Here's what to know about Raleigh's East Coast upbringing, how baseball has always been a part of his life, and how he also starred as a two-sport athlete.
Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh has been rising to MLB prominence in recent years, but he has entered another gear in 2025.
The 28-year-old slugger is becoming a household name while putting together a season of historic proportions. He's placed himself in MVP conversations, as he's well on pace to hit the most home runs by a catcher in league history, and, as a result, has earned the first All-Star selection and Home Run Derby invite of his career.
Raleigh has become a star in the Pacific Northwest, but his roots are on the other side of America.
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Where is Cal Raleigh from?
Raleigh is from Cullowhee, N.C.
He was born and raised in Cullowhee, a town with a local population of less than 8,000, per the 2020 census. It is roughly three hours from Atlanta, making the Braves the closest MLB team to Raleigh's hometown.
The Cullowhee community is home to Western Carolina University, which has a Division I program that has produced a few MLB players. Raleigh's father, Todd, played baseball collegiately at Western Carolina and was the program's head coach from 2000-07.
Naturally, Baseball has played a large role in Raleigh's upbringing. Ahead of his first Derby appearance, the Raleigh family shared a video of an eight-year-old Cal proclaiming that he is the "Home Run Derby champ," while wearing a jersey of the Asheville Tourists, a High-A ballclub in Asheville, N.C.
Cal Raleigh has been dreaming of competing in the #HRDerby for a LONG time 🥹
— MLB (@MLB) July 7, 2025
(via @DKramer_)pic.twitter.com/UUNesQ4Kqf
Raleigh attended Smoky Mountain High School in nearby Sylva, N.C., where he was a two-sport star on the baseball diamond and basketball court.
While Raleigh's baseball resume speaks for itself, he was also named Co-Player of the Year of the Western North Carolina Athletic Conference basketball league as a senior in 2015.
Where did Cal Raleigh go to college?
Raleigh played collegiately at Florida State, starring on the diamond from 2016-18.
With the Seminoles, Raleigh earned numerous freshman honors in 2016, including All-ACC Freshman and Freshman All-American selections. In 2018, he was a First Team All-ACC selection and named MVP of the 2018 ACC Championship.
The Mariners selected Raleigh with the 90th overall pick in the third round of the 2018 MLB Draft. He made his MLB debut on July 11, 2021.
Category: Baseball
