MLB Power Rankings: The Surging Seattle Mariners

The Seattle Mariners are surging. Sure, they’re not featured in our MLB Power Rankings – yet – but they’re right on the cusp of a takeover.

Currently sitting at No. 11 – according to our trusty spreadsheet – the Mariners haven’t lost a game since July 2. That’s a 14-game winning streak that has taken them from third in the American League West and 13 1/2 games behind the Houston Astros for first place to second place and nine games out.

As it stands, the M’s have seven games remaining against the division leaders, all of which will take place in a span of 10 days right out of the MLB All-Star break.

Can Seattle continue this win streak and get within striking distance of the almighty Astros? That will be the story to look for over the next week of the season.

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Before we see how the rest of the league did, understand that when preparing for the MLB Power Rankings this season, I relied on numbers. I created a spreadsheet using pitcher WAR, batter WAR, team record, and run differential. Teams with the highest combined score are ranked at the top.

Let’s look at the top 10 teams in Week 14 of the 2022 MLB season.

2022 MLB Power Rankings

10. San Diego Padres (-2)

In the week leading up to the MLB All-Star break, the Padres lost four of seven games to the worst teams in their own division. As a result, they fell two spots and are now in danger of being replaced by the surging Seattle Mariners.

9. Toronto Blue Jays (+3)

For the first time in a month, the Blue Jays are back in the Top 10. They did so by taking five of six games against the Phillies and the Kansas City Royals.

8. San Francisco Giants (+5)

This week, the Giants made the biggest jump in our Rankings. Much of this is due to their excellent run differential. Last week, San Francisco posted a +25 run differential. This makes up nearly 50-percent of their run differential for the entire 2022 season.

7. St. Louis Cardinals (+3)

The Cardinals also saw a significant rise in this week’s Rankings. They did this by winning four of six games against the Phillies, Dodgers, and Cincinnati Reds. They also accomplished this by cutting the Milwaukee Brewers’ division lead in half from two games to one.

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The Magnificent Six

6. Philadelphia Phillies (0)

Last week, the Phillies split six games with the Cardinals, Blue Jays, and Miami Marlins. The remain three games outside of first place for the NL East division lead since May 27.

5. New York Mets (0)

Last week, the Mets faced their biggest challenge of the season and came out on top. With the division-lead on the line, they managed to take two of three games from their closest rivals, the Atlanta Braves.

4. Atlanta Braves (0)

The Braves handled their business last week, taking three of four from the Washington Nationals. They have a great opportunity to gain ground moving forward as two of their next three series are against the Los Angeles Angels (39-53) and the Arizona Diamondbacks (40-52).

3. Houston Astros (0)

Despite retaining the third spot in our MLB Power Rankings, Houston had a rough week leading up to the All-Star break. They split six games between the Angels and Oakland Athletics and lost 3 1/2 games in the standings.

Their next five games against the New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners could determine whether or not they remain in the top three.

2. Los Angeles Dodgers (0)

This past week, the Dodgers won four of five games. They increased their division lead from 7 1/2 games to 9 1/2 games and don’t appear in any danger of losing any ground.

1. New York Yankees (0)

For the seventh consecutive week, the Yankees are the No. 1 team in baseball. They continue to lead the world in hitter fWAR, pitcher fWAR, wins, and run differential.