything he went through."

Raleigh will receive another honor when he takes the field as Team USA's starting catcher in the 2026 World Baseball Classic this March.

On top of Raleigh's offense, he's also caught and helped navigate a starting rotation that features four All-Stars but was fraught with injuries last year.

Despite the historic season Raleigh had, there was a sense of disappointment from him and the rest of the team falling short of the pennant and a World Series championship. He and the rest of the club will look to finish what they started in 2026.

Remember to join our MARINERS on ROUNDTABLE community, which is FREE! You can post your own thoughts, in text or video form, and you can engage with our Roundtable staff, as well as other Mariners fans. If prompted to download the Roundtable APP, that's free too!