Man, talk about a head-scratcher! Our own Big Dumper, Cal Raleigh, just finished what experts are calling the worst full season of his MLB career in 2026. This comes after a 2025 campaign that was, no joke, maybe the greatest offensive season any catcher has ever put together. The complete 180 has everyone in the fantasy baseball world scratching their heads, and it makes him the absolute toughest player to rank for the upcoming 2027 drafts.
Catcher Chaos: The Rollercoaster Ride of 2026
The catcher position is always a wild card. These guys take forever to develop, their peak windows are short, and then they fall off a cliff or get hurt seemingly out of nowhere. It’s brutal. Earlier this season, it felt like we were in a catcher renaissance. At the All-Star break, five different catcher-eligible players were ranked in the top-100 overall for Fantasy, with three more hanging just outside in the top 112. That’s big! But things flipped hard after the break. Since then, only three catchers have remained in the top 100. Guys like Ben Rice, Ivan Herrera, and Dillon Dingler slumped hard, while Hunter Goodman and Shea Langeliers battled injuries that sidelined them for ages. It just proves that nothing stays the same at catcher, and even when it looks good, you gotta expect things to go sideways eventually.
Big Dumper’s Big Question Mark
This volatility hits home especially hard with Cal Raleigh. Just a year ago, in 2025, he was putting the finishing touches on an offensive season that had him ranked first among all catchers, no question. The only debate was how high you could justify taking him overall in drafts. Then 2026 hit, and he suffered through some historically bad regression, logging the worst full season of his big-league career. It’s frustrating to watch, but here’s the kicker: the experts are saying that the guy who hit all those homers in 2025 is absolutely still in there. This isn’t just a physical drop-off, is it?
So, what’s next for Big Dumper and the Emerald City faithful? Experts are already diving deep into 2027 rankings, with the first official look coming right after the season wraps up. For us, it means keeping a close eye on any news about Raleigh this offseason. Can he shake off 2026 and reclaim his 2025 glory? The stakes for 2027 drafts are gonna be higher than ever for catchers, and getting this right is everything.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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