GW’s MLB Power Ratings (Week 11)

Beyond Golf — 25 June 2012 by Jim Street

GW’s West Power Ratings (Week 11):

1. Rangers (2): If the performance by Roy Oswalt in his first start with Texas is a sign of things to come, the defending AL champs could have a playoff berth clinched soon after the rest of us celebrate Labor Day.

2. Dodgers (1): The Bums could be bummed about their unsuccessful pursuit of Red Sox slugger Kevin Youkilis, but a healthy Matt Kemp would make things much better.

3. Angels (3): Albert Pujols was not selected to the All-Star team in his final year in the NL and unless he makes a late charge this year, he’ll be a non-selection in his first year in the AL as well. Folks in St. Louis would be thrilled.

4. Giants (4): A 10-pound weight gain since camp ended has Tim Lincecum on a fast track to look just like Pablo Sandoval by season’s end. Well, from the neck down, anyway.

5. Diamondbacks (5): Snake fans eagerly await the much-anticipated debut of RH Trevor Bauer, the third overall selection in the 2011 First-Year player draft out of UCLA. His arrival just might occur this weekend.

6. Athletics (7): The MVP (most visible person) in the Oakland organization this season could be a tie between the team’s doctor and head athletic trainer.

7. Rockies (6): No MLB team is happier than the Rockies to see the Interleague Series come to an end this season. Their 2-13 record against the AL was the worst in the big-leagues.

8. Padres (8): After dominating their Interleague Series against their “natural” rival Mariners, ownership has quietly requested that MLB transfer SD to the AL West next season and leave the Astros in the NL West.

9. Mariners (9): If Joe DiMaggio thought the original Yankee Stadium was tough on right-handed hitters, it’s a right-handed hitter’s paradise compared to Safeco Field – known as the place where would-be home runs become routine fly balls. I wouldn’t be surprised if Felix Hernandez has been lobbying hard for moving in the fences.

(Last Week’s rating in parenthesis)

About Author

Jim Street

Jim’s 40-year sportswriting career started with the San Jose Mercury-News in 1970 and ended on a full-time basis on October 31, 2010 following a 10-year stint with MLB.com. He grew up in Dorris, Calif., several long drives from the nearest golf course. His first tee shot was a week before being inducted into the Army in 1968. Upon his return from Vietnam, where he was a war correspondent for the 9th Infantry Division, Jim took up golf semi-seriously while working for the Mercury-News and covered numerous tournaments, including the U.S. Open in 1982, when Tom Watson made the shot of his life on the 17th hole at Pebble Beach. Jim also covered several Bing Crosby Pro-Am tournaments, the women’s U.S. Open, and other golfing events in the San Francisco area. He has a 17-handicap, made his first and only hole-in-one on March 12, 2018 at Sand Point Country Club in Seattle and witnessed the first round Ken Griffey Jr. ever played – at Arizona State during Spring Training in 1990. Pebble Beach Golf Links, the Kapalua Plantation Course, Pinehurst No. 2, Spyglass Hill, Winged Foot, Torrey Pines, Medinah, Chambers Bay, North Berwick, Gleneagles and Castle Stuart in Scotland, and numerous gems in Hawaii are among the courses he has had the pleasure of playing. Hitting the ball down the middle of the fairway is not a strong part of Jim’s game, but he is known (in his own mind) as the best putter not on tour. Most of Jim’s writing career was spent covering Major League Baseball, a tenure that started with the Oakland Athletics, who won 101 games in 1971, and ended with the Seattle Mariners, who lost 101 games in 2010. Symmetry is a wonderful thing. He currently lives in Seattle and has an 8-year-old grandson, Andrew, who is the club's current junior champion at his home course (Oakmont CC) in Glendale, Calif.