Captain Cal? Why M’s Raleigh idolized another leader behind the plate

Stepping on the field at Fenway Park is always a special moment for Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh.

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The switch-hitting slugger grew up as a Boston Red Sox fan, and his favorite player was another switch-hitting catcher, Jason Varitek.

There’s plenty of similarities between the two. The most obvious being the position and ability to hit from both sides of the plate, but those aren’t the only connections. Varitek, like Raleigh, was once a Mariners prospect. And in Boston, Varitek was a valuable leader in the clubhouse, just as Raleigh is with the M’s.

Raleigh discussed his adoration of Varitek and more during the most recent edition of Seattle Sports’ Cal Raleigh Show with Mariners insider Shannon Drayer.

Raleigh said many of his favorite Red Sox growing up were some of the standout players who were known for the prowess at the plate: David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez, Johnny Damon and Dustin Pedroia. But as Raleigh’s appreciation for baseball grew and he discovered he wanted to be a catcher, Varitek quickly rose to the top of the list.

“He’s the captain. He’s the leader of the team,” Raleigh said of Varitek. “He leads the staff and doesn’t have all the accolades or maybe the talent in the world in the sense of he’s not hitting all the home runs, he’s not doing all the crazy things, but he has all the respect of his teammates and stuff like that. And when you have that, it kind of reveals your character, and it’s a lot more than just numbers.”

Varitek notably wore a “C” on his jersey in Boston, indicating his position as the team’s captain.

“If you could be the captain of a team like that, that has won a World Series, it’s a big deal. It’s a really cool thing,” Raleigh said. “To have people that trust you to have that on your chest… and can handle this team day in and day out, and have people look towards you to help lead them and get them places that you want to be, championships, World Series, things like that, it means a lot.”

#Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh discussed the surging offense, lockdown bullpen & starting pitching alongside @shannondrayer in a new episode of 'The Cal Raleigh Show' on Seattle Sports.

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In the NHL, the captain designation is still a big deal. When the Seattle Kraken went over two seasons without a captain, it was considered a rare and not so good thing. However, the captain designation on jerseys isn’t seen much in baseball these days, but Raleigh would like to see more of it.

“Not a lot of guys get that opportunity, but it’s kind of a rare thing, too,” Raleigh said. “In a way, you don’t want to overdo it because it’s a really cool thing, and you don’t see a lot of it and it’s rare that a player will stay with a team that long and have that kind of effect on a lot of its players. So it’s definitely an honor, that’s for sure.”

Would Raleigh himself be interested in having the “C” on his jersey?

“That’s out of my control,” he said. “I’d be happy to do (it). I mean, yeah, it’d be a really cool thing to have, but it’s not something I’m out there trying to do or search for. I just want to help my guys and help this team win and do whatever it takes.

“And like I said, I’m not really looking for anything like that, any of the recognition. Just trying to do my best.”

The Cal Raleigh airs Thursday’s at 5 p.m. during Wyman and Bob on Seattle Sports. Hear the full conversation at this link or in the audio player near this story. Listen to Wyman and Bob weekdays from 2-7 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

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