GW MLB West Power Ratings (Week 17):
1. Rangers (1): The top team in the AL the past two seasons appears to be a little bored right now, but that is bound to change when the equally-talented Angels finally get their collective acts together.
2. Giants (3): Buster Posey has turned the post-All-Star Game period into a personal bid to capture the NL’s Most Valuable Player award. He is a hitting machine.
3. Athletics (4): Raise your hand if you thought the A’s would be nine games over .500 on August 5 and in second place. No hands up?
4. Angels (2): All of us are waiting for a torrid streak from a team that has just about everything it needs to reel off 10 or more consecutive wins.
5. Dodgers (5): Something every NL West contender wants to hear: The Rockies are coming to town!
6. Diamondbacks (6): Best news of the season so far for Snakes fans: The non-waiver trading deadline has passed and Justin Upton is still on the team.
7. Mariners (8): Just a coincidence that the Mariners got hot at the same time that Ichiro got traded? I think not. What a concept that a “team” has no “I” or “i” in it.
8. Padres (7): Not sure what question the organization had in mind when they signed right-hander Kip Wells, but he certainly wasn’t the answer.
9. Rockies (9): Times are tough indeed when you must reach down to the Double-A level to fill spots on a beleaguered pitching staff. Welcome to the world of the Rockies.
(Last Week’s rating in parenthesis)