Mariners fans exposed to concerning Cal Raleigh update by WBC broadcast

There were plenty of intriguing storylines heading into Sunday's World Baseball Classic semifinal between Team USA and the Dominican Republic, arguably the two best teams remaining in the tournament. And thanks to Randy Arozarena, this included the question of if Cal Raleigh would snub Mariners teammate Julio Rodríguez?

In the end, fans were 'cheated' out of discovering how the next chapter of Handshakegate would play out, with Will Smith being named as starting catcher for Team USA ahead of Raleigh. And while we strongly suspect Rodríguez would have handled things more in line with Josh Naylor than Arozarena, one potential reason for Raleigh's absence may well cause some angst among Mariners fans.

During the sixth inning of Team USA's 2-1 win versus the Dominican Republic, Fox Sports announcer Joe Davis remarked that manager Mark DeRosa had a good problem in having two excellent catchers to choose between. But with Raleigh, something is in the way.

"Raleigh is hitless so far and said his swing is just not in a great place," Davis said. "It often isn't at this time of year. If they get to the championship game, it is then going to be who has played best to that point that Mark DeRosa was going to choose to start."

Cal Raleigh has been a disappointment for Team USA at the WBC

The evidence of this is there in that the 2025 All-Star is hitless in nine at-bats for Team USA (with his saving grace being that he has drawn four walks and subsequently scored four runs). And as much as we appreciate this is nothing unusual for this time of year, no Mariners fan likes to hear that Raleigh's swing is not in a good spot.

In a classic case of perception being reality, the interpretation and projection of Raleigh's current situation comes down to whether you're a glass half-full or half-empty kind of a person. On the positive side of things, he only batted .186 last spring, but then went on to become just the seventh player in Major League history to hit 60 home runs in a season.

On the flip side, the Mariners' clubhouse leader is almost certain to regress from last season, with the reality that he basically achieved perfection from both sides of the plate during 2025. As per Foolish Baseball, his swing similarity score of 96.3 percent was the best among all qualifying switch-hitters.

It really was a perfect storm of sorts, leading to the inevitability that Raleigh won't be as effective this coming season — not that anyone would even expect him to be after a once-in-a-lifetime achievement. (Unless you're Sammy Sosa, who hit 60 homers three times.) Really, it's about how much of a step back he takes in 2026, with any swing issues only factoring in as a potential negative.

Easier said than done for Mariners fans not to worry about Cal Raleigh

From our perspective, we prefer to take a glass half-full approach when it comes to Raleigh, with him not even being that far off getting himself on track and just needing a little bit more luck. Case in point being the WBC quarterfinals, when he just hooked a long fly ball foul versus Team Canada.

In addition, it's not as if the 2024 Platinum Glove winner has ever been the most consistent when it comes to making contact with the ball, with last year's .247 batting average representing a career-high. No, it's more about how explosive he is when he does make contact, with most projections still having him being around the 40 home-run mark this coming season.

Overall, it's our contention that Raleigh will be okay, with him still having time to fine-tune his swing once he gets back to Peoria for the remainder of spring training. At the same time, we realize the only thing which will alleviate any fears about him will be results on the field, such is the predisposition of Mariners fans to always expect something to go wrong with their beloved team.