Cal

Raleigh

The Mariners are at their best when Raleigh is crushing baseballs and he certainly did that throughout the weekend. He did his damage in the opening inning of this one, clobbering a Nathan Eovaldi splitter for a 351-foot (99.2 mph EV) two-run shot that provided all the run support that Logan Gilbert and company would require. He finished the afternoon 1-for-3 and is now hitting .220/.324/.525 with five homers, eight RBI and a pair of stolen bases on the young season.

Big Dumper dumped a ball over the fence again Saturday, giving him roundtrippers in back-to-back games and upping Raleigh’s total to four in 15 games. The 28-year-old backstop also doubled — his third of 2025 — and improved his slash to .214/.313/.482. Don’t be surprised if that slash is right around what he finishes at in 2025. That’s more compliment than insult.

Raleigh dumped a two-run shot over the right-centerfield fence to give Seattle a 5-3 lead. The power-hitting backstop has three homers on the season, and after hitting 34 in 2024, this is a sustainable pace. Raleigh won’t help in average, but the power production is matched by few behind the plate.

Raleigh smacked a one-out double off of Jordan Hicks in the first inning but was left stranded there. He then led off the third inning with a 347-foot (97.6 mph EV) solo shot that increased the M’s early lead to 2-0. With his three-hit effort, the 28-year-old backstop is now hitting .222/.349/.417 with a pair of long balls and three RBI on the season.

Raleigh hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth, but it came with the Mariners trailing 9-4. The 28-year-old has scuffled so far to begin the 2025 campaign, but it’s far too early to worry. Raleigh has been one of the most consistent power options behind the plate since becoming a regular in 2023.

The long-term extension, which was agreed to earlier this week, is now official. Raleigh has blossomed into one of the premier all-around backstops in the game, leading all catchers in home runs in each of the past three seasons, and will be staying put in Seattle through at least 2030. The 28-year-old received the AL’s Platinum Glove Award as the best defensive player in the league, while also slugging a career-high 34 homer runs and tallying 100 RBI for the first time in his career. He’s a top five catcher for fantasy purposes entering the 2025 season and one of the safest power sources in the fantasy landscape.

The deal will start this season and buy out three years of free agency, keeping Raleigh in Seattle through at least 2030. The 28-year-old backstop has hit at least 27 home runs in each of the last three seasons and drove in 100 runs last year for the first time. He’s emerged as one of the top offensive catchers in baseball and a strong pick in all fantasy formats.

Raleigh gave the M’s a 3-2 lead with his towering solo shot off of Garrett Stallings in the fifth inning. The hard-hitting 28-year-old backstop then capped off the scoring in the ballgame with his solo blast to right off of Kaleb Bowman to finish off a seven-run uprising in the eighth inning. He has performed about as expected this spring, hitting a brutal .193 (11-for-57) but with five long balls and 10 RBI.

Raleigh came off the bench in the fifth inning to pop his first round-tripper of the spring off former teammate Paul Sewald. The 28-year-old backstop has eclipsed 27 homers in each of the last three seasons and will be among the top five catchers off the board this spring in all fantasy drafts.

Raleigh is fresh off his second straight season with at least 30 home runs and continues to produce tremendous value defensively as well. He’s unlikely to ever hit for a high batting average, but his power and lineup spot in the middle of the order make him an ideal fantasy target for teams in need of pop behind the plate.