Noted Baseball Insider Thinks Seattle Mariners Star Could Shine For Team USA Roster in WBC

Seattle Mariners' catcher Cal Raleigh is out to an incredible start in 2025, entering play on Sunday with 17 homers, 35 RBIs and a very solid .258 batting average. He won the Platinum Glove Award last season as the best defender in the entire American League.

It looks like Raleigh will earn his first All-Star Game appearance this summer and he's even appeared in early-season MVP talk alongside Aaron Judge.

And could Raleigh's success lead him to being one of the catchers for Team USA at the 2026 World Baseball Classic? According to ESPN MLB Insider Buster, it absolutely could.

He made the following comments on the most recent edition of the Refuse to Lose podcast:

Oh ​without ​a ​doubt. ​And ​I ​say ​that ​without ​having ​talked ​to ​Mark ​DeRosa (team USA manager), ​maybe he's ​got ​a ​plan ​in ​place. ​But, ​I ​mean, ​you ​and ​I ​have ​been ​talking ​about ​how ​within ​the ​sport, ​Cal ​Raleigh ​is ​now, ​I ​think, ​viewed ​as ​the ​number ​one ​guy. For many ​years ​it ​was ​J.T. Realmuto, ​Adley ​Rutschman ​had ​a ​stint ​after ​his ​rookie ​year, ​after his ​second ​year ​where ​people ​thought ​of ​him ​as ​being ​that ​guy. ​I ​think ​now ​it's ​Cal ​Raleigh ​because ​the ​power, ​because ​of ​the ​ability ​to ​frame ​pitches, ​the ​work ​he ​does ​behind ​the ​plate, ​​and ​he's ​the ​leader, ​and ​you ​can ​see ​it ​every ​day ​when ​the ​Mariners ​play ...

The World Baseball Classic will begin in March of 2026. Team USA finished second in the tournament in 2023, losing to Japan in the final.

You can listen to the full interview with Olney in the podcast player below: