Mariners Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Cal Raleigh is a fun and frustrating option at C

We all know that Julio Rodriguez is the gem of the Mariners fantasy baseball rankings, and is going to be taken right away in nearly any draft you are in. There are other Mariners that you can target on offense though, and one of those is the Mariners Catcher, Cal Raleigh.

Raleigh is likely going to be somewhere in the 5-10 range for catchers off the board. You have your top 4 (Rutschman, Realmuto, Smith, and William Contreras) before getting to the next group. Alongside Raleigh, you have Diaz, Murphy, Alvarez, Willson Contreras, Perez, and Moreno. It's a tight group, and you really can't go wrong with grabbing any of them.

I do think that Raleigh has a bit of a leg up on the others in his group for a couple of reasons. He's on the younger side, he has massive power potential, and the Mariners (hopefully) have a legit backup catcher who can give Raleigh more time off of catching and still get him ABs in the DH spot.

It looks like the experts feel similar as well. All of those names that I mentioned in Raleigh's group have a "worst" rating of around 15 for the position. Raleigh's worst rating still puts him 9th. Although he might fall in the 130-160 range overall, you are likely going to need to take him earlier than that just due to positional scarcity. Once you see those first four names go off the board, you need to be prepared to pull the trigger on Raleigh, if you want him, within the next 2-3 rounds.

It's easy to make the case for him as the 5th catcher of the board, and I wouldn't fault you for taking him there. In fact, I think it's probably the right call. there is a disclaimer that goes with that though.

You need to be ready for some tough weeks in fantasy with him. Raleigh has a bad batting average, which inevitably leads to streakiness or rough patches. You might have a week where you can compile his runs, RBI, and HR all on one hand, watching his batting average start with a 0.

There is a flipside, and you just have to hope it happens at the right time. Raleigh can get hot and swing your week. He's pretty consistent month to month, as his lowest BA was .211 and his highest was .245 last season, so the lulls or highs won't be prolonged, but you still need to be wary.

Raleigh has the potential and the ability to be a great piece to your fantasy baseball team, and you should look to take him as the 5th catcher off the board in your draft. Once those top 4 go, be ready to pull the trigger soon in the upcoming rounds.