Cal Raleigh facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cal Raleigh |
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Raleigh with the Seattle Mariners in 2024
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| Seattle Mariners – No. 29 | |||
| Catcher | |||
| Born: November 26, 1996 Cullowhee, North Carolina, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| July 11, 2021, for the Seattle Mariners | |||
| MLB statistics (through July 12, 2025) |
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| Batting average | .226 | ||
| Home runs | 131 | ||
| Runs batted in | 333 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Caleb John Raleigh (born November 26, 1996), often called "Big Dumper", is a professional baseball catcher for the Seattle Mariners in Major League Baseball (MLB). Many people see Raleigh as one of the best power hitters and all-around catchers in MLB. He is also a switch hitter, meaning he can bat from both sides of the plate.
In 2024, Raleigh won his first Gold Glove Award and the American League Platinum Glove Award. These awards are given to the best defensive players in baseball. In 2025, he was chosen for his first All-Star team. He also made history by becoming the first catcher to win the Home Run Derby.
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Playing Baseball as a Youngster
Raleigh went to Smoky Mountain High School in Sylva, North Carolina. In his final year there, he was a fantastic player. He hit for a high average, blasted 10 home runs, and stole 20 bases. Because of his great skills, he was named an All-American by several groups. He was also named the best player in his conference for both baseball and basketball.
After high school, Raleigh first planned to play for Clemson University. But he decided to go to Florida State University (FSU) instead. There, he played college baseball for the FSU Seminoles.
College Baseball Highlights
In 2016, his first year at FSU, Raleigh played almost every game. He hit well and was named a freshman All-American. That summer, he played in a special league called the Cape Cod Baseball League. He had a tough time hitting there, but he learned a lot.
Raleigh had many exciting hits in 2017. He drove in the winning run in the ACC championship game. He also tied a game in the Super Regional final. Plus, he hit a home run in the bottom of the ninth inning during a College World Series game. In 2018, his last year at FSU, he continued to play very well. He hit 13 home runs and had 54 RBIs in 62 games.
Professional Baseball Career
Starting in the Minor Leagues (2018–2021)
The Seattle Mariners picked Raleigh in the third round of the 2018 Major League Baseball draft. He signed with the team and received a bonus of $854,000. Raleigh began his professional career that summer with the Low-A Everett AquaSox. He hit .288 with eight home runs in 38 games.
In 2019, he started with the High-A Modesto Nuts. He was named a California League All-Star before moving up to the Double-A Arkansas Travelers in July. Between the two teams, Raleigh hit 29 home runs and had 82 RBIs in 121 games.
In 2020, the minor league baseball season was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. So, Raleigh practiced and played in special scrimmages. He returned to play in 2021 with the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers. He hit nine home runs in 44 games there.
Playing for the Seattle Mariners (2021–Present)
2021 Season
On July 11, 2021, Raleigh was called up to the major leagues for the first time. He made his MLB debut that day as the catcher. He got his first hits and RBIs on July 20 with a two-RBI double and a single. On July 23, Raleigh hit his first MLB home run. It was a powerful, two-run blast. He shared catching duties with Tom Murphy. Raleigh finished the 2021 season with two home runs and 13 RBIs in 47 games.
2022 Season
Raleigh had a tough start to the 2022 season. He was sent down to the minor leagues on April 28. But he came back to the Mariners on May 7 after Tom Murphy got hurt. After a few more tough games, Raleigh's hitting improved a lot. He hit 24 home runs for the rest of the season.
On September 30, Raleigh hit a game-winning home run. This hit helped the Mariners reach the playoffs for the first time since 2001. This ended the longest playoff drought in major North American sports. He also had big hits in the playoffs. In the Wild Card Series, he hit a two-run home run and an RBI single. He also scored the winning run in Game Two. Raleigh finished the 2022 regular season with 27 home runs. This was the most home runs by a Mariners catcher in a single season. He was a finalist for the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards.
2023 Season
On May 15, 2023, Raleigh made history at Fenway Park. He became the first catcher to hit a home run from both sides of the plate in the same game there. He did this in back-to-back turns at bat. In 145 games for Seattle in 2023, he hit 30 home runs and had 75 RBIs. When the Mariners missed the playoffs, Raleigh spoke about the team needing to spend more money on players. He was a Silver Slugger finalist again in 2023.
2024 Season
On April 23, 2024, Raleigh broke a tooth while eating a sandwich. Even with pain, he hit a home run in that night's game. He had surgery the next day but only missed one game. On June 10, Raleigh hit a game-winning grand slam. This helped the Mariners come back from behind to win 8–4. He hit home runs from both sides of the plate twice in July.
In the Mariners' last game of 2024, Raleigh hit his 34th home run of the season. This gave him 100 RBIs for the first time in his career. It was his 93rd career home run, passing Mike Piazza for most home runs by a catcher in their first four MLB seasons.
Raleigh finished 2024 with 34 home runs and 100 RBIs. He also had a career-high six stolen bases. He won the Gold Glove and Platinum Glove awards in 2024. He was the first Mariner ever to win the Platinum Glove. Raleigh was especially good at "pitch framing," which means making pitches look like strikes to the umpire. This helped the Mariners' pitchers be very successful. He was a Silver Slugger finalist for the third year in a row.
2025 Season
On March 25, 2025, Raleigh and the Mariners agreed to a big contract extension. It was for six years and $105 million.
On April 11, Raleigh became the Mariners' all-time home run leader among catchers. He hit his 96th career home run. On April 16, he hit his 100th career home run. He was the fourth-fastest catcher to reach 100 home runs. He finished April with 10 home runs, tied for the most in MLB. On May 30, Raleigh hit a three-run home run. This made him the first catcher in history to hit 20 home runs before the end of May. Only a few other Mariners players, like Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez, have done this.
On June 2, Raleigh was named the American League Player of the Week. He batted very well, hitting six home runs and 10 RBIs that week. It was his first time winning this award. On June 7, Raleigh became the first player in the season to reach 25 home runs. On June 17, he got his eighth stolen base, which is the most by a Mariners catcher in a single season.
On June 20, Raleigh hit his 28th and 29th home runs. With these, he passed Johnny Bench for the most home runs by a main catcher before the All-Star break. Bench set his record in 1970 with 28 home runs. Raleigh broke this 55-year-old record with many games still left before the All-Star game. On June 21, Raleigh became the first player to reach 30 home runs in the season. He was also the first catcher and first switch-hitter in MLB history to hit 30 homers before the All-Star break. He was one of the fastest players to reach 30 home runs since 2001. In Mariners history, only Ken Griffey Jr. has hit 30-plus homers before the break. On June 23, Raleigh was named the American League Player of the Week again.
By the end of June, Raleigh had 33 home runs. This put him in a tie for third place for the most home runs in MLB history through June. He was tied with Ken Griffey Jr. and Sammy Sosa from 1998. Only Barry Bonds (39 in 2001) and Mark McGwire (37 in 1998) had more. Raleigh was named the American League Player of the Month for June 2025. He hit 11 home runs and had 27 RBIs that month. This was his first Player of the Month award.
On July 4, Raleigh hit two home runs. This set a new personal best of 35 homers in a season, and he did it in 61 fewer games than before. His second homer tied Ken Griffey Jr. for most homers in Mariners history before the All-Star break. Raleigh was chosen as the American League's starting catcher for the All-Star game on July 2. On July 8, Raleigh hit another home run, passing Ken Griffey Jr. for the most home runs before the All-Star break in Mariners history. On July 11, 2025, Raleigh hit two more home runs, his 37th and 38th of the season. The second was a grand slam. This brought him very close to Barry Bonds' all-time MLB record of 39 home runs before the All-Star break. With these two home runs, Raleigh set the American League record for most home runs before the All-Star Break.
On June 27, Raleigh said he would take part in the 2025 Major League Baseball Home Run Derby. He asked his dad, Todd, to pitch to him, and his brother, Todd Jr., to catch. Raleigh won the Home Run Derby, beating another player 18–15 in the final. He became the first switch hitter to win the derby. He was also the first Mariner to win since Ken Griffey Jr. did it three times. And he was the first catcher in MLB history to win the derby.
About Cal Raleigh's Life
Cal Raleigh's parents are Stephanie and Todd Raleigh. He has three siblings: Emma Grace, Carley, and Todd Jr. Many of his family members also play baseball. His father coached college baseball for the Western Carolina Catamounts and Tennessee Volunteers. He was also a catcher in college. Cal's younger brother, Todd Jr., is also a switch-hitting catcher. Todd Jr. caught for Cal during the 2025 Home Run Derby. Cal's uncle, Matt, played in the minor leagues. Cal's cousin, Brody, also plays baseball at Western Carolina.
When he was a child, Raleigh cheered for Jason Varitek and the Boston Red Sox.
Raleigh's nickname, "Big Dumper," became popular because of his former teammate, Jarred Kelenic. Kelenic started using it in 2020 and tweeted about it when Raleigh joined the Mariners. Raleigh's mother said she doesn't like the nickname, but she is happy that fans support her son.
Raleigh finished his college degree in business entrepreneurship from FSU in December 2020.
On June 13, 2024, Raleigh had his head shaved by former Mariner Jay Buhner. This was part of the team's "Buhner Buzz Cut" event.
