It doesn't take a deep dive to appreciate what Raleigh is doing this season. We do, however, reach an odd conclusion if you dive deep enough: Raleigh's effort has been more impressive than it appears.

Raleigh is on pace to join Johnny Bench in 1974 and Joe Torre in 1970 as the only players whose primary position was catcher in MLB history to reach 700 plate appearances in a season, becoming too essential on both sides of the ball for the Mariners to rest him. Not that he’d want to, anyway.

Cal Raleigh picked up right where he left off last week. Raleigh hit his major league-leading 32nd home run in the ninth inning of the Seattle Mariners’ 11-2 win over the Minnesota Twins on Monday night.