Mariners' Cal Raleigh has put an end to the debate over MLB's best catcher

It's not uncommon for players to take a step back after signing their first big-money contract. It was an underlying concern after Cal Raleigh signed his extension with the Seattle Mariners right before the start of the regular season.

But so far, he has put any and all worries to rest as he's put himself on pace to have his best single season by far.

Cal Raleigh is making it impossible to argue for anyone else as MLB's best catcher

Offensively, Raleigh seems unstoppable. Over 235 plate appearances, he's slashing .258/.370/.596 for an OPS+ of 182. He leads the American League with 19 homers and has already stolen five bases, just one fewer than the personal best he set last year.

It's impressive for any player to have this level of offensive impact, but it's even more outstanding considering most catchers struggle at the plate relative to other positions. This year, he's the only catcher with more than 45 games and an OPS+ of 130 or higher.

Defensively, he isn't quite the Platinum Glover he was last year, but that doesn't mean he's a liability behind the dish either. He still places in the top decile in both Blocks Above Average and Framing Runs Above average despite seeing his strike rate drop from 49.1 to 45.5 percent. His catcher ERA has also risen from 3.30 in 2024 to 3.80 in 2025, although that may be a symptom of larger issues facing the pitching staff as a whole.

Despite his flaws, he is still the most valuable catcher in baseball by quite a comfortable margin. His 2.9 rWAR is almost a whole win above Will Smith, who's in second place with 2.2 rWAR. This is helped by the fact that Raleigh brings both quality and quantity, also leading all catchers in total plate appearances. His durability is admirable, even if the wear and tear of a 162-game season could end up stunting his progress later in the season.

If anything, Raleigh is one of the few players who could be just as valuable even when he isn't in the lineup. His leadership qualities and chemistry with Seattle's pitching staff have been cited as major reasons for the team's success, and it's rubbing off on some of the newer players.

Having a great catcher who takes care of business day in and day out can be an integral part to any organization's success. The Mariners know this as well as anyone given current manager Dan Wilson's 12-year tenure as the team's backstop. In his five big league seasons with Seattle, Cal Raleigh has already shown that he's capable of being the best catcher in baseball today and likely the best one the Mariners have ever had.