MLB power rankings: Rays climb to No. 3, Marlins crack top 10
In ESPN's Week 14 MLB power rankings, the Tampa Bay Rays climbed from No. 6 to No. 3 and the Miami Marlins surged from No. 16 to No. 9—while the Seattle Mariners standings slipped from No. 8 to No. 10 at 44-43. Florida's two teams reshaped the league picture as July began, even as the Dodgers and Brewers held the top two spots.
Key Takeaways
- The Rays (50-33) leapfrogged the Yankees as the AL's top-ranked team and sit first in the AL East.
- The Marlins (46-41) posted the highest winning percentage for any month in franchise history in June.
- The Mariners (44-43) dropped two spots to No. 10 amid Cal Raleigh's June slump and injury woes.
- Los Angeles (56-31) and Milwaukee (53-31) remain Nos. 1 and 2 in the rankings.
- ESPN experts Bradford Doolittle, Buster Olney, and Jesse Rogers weighed in on all 30 clubs.
Why did the Rays jump to No. 3 in the power rankings?
Tampa Bay's three-spot climb mirrors its real-world rise. The Rays moved past the New York Yankees as the American League's top team in ESPN's rankings—the same week they overtook the Yankees in the AL East standings.
Junior Caminero's home run binge fueled the surge. He homered in six straight games and hit nine in his past eight, helping propel Tampa Bay into first place. Rays manager Kevin Cash told ESPN that Caminero is "a very special hitter that keeps getting better."
MLB.com's midseason check-in notes the Rays finished the first half at 48-33 (.593), matching the franchise's third-best 81-game start. Their rotation leads the AL with a 3.29 starters' ERA, anchored by Drew Rasmussen, Nick Martinez, and Shane McClanahan. A 22-4 run from late April through mid-May built the cushion that survived a later 9-17 skid.
Sports Illustrated highlights Bryan Baker as another first-half surprise. Acquired from Baltimore, Baker ranks second in saves across both leagues with 21 and carries a 1.95 ERA—transforming from a middle-innings arm into an elite closer.
How did the Marlins crack the top 10?
Miami's seven-spot jump—from No. 16 to No. 9—is the other half of Florida's power-ranking story. The Marlins entered July at 46-41 after a historic June.
ESPN's Buster Olney notes Miami posted the highest winning percentage for any month in franchise history that month. The offense surged with a team .798 OPS, and Otto Lopez, Joe Mack, and Kyle Stowers all hovered around .900. Hitting coach Pedro Guerrero, who worked with Marlins GM Gabe Kapler in San Francisco, reunited with Kapler last year.
For fans tracking where to watch the league's hottest teams, our Streaming & TV Alerts hub rounds up viewing options as the playoff picture shifts.
Where do the Mariners standings fit in Week 14?
The Mariners standings story is the counterweight to Florida's rise. Seattle fell from No. 8 to No. 10 despite a 44-43 record, tied with Texas for a mediocre AL West.
Jesse Rogers writes that June brought no relief for Cal Raleigh. He played just 14 games, hit one home run, and batted .174 in 46 at-bats amid underperformance and injury. After Raleigh's 60-homer 2025 and Seattle's near-World Series run, both player and team have underwhelmed. Rogers calls the Mariners "a mystery" that should be better even if Raleigh's slump persists.
That slide underscores how quickly power rankings can diverge from preseason expectations—while teams like Tampa Bay defy them entirely.
Who still sits atop the MLB power rankings?
The ESPN Week 14 power rankings keep the back-to-back champion Dodgers at No. 1 (56-31). Milwaukee holds No. 2 (53-31) after Brandon Sproat's recent dominance on the mound.
Atlanta (50-34) and the Yankees (48-38) round out the top five. The Braves endured baseball's worst June offense, while New York struggled without Aaron Judge—ranking 21st in runs scored with a wRC+ of 89.