Cal Raleigh DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh hit a two-run home run in his first at-bat on Sunday, propelling Seattle to a 3-1 victory over Texas. It was Raleigh's third consecutive game with a home run, all during the Mariners' weekend set against the Rangers. In the series, Raleigh went 4-for-10, three home runs, five runs scored, and five RBI. The 28-year-old backstop is living up to his reputation as a power-first, contact-second hitter. Raleigh's five home runs so far lead all catchers in the category (he is tied with Logan O'Hoppe), but he is hitting just .220. Fantasy managers taking on Raleigh will be grateful for the power he provides so long as they have the complementary pieces to offset the damage he can do to a team's batting average. The Mariners kick off a three-game series against the Reds at Great American Ball Park on Tuesday.

Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh went 3-for-4 with a double, a solo home run, and a walk in Sunday's 5-4 loss to the Giants. It was the slugger's second home run of the season and thefourth consecutive game with at least one hit. The switch-hitter now owns a .222/.349/.417 slash line with a .334 wOBA and 120 wRC+ through 10 games, even chipping in a couple of stolen bases. The 6-foot-2 backstop is coming off the best season of his career that saw him finish as a top-5 catcher for fantasy, and he looks well on his way to matching that production from last season, even outperforming in many statistical measures early on, including Contact%, Barrel%, xBA, and BB%. The former third-round draft pick will take on the Astros and RHP Hayden Wesneski on Monday, who Raleigh is 2-for-2 off of in his career, including a double.

Catcher Cal Raleigh and the Seattle Mariners are finalizing a six-year, $105 million contract extension on Tuesday, sources tell ESPN's Jeff Passan. The new deal will start this year and buys out three years of free agency. It's a big new deal for the 28-year-old left-handed-hitting backstop and will keep him in Seattle for the foreseeable future. Raleigh's 76 home runs over the last three years easily leads all MLB catchers in power production, making him a clear top-10 fantasy option at the position heading into his fifth year with the M's. In a career-high 153 games played in 2024, he slashed .220/.312/.436 with a .748 OPS, career-high 34 home runs, career-high 100 RBI, career-high six steals and 73 runs scored in 628 trips to the plate. Fantasy managers shouldn't expect Raleigh to hit for average at this point, but he's RotoBaller's No. 6-ranked catcher.