Offseason report card and preview: Catchers
A position that seemed bleak ended up being one of the strengths of the 2022 Mariners. Our offseason report card series will start with the catcher position.
You could argue that the jump in the catching position was one of the single biggest reasons for the jump Seattle made in 2022. Going into the season the Mariners had Luis Torrens, Tom Murphy and Cal Raleigh penciled in as the options.
All three of these players had significant questions going into the season. Tom Murphy had a great 2019 season but missed all of 2020 with an injury. When he returned in 2021 he struggled mightily to produce at the plate but developed a great relationship with the pitching staff.
Luis Torrens defense fell off a cliff in 2021, to the point where they had to stop playing him there altogether. Torrens became a DH only, and put together a very good second half. he finished his season hitting 15 home runs with a .743 OPS.
Cal Raleigh had the most upside of the group, as he was one of the Mariners’ top prospects the season before. There were a ton of questions about his bat heading into 2022, and it seemed likely that he would need most of the season in Tacoma.
Essentially they had a bunch of question marks at the catcher position, and all of them were answered in decisive fashion.
All three players were on the roster to start the season, but Luis Torrens saw almost zero playing time over the first few weeks. Raleigh and Murphy got the majority of the playing time, and Murphy seized the job with an unbelievable display of hitting over the first few weeks.
Murphy slashed .303/.439/.555 over the first 14 games of the season, so they sent Cal Raleigh down to get work in Tacoma. Torrens was still seeing little playing time but was forced into action when Murphy dislocated his shoulder. This shoulder injury would keep him out the rest of the season, forcing Seattle’s hand in bringing Raleigh back to the big league roster.
All Cal Raleigh decided to do was become one of the best catchers in baseball. His performance was legitimately remarkable, slashing .211/.289/.489 with 27 home runs and 4.2 WAR for the season. His 27 homers ranked first in all of baseball at the catcher position and also blasted two of the biggest home runs in Mariner franchise history. His drought-ending blast is the stuff of legend, and his blast in game one of the postseason helped bring Seattle their first playoff win in 21 years.
These moments were special, and memories that Seattle fans will not soon forget. What makes them even more remarkable? Raleigh hit both home runs with a broken thumb and torn ligaments in his thumb. He caught 18 innings in their final game of the season with the injury, which will require surgery.
In addition to the thump he provides at the plate, Raleigh was fantastic behind the plate this season. He was nominated for a Gold Glove today, finishing up a fantastic season on both sides of the ball.
Seattle also acquired Curt Casali at the deadline, but didn’t see much production from him. Going into 2023 all the catching options are on the roster already. It would be surprising to see Curt Casali back in the mix, but I wouldn’t rule it out.
I expect the plan to be for Raleigh to be their everyday guy against right-handers, with Murphy mixing in on off days and against left-handers. They will also likely keep Luis Torrens around if possible, as having depth at catcher is usually a necessity.
Overall the catcher situation in Seattle is the best it has been in years. Cal Raleigh should get better on both sides of the ball, and they have quality in-house options to split time with him. He is a huge developmental win for Seattle, and has a chance to become an elite backstop if he is not there already.