It was a question Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh didn’t want to answer for fear he may jinx it, but when asked in September if there was anything that meant more to a catcher than having the gold patch that is given to Gold Glove Award winners on his glove, ultimately Raleigh could not let the question get by.
“There’s nothing cooler than that,” he confirmed. “It’s so hard because you don’t know as far as the voting, everybody looks at it (catcher defense) differently. It’s really hard to narrow down and pick one because each guy does great things and maybe they do it a different way and maybe they see it differently. I think it would be really amazing. Obviously you want to be the best at your position at what you do.”
How about best defensive player in the American League? Friday night in New York at the banquet where the Gold Gloves were presented, Raleigh took home a second honor as he was named the Rawlings AL Platinum Glove Award winner, which awards the best defensive player in each league as determined by a fan vote and SABR’s Defensive Index metric from the Gold Glove winners
He’s the first player in Mariners history and just the second AL Catcher to win the award that has been given out since 2011.
Raleigh put up the numbers leading all MLB catchers in catcher caught stealing (26) and innings caught (1122.0) while also leading American League catchers in framing runs (13) and tying for AL lead in defensive runs saved (16). Raleigh also led the Mariners pitching staff to a 3.30 ERA while he was behind the plate, the best catcher ERA in the Majors.
These numbers do not come without the work Raleigh has put in both in and out of season. No player in the Mariners clubhouse has more to juggle than Raleigh, who must prepare himself and his pitchers for each game. He has two swings to maintain and he must do extra in the weight room and spend more time in the training room to stay healthy enough to play 153 games. There is a lot on Raleigh’s plate but it is still important to find room for his defense.
“I always do my early work in the bullpen before the pitcher starts throwing and I think it’s more about quality than quantity,” he said. “So I’m talking to guys around the league trying to figure out what’s the balance between keeping the body and the good shape and also keeping your tools sharp and not losing that kind of skill. Making sure I stay on top of those things and making sure I do those little things correctly and if I’m doing those things right, it kind of adds up and it’ll carry over into the game. It’s kind of like hitting in that way. You want to stay sharp, but you don’t want to overdo it as well and tire yourself out.”
Raleigh found that balance in 2024 and as a result, propelled himself to the top of his position leading AL catchers in both FanGraphs Wins Above Replacement (5.4) and Baseball-Reference Wins Above Replacement (4.6). Later this month he could pick up a third honor as he is a finalist for the Silver Slugger Award.
