Cal Raleigh’s 2026 season has gone off the rails at the plate, and the numbers have started to land in truly uncomfortable territory.
The Seattle Mariners catcher is batting .156 through 391 plate appearances, a mark that has him brushing up against one of the ugliest seasons in MLB history. Per Codify, Raleigh’s average now sits in the same range as Joe Gerhardt’s 1885 campaign with the New York Giants. Gerhardt hit .155 in 423 plate appearances, which leaves Raleigh second only to that benchmark among qualified hitters with at least 391 plate appearances.
Gerhardt’s season has long stood out as a reference point for brutal offense. In 112 games, he finished with 62 hits and a .399 OPS. If Raleigh keeps sliding, he could move into a place nobody wants: the top of a record book for worst-hitting seasons.
In Wednesday’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Raleigh was 0-for-3 with a walk.
The contrast with last season is staggering. Raleigh was one of baseball’s most dangerous hitters in 2025, blasting 60 home runs and driving in 125 runs while hitting .247. He finished second to Aaron Judge in AL MVP voting, and now he’s being measured against a hitter from the 19th century.
Raleigh hasn’t tried to dodge the blame. After the Mariners’ loss to the New York Yankees last week, he took responsibility for the team’s offensive struggles.
"We're not playing well. That starts with me," Raleigh said via the Seattle Times' Ryan Divish.
"I'm awful. I've got to find a way to be better and to help bring the guys along.
We just gotta play better. We're just playing very, very, very bad baseball in every facet of the game."
The Mariners’ offense has gone downhill along with Raleigh’s bat. They are 59-67 pending Wednesday’s result and sitting outside the playoff race for now.
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