Why Athletics' Shea Langeliers is predicted to take 'step forward' over Cal Raleigh
Raleigh has new and exciting competition in the American League.
Why Athletics' Shea Langeliers is predicted to take 'step forward' over Cal Raleigh originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . As last year's AL MVP runner-up to Aaron Judge, Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh put on an absolute show, hitting 60 home runs and earning a starting nod in the All-Star game.
Raleigh is off to a terribly slow start at the plate , striking out 15 times in his first 28 trips to the plate. That bodes well for Shea Langeliers' All-Star case, though the Athletics backstop will need steady production throughout the first half of the season. Raleigh is not going to slump forever.
Sooner or later, he will look like the player he broke, hitting records for a catcher. Still, Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer sees a scenario in which Langeliers earns the All-Star spot over the switch-hitter.
Langeliers predicted to earn starting nod in All-Star game "After posting a 132 OPS+ with 31 home runs last season, Shea Langeliers profiles similarly to Cal Raleigh entering the 2025 season," Rymer wrote. "That's not to suggest Langeliers is going to pop off a 60-homer season, but it's within the realm of possibility that another step forward could earn him the starting AL nod over Raleigh, who he will likely experience some level of regression. " In six games, Langeliers already has connected for five home runs , driving in eight runs in the process.