When it comes to the Mariners' "Big 3," it's generally accepted Julio RodrÃguez has the most pure talent, while Josh Naylor proved to be the galvanizing force which propelled the Mariners to the doorstep of their first World Series berth last season. However, it's tough to look past Cal Raleigh as the most important player out of the trio.
With his combination of leadership, work ethic, chemistry with the pitching staff and offensive production during his time in Seattle, Raleigh has been most influential in turning the Mariners into consistent contenders. As such, it was brutal to watch his rough start to this season, seemingly lost at the plate, lacking in productivity and overall looking nothing like the the player who finished runner-up for 2025 AL MVP.
However, Raleigh is coming off a series versus the Athletics where he homered in all three games and he's produced a .917 OPS over the past 10 games. He seems to be looking more like his old self, so lets delve into what's behind his turnaround in form at the plate.
Cal Raleigh is making better decisions and better swings to get better results at the plate
1. Fewer Ks
One of the biggest things which stood out during Raleigh's start to this season, was how he seemed to be pressing and showing no patience whatsoever. As of April 5 he actually led the majors with 20 strikeouts and by extension a 46.5 percent strikeout rate.
Raleigh had a career strikeout-rate of 28.2 percent heading into this season, but this was taking it to a whole other level with him almost trying too hard. Fortunately for the Mariners he's now getting it under control, with a 20.0 percent strikeout rate over the past 10 games which has brought him down to 28.9 percent overall.
There's still work to be done of course, plus Raleigh's style of hitting seemingly has him destined to always strike out more than the average player. At the same time, fans will be hoping this recent 10-game sample size is evidence of his continuing desire to improve and be the best possible version of himself.
2. Better at-bats vs. lefties
Two seasons ago was a special one for Raleigh, as he reached 100 RBI for the first time and hit his 93rd home run to surpass Hall of Famer Mike Piazza for the most by a catcher in the first four years of their career. However, the switch-hitter was reliant on his success versus righties, hitting .234 with a .767 OPS as opposed to batting just .183 with a .696 OPS against lefties.
This turned around dramatically last season, with Raleigh still being successful from the left side of the plate, but improving dramatically versus southpaws. He batted .231 with a .909 against righties, but his . 281 batting average and 1.032 OPS versus left-handed pitchers were both his highest in a single season from either side.
Early on this season, it seemed as if Raleigh was regressing against southpaws as he hit just 1-for-18 with 8 Ks in his first 16 games, but has since gone 3-for-8 with 1 K in the last 10. If you're looking for any indication of if he can keep this improvement up, keep in mind he has similar career success from both sides of the plate, albeit he hits around three times as much versus righties compared to lefties:
Batting average | OPS | Strikeout rate | |
|---|---|---|---|
Against RHP | .225 | .794 | 28.3 % |
Against LHP | .225 | .784 | 28.1 % |
3. Better swings
Two other elements that have helped Raleigh improve over the past 10 games is better bat speed and exit velocity compared to his first 16 appearances of the season. His bat speed has improved from 75.2 to 76.1 mph, while his average exit velocity is up from 85.4 to 89.1 mph.
Interestingly, the improved bat speed over the past 10 games is above Raleigh's career average of 75.4 mph entering this season. At the same time the exit velocity still stands to be better, when considering his career average of 91.8 mph between 2021-25.
One other thing to note is Raleigh's launch angle is down from 28 degrees in the first 16 games to 24 degrees in the past 10, which is better for overall hitting success and in line with his career average entering this season. Although it is intriguing that a lower launch angle has been accompanied by an uptick in his home run totals.
Overall, it's entirely possible Raleigh was clouded by trying to prove the naysayers wrong early on, whether it be due to his disappointing WBC with team USA or because of critics who said he had no right being in the AL MVP conversation last year with Aaron Judge. In any event, he's now back to playing like the guy who's more bothered about team success over any individual accolades, which can only mean good things for the Mariners moving forward.