Seattle’s postseason joy has turned to anger because Cal Raleigh is not in the running for a Gold Glove. Instead, Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk, whose team is down 2-0, is a finalist.

The snub hurts more because Kirk signed a $58 million contract with the Blue Jays. In 159 games, Raleigh hit 60 home runs and drove in 125 runs. Clearly better than Kirk’s 15 home runs and 76 RBIs in 130 games. Raleigh was completely ignored when Rawlings announced the finalists on Wednesday, even with better offensive numbers and similar defensive numbers.

The timing amplifies the controversy. When Rawlings Baseball announced on X, “The 2025 Rawlings Gold Glove Award Finalists – AL Catcher – Alejandro Kirk, Carlos Narváez, Dillon Dingler,” Seattle fans were shocked. And the stats show why!

Raleigh is hitting 357 with a .078 OPS this postseason, with 10 hits, two home runs, and five RBIs in seven games. His home run in Game 1 of the ALCS helped the team win 3-1, and his two walks in Game 2’s 10-3 blowout showed that he knew how to control the plate, which led to Seattle’s offensive explosion.

Seattle is now using this perceived slight to get fired up at home for Game 3 on Wednesday night back at T-Mobile Park, looking for a commanding 3-0 lead.

Cal Raleigh is both the team’s main offensive player and a reminder that how well a team does in the playoffs is more important than how many trophies they win in the regular season. His ability to get on base, as shown by his two runs in Game 2, even though he didn’t get a hit, shows the full catching package that voters somehow missed. His bat has said more than any announcement about a Gold Glove finalist could.

Mariners fans erupt over Cal Raleigh’s snub

“Where is Cal Raleigh’s name on this list?” one fan questioned. It was hard to believe that a catcher who hit 60 home runs could be completely ignored. Raleigh’s offense was so strong that he had 125 RBIs, almost twice as many as Kirk’s 76, but voters only seemed to care about defense.

Sarcasm flooded the responses as fans processed the snub. “But I thought Cal Raleigh was SOOOO good???” another wrote. The mocking tone barely hides the real confusion over why Kirk’s .282 average with only 15 home runs gets attention while a .247 average does not.

Even rival fans acknowledged the absurdity. “Cal Raleigh not even being a finalist is crazy work,” read one response that showed how confused everyone was. It was hard to explain the statistical gap, especially since Raleigh played 29 more games than Kirk did – 130 games.

A Blue Jays supporter admitted the uncomfortable truth.”As a Jays fan, I’m pulling for Captain Kirk, but come on, not including Cal Raleigh is absolutely absurd.” The confession confirmed what many people thought: Kirk’s $58 million contract and high profile may have had an effect on voters other than just performance metrics.

The most pointed reaction cut deepest. “KIRK OVER RALEIGH?! Lmaoooooo.” Seattle’s real complaint was that their postseason hero, who is currently hitting .357 with a .078 OPS against Kirk’s struggling Blue Jays, didn’t deserve to be considered alongside catchers who had worse offensive production. The process for choosing the Gold Glove suddenly seemed more like an opinion than a fact, since 75% of the votes came from managers and coaches.

What are your thoughts, though?