Hometown ballplayer returns to face Cleveland Guardians

by Dan Holland

Seattle Mariners’ outfielder Luke Raley, a 2013 Highland High School graduate, returned to Cleveland this summer to face the Cleveland Guardians in a three-game series at Progressive Field as scores of family members and friends came out to watch him play.

The 29-year-old Raley, a 6-foot-4, 235-pound left-handed slugger, belted an opposite-field home run just over the left field fence into the bleachers during the first game, contributing to the Mariners’ 8-5 victory on June 18. Raley’s uncle, Scott Profitt, had his hand on the home run ball as it sailed into the front of the left field bleachers, but he dropped it onto the warning track. The home run was Raley’s first-ever at Progressive Field.

“My uncle didn’t catch it; he dropped it,” Raley said. “My friend from college followed it around the field and watched it get tossed up in the stands down the third base line, and he went over and told the guy that I was his friend. So, the guy gave him the ball, and my friend gave it to my uncle at the end of the game.”

Raley said his uncle’s “fielding error” will be brought up at family gatherings.

“I’m not done razzing him yet on that – it will never not be brought up at our Thanksgiving gatherings,” he said.

Although the Major League Baseball season schedule is typically very tight, Raley was able to get one day off during his recent trip back home. He and his wife, Katie, married on Dec. 29, 2023.

“It was great just being able to come home and see my family and friends, and my wife got to see her family as well,” said Raley. “It’s hard on her as well, with her being with me in Seattle, as she doesn’t get to see her family and friends either. But I got to take a full day and had a chance to visit my grandpa, and my parents and in-laws came over for a couple hours. Then I was able to go out to dinner with my friends.”

Raley ended up batting 0-for-2 in an 8-0 loss the following night and went 0-for-1 as a pinch hitter on June 20 during a 6-3 Guardians victory.

Raley, who worked at his family’s tree farm on Ridge Road in Hinckley selling Christmas trees during his teen years, batted .568 with eight home runs and 50 RBIs during his senior year at Highland. He played D-II college baseball at Lake Erie College and was subsequently drafted in the seventh round of the 2016 MLB Draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers. He made his major league debut with the Dodgers in April 2021, and has since had stints playing for the Tampa Bay Rays and Mariners.

Raley said it is still a bit mindboggling that he was able to achieve his dreams of playing professional baseball. “It’s crazy that I’ve gotten to where I am, because it’s what I dreamed about growing up playing baseball in Hinckley,” he said. “But I put in a lot of hard work and made a lot of sacrifices to get here.”

Raley’s advice to young, aspiring baseball players is to work hard and put in the time and effort.

“The biggest thing is to always work hard and just remember that you never know who’s watching, because all it takes is one person to notice you, and that’s what starts the ball rolling as far as getting into pro ball,” said Raley. “It’s hustling and doing every little thing right even though it can get annoying at times. But that’s what people look for, and it can help move the needle as far as achieving your dreams.”

Raley and his wife maintain a residence in Avon, Ohio, during the offseason. ∞

Photo: Highland High baseballer Luke Raley hit at home run at Progressive Field as the Seattle Mariners took on the Cleveland Guardians in June. Photo courtesy of the Seattle Mariners.