Welcome to The Seattle Times’ Sunday inside baseball page, where we review the week that was on the diamond, highlight key trends with the Mariners and present our weekly MLB Power Rankings.
Stat of the Week
20/20
It’s been a down season overall for Julio Rodríguez, but he did etch his name in the MLB record book Thursday night when he stole his 20th base of the season, making him the first player ever to post five 20-homer/20-steal seasons to begin his career. (Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr. needs three homers this month to match Rodríguez.) Through his first five seasons, Rodríguez has amassed 25.1 Baseball Reference Wins Above Replacement (bWAR), the 11th-highest total by a center fielder through a player’s first five MLB seasons.
https://twitter.com/MLB/status/2095736464956940339
Prospect Watch
Boston Smith, a 23-year-old outfielder/catcher acquired from the White Sox in the Luis Castillo trade, has clubbed nine homers with 22 RBI, 21 walks and 36 strikeouts in 26 games for the Arkansas Travelers, the Mariners’ Double-A affiliate. In his first season of pro ball, Smith is among the top sluggers in all the minor leagues this season with 31 homers and a 1.027 OPS.
https://twitter.com/MiLBMariners/status/2091609338788065725
Who’s Hot
Cal Raleigh leads the majors in OPS (1.339) and slugging (.913) since Aug. 21, hitting .326 (15 for 46) with three doubles, eight homers and 14 RBI in his last 13 games entering the weekend. Raleigh hit his 20th homer of the season Monday at Boston’s Fenway Park, becoming the eighth player in Mariners history with at least five 20-homer seasons.
Who’s Not
Mariners relief pitchers have a 6.40 ERA since Aug. 1, by far the worst in MLB in that span. (That does not include position players pitching in the Mariners’ three blowout losses to the Tigers, Brewers and Cubs). Washington’s 5.15 ERA ranks as the second-worst since Aug. 1.
Ex-Mariner of the Week
In his first six starts for the White Sox, Luis Castillo has a 7.52 ERA across 26.1 innings. He allowed six runs in four innings in a loss to the Astros in Houston on Thursday. Reminder that the White Sox took on the entirety of Castillo’s contract in their Aug. 1 trade with the Mariners. Castillo is owed about $24 million in 2027, with a $25 million vesting option for 2028.
Mariners Top 5: Power arms
As part of the M’s 50th season, we’ll look back each week at the club’s all-time leaders in various statistical categories. This week, a look at the franchise’s fastest fastballs on record (since 2008) — the highest average velocity from starters and relievers in a season. Note: MLB began official pitch tracking and velocity readings in 2008 with the introduction of the PITCHf/x system.
Starters
1. James Paxton (2016), 97.6 mph
2. Luis Castillo (2022), 97.4 mph
3. Logan Gilbert (2024), 96.8 mph
4. George Kirby (2026), 96.7 mph
5. Luis Castillo (2023), 96.4 mph
Note: Velocity averages from Kirby (96.7), Gilbert (96.3) and Bryan Woo (96.1) this season all rank in the top 10.
Relievers
1. Andrés Muñoz (2022), 100.3 mph*
2. Matt Brash (2023), 98.2 mph
3. Edwin Díaz (2016), 98.0 mph
4. Dan Altavilla (2017), 96.8 mph
5. Tom Wilhelmsen (2012), 96.8 mph
Note: *Muñoz actually holds the top five spots in each season from 2022 to ’26. His 99.6 mph average this season ranks No. 2.
Power Rankings
MLB’s definitive weekly rankings, from The Times’ Adam Jude
1. Brewers (Last week: 1)
2. Rays (3)
3. Braves (4)
4. Dodgers (2)
5. Cubs (5)
6. Yankees (7)
7. Phillies (6)
8. Padres (8)
9. Red Sox (9)
10. Diamondbacks (10)
11. Guardians (12)
12. Astros (13)
13. White Sox (11)
14. Blue Jays (17)
15. Rangers (16)
16. Marlins (14)
17. Cardinals (15)
18. Pirates (19)
19. Orioles (18)
20. Twins (21)
21. Mariners (20)
22. Tigers (23)
23. Nationals (25)
24. Reds (24)
25. Royals (22)
26. Mets (26)
27. Giants (27)
28. A’s (29)
29. Rockies (28)
30. Angels (30)
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