Cal Raleigh’s season has gone sideways, and Mark DeRosa’s comments about the World Baseball Classic only sharpened the picture.
The Mariners catcher is nowhere near the level he reached last year, when he became just the seventh player in Major League history to hit 60 home runs. Instead, he’s tracking toward a career-worst season since his rookie year, when he appeared in only 47 games. Raleigh currently has a negative bWAR, a projected .169 batting average, a .581 OPS and a 67 OPS+.
DeRosa, who managed Team USA in the WBC, spent plenty of time around Raleigh and was asked last Friday on Seattle Sports whether anything seemed off with him. His answer was blunt.
"Yeah. He was hooking a lot of balls, front shoulder, rolling over the top hand.
Doing some things that you would expect him to be able to get out of quicker than maybe he’s been able to get out of it. "
Mark DeRosa
That lines up with what was already visible during the tournament. Fox Sports announcer Joe Davis said during the WBC that Raleigh’s swing was not in a good place, and the results backed that up: he went 0-for-9 and did not play in either the semifinal or the final. DeRosa said on Seattle Sports that whoever was swinging the bat at that point had to play, which is why he turned to Will Smith for the last two games.
Raleigh’s issues at the WBC didn’t stop at the plate. The event also became part of the Handshakegate mess involving Mariners teammate Randy Arozarena.
DeRosa called the incident overblown during his interview, and said Raleigh probably would have been better off giving Arozarena a fist bump. But Raleigh was following instructions not to acknowledge opponents, even a club teammate, and that left him in a no-win spot.
There’s also the physical side of it. Raleigh had to push to get game-ready so quickly, and that may have set the stage for the right oblique strain that followed. He also had a slow start in spring training last year, but this time the WBC left him with less room to ease into things.
The bigger issue now is that the WBC explanation has run out of runway. Raleigh has been back to full health for more than a month, and the problem looks more mental than physical at this point. His confidence appears shaken, and there’s real concern he may not find his form again in 2026.
For a player who clearly takes pride in representing his country, the WBC may not be on the calendar next time around.
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