Mariners Draft: ‘Throwback’ catcher Stevenson has a Raleigh vibe

Any catcher drafted high by the Seattle Mariners will undoubtedly get some sort of comparison to Cal Raleigh at this point, whether they have a similar profile or not.

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Raleigh has set the bar for the organization’s backstops during a stellar first five seasons in the majors, culminating in a record-setting home run season that he’s currently in the midst of.

While not a carbon copy, there are some Raleigh vibes coming from North Carolina catcher Luke Stevenson, who the Mariners made the No. 35 overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft on Sunday.

“There’s some loose comparisons there,” Mariners vice president of amateur scouting Scott Hunter said Sunday. “… The leadership part of it. This is a kid, he’s kind of a throwback catcher. I saw him this year catch both ends of a doubleheader. You just don’t see things like that anymore.”

‘A servant to my staff’

A native of Flemington, N.J., Stevenson said he’s been catching since about 7 or 8 years old. His mother, Ellen, was also a catcher for Division-III York College in Pennsylvania.

Stevenson said he learned what it meant to be catcher and the rigors that go along with it at a young age thanks to the help of a catching coach he had in Little League.

“You wear a ball off the wrist or you wear a ball off the throat, you just got to get back there and keep doing your thing,” Stevenson said. “No one really cares about you back there. No one really wants to see you. No one wants to notice me, and I love it. If no one’s talking about me, that means I’m doing my job.

“I just want to be a servant to my staff, and that’s something that I learned at a very young age.”

Developing a relationship with his pitching staff was something Stevenson made a point of doing at North Carolina. It was something he had to do quickly while earning the starting catching role as a true freshman in 2024.

“I knew that being 19 years old (meant) that I had to gain the trust of some 23-year-old pitchers,” Stevenson said. “… I was going to earn their trust quick, and that’s something that I think is a big quality that I learned and that I got a lot better at. And I think that’s something that’s really going to help me in this pro career.”

BACK UP BY THREE!!

Luke Stevenson smashes a two-run, 409-foot home run off the batter’s eye.

Carolina 9, Virginia 6 (M7) pic.twitter.com/v8SR7doN0E

— Carolina Baseball (@DiamondHeels) April 6, 2024

Power potential

Defense and handling the pitching staff are important to Stevenson, but he’s far from a defensive specialist. The left-handed-hitting backstop showcased plenty of power at North Carolina.

Stevenson broke out for 14 home runs and a .536 slugging percentage as a true freshman. He clubbed another 19 home runs and posted a .552 slugging percentage while earning first-team All-ACC honors this past season, which included a home run in each of the Tar Heels’ quarterfinal and semifinal games during their run to the ACC Tournament title.

Stevenson also posted a career .417 on-base percentage with nearly as many walks (107) as strikeouts (125) in college.

“I like to think that I can change the game in a swing,” said Stevenson, who was named ACC Tournament MVP. “I’m going out there, I’m trying to do damage. I’m trying to put a good swing on something that I can drive. I’m going to swing at strikes and do everything I can to work counts. I want to be a tough out.”

Stevenson did see his average dip from .284 to .251 while his strikeout rate went up as a sophomore. However, the Mariners see a lot of potential in the 20 year old.

“Had a down year pure hitting-wise, but it’s a 70-grade arm, 70-grade catcher and he’s got top-of-the-scale raw power,” Hunter said. “Now getting back to form of what he was his freshman year and where we think he can go, we do believe that we – I don’t say it’s steal – but we got some real value at pick 35 when we thought (he) was probably going to go in the top 15 to 20 picks as we started this year’s draft room.”

More on the Seattle Mariners and MLB Draft

• How Seattle Mariners fared during the All-Star Game
• Cal Raleigh becomes first catcher to win Home Run Derby
• Insider report indicates Seattle Mariners could trade Harry Ford soon
• The best right-handed hitter in baseball is Cal Raleigh
• Seattle Mariners MLB Draft Tracker: Keep up with every 2025 pick

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