Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh on track for historic defensive season

Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh has already carved himself into the history books of the team and MLB this season.

On Tuesday, he set a franchise single-season record for most RBIs in a season by a catcher (84), and he joins Hall of Fame catchers Mike Piazza and Johnny Bench as one of the few catchers in history to hit 20 or more home runs in each of his first four seasons.

But offensive stats aren’t the only thing Raleigh has excelled at this season.

In addition to his clearing-the-field skills, Raleigh also has a chance to win a Gold Glove with his defense behind the plate.

According to game notes sent out by Mariners PR on Wednesday, Raleigh leads American League catchers with 14 defensive runs saved (according to Sports Info Solutions). He has 11 catcher runs saved, according to Baseball Savant.

He also proved to be the common denominator for the pitching staff’s success.

Raleigh has a 3.29 catcher ERA in 116 games played and 953 innings caught. He is also tied for the most runners caught stealing in the major leagues (22).

Raleigh is tied with Will Smith of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the league. If Raleigh leads the league in runners caught stealing this season, he would become the first catcher to lead MLB in that statistic since Hall of Famer Gary Carter did it for the Montreal Expos in 1982-83.

RALEIGH MAKES MARINERS HISTORY: Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh passed Dan Wilson for the most impressive statistic during Tuesday’s loss to the Oakland Athletics. CLICK HERE

ATHLETICS WALK-OFF MARINERS FOR THE SECOND GAME IN A ROW: The Seattle Mariners fell to the Oakland Athletics 3-2 on Tuesday, marking Seattle’s fourth consecutive loss — all by one point. CLICK HERE

LANGELIERS LEAVES MARINERS: The Seattle Mariners lost their third straight game and their second consecutive loss, falling to the Oakland Athletics 5-4 on Monday. CLICK HERE

Continue to follow our Inside the Mariners coverage on social media, like us on Facebook and follow Teren Kowatsch and Brady Farkas on “X” @Teren_Kowatsch and @wdevradiobrady