Bob Nightengale

USA TODAY Sports

SEATTLE - The Seattle Mariners have had a profusion of star power this past quarter-century, but the problem is they’ve had no real team to go along with it, not since their glorious 116-win season of 2001.

It was last time the Mariners reached the playoffs - now the longest drought in all of baseball.

Now, after a winter in which they didn’t make a single sexy move, overhauling their roster with minor trades and inexpensive free-agent signings, the Mariners finally have an honest-to-goodness team, and this time, with staying power.

It’s no fluke that the Mariners are sitting just a half-game out in first place in the American League West, hoping no one notices until the playoffs begin in October.

“Nobody even thinks about the Mariners,’’ center fielder Leonys Martin told USA TODAY Sports, “but we like that. We don’t want anybody to talk about us. We don’t want anybody to say we’re going to win the division. We just want to go game by game, and go low profile.

“Maybe at the end of the year, they can talk about us, but not now. Really, we like it this way.’’

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You walk into the Mariners’ clubhouse these days, and it’s as if your GPS accidentally directed you to fraternity row. A pool table in the middle of the clubhouse just arrived. A basketball hoop, fully adjustable, on the far end, purchased for $35 on Amazon by pitcher Wade Miley. And a virtual custom tailor shop on the near side, where Robinson Cano had three designer suits shipped in from New York for dazzling shortstop Ketel Marte.

“He looks so good on the field,’’ said Cano, who’s having an MVP-caliber season. “We need him to look good off-the-field too.’’

The Mariners, now 21-16 after a weekend sweep by the Los Angeles Angels, have already lurked in first place later than any season since 2002.

“This is the most fun I’ve ever had,’’ said Miley.

Ever?

“Well, since I was 12,’’ Miley says. “OK, maybe college. But this has been great. We’ve got a nice big-ass ballpark where I can just throw the ball, and not really worry about having to get ground balls. I love this place.

“We’re just going out playing the game, having fun, and winning. And we’re so far away that nobody even notices.’’

This is a team that has only eight holdovers from a year ago, with new GM Jerry Dipoto making sure not to tinker with the structure, but remodel and refurbish everything else.

“I learned there really is no such thing as rebuilding in the major leagues,’’ said Dipoto, hired three months after his July resignation from the Angels after a falling out wiht manager Mike Scioscia and staff. “You can rebuild organizations, but you’re here to win at the big-league level. We wanted to rebuild and replenish our player development, but when you have Robinson Cano and Felix Hernandez, and Kyle Seager and Nelson Cruz, why would you ever rebuild?

“We had a good core, we just need to go out and get the players that we felt could accent it. The ownership gave us freedom to be pretty creative and make a lot of changes. Most importantly, we wanted to have the conga line mentality where we had guys that can run deep at-bats, that can get on base, and once we got on base, have an element of speed. We wanted a strong bullpen. And depth in our rotation.”

Dipoto brought in eight relievers, including Steve Cishek, who lost his closer’s job in Miami a year ago, but is now tied for the league lead with 11 saves. They traded for starters Nate Karns and Miley. Their catching core of Chris Iannetta and Steve Clevenger are new. So are first basemen Adam Lind and Dae-Ho Lee and outfielders Martin and Nori Aoki.

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Dipoto turned over the new assemblage to Scott Servais, who had no coaching or managerial experience, but was secure enough to defer to veteran leaders Cano, Hernandez, Cruz and Seager.

Even when the Mariners struggled early, losing five consecutive games on their first homestand, it was the players who called their own meeting, reminding each other to relax.

“Scott has done a great job with us,” says ace Felix Hernandez, ranked seventh in the AL with a 2.47 ERA. “That’s what we’re doing, just being ourselves. It’s been a long, long time since I’ve ever felt this good about our team.’’

The Mariners, preaching on-base percentage in spacious Safeco Field, are averaging the fourth-most runs in the AL, after finishing last in the major leagues a year ago. They rank second in home runs and third in slugging percentage. They are getting terrific pitching, ranking third in the league with a 3.37 ERA. And they are playing solid defense with a dazzling double-play combo of Marte and Cano, with Martin chasing down everything between the foul lines in center field.

And, oh, yeah, they also happen to have a rejuvenated Cano, who after off-season double hernia surgery is resurrecting memories of his glory days with the Yankees, with 12 home runs and major-league leading 34 RBI.

“I’ve seen him a lot over the years,’’ said Lind, who spent the first eight years of his career playing for the Toronto Blue Jays, “and this might be the best I’ve seen him look. It’s been amazing.’’

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The Mariners drew 117,000 for their weekend series against the Angels, and despite losing their first series sicne April 13, still have the belief they’ll have more fun this summer beyond simply counting down the days to Griffey’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

“It’s been so long since we’ve been part of the postseason,’’ Dipoto said, “but that can’t be the center of the dartboard. You have to focus on a culture, a winning culture, and that’s what we’re building.

“We never thought we would run away from the crowd when we built this teamMar - maybe more in the mid-80s win range - but I don’t see any reason why we won’t be a contender all season, and have a real chance to win this division.

“I’m not a scientist, but momentum is real. And that’s what we’ve got going here.’’

Shhh, just don’t tell anybody.

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