GW MLB West Power Rankings (Week 2)

Beyond Golf — 08 April 2013 by Jim Street

GW’s MLB West Power Rankings (Week 2)

1. Dodgers (2): Rookie pitcher (at least by MLB’s absurd standards) Hyun-Jin Ryu has looked awfully good in his first two starts in the genuine big leagues and that bodes well for a starting rotation that already includes a wonderful one-two punch in Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke.

2. Giants (1): Not even a 14-3 bashing from the Cardinals on Sunday could take much luster off the World Series rings the Giants received prior to their series finale against the Redbirds. You might recall that the last time these two teams played was in the playoff and the Giants came up big.

3. Athletics (6): After stubbing their collective toes in losing their first two games of the regular season, the A’s offense received straight A’s the remainder of the week. It helped that three of those games were against the Astros.

4. Angels (3): It’s early, but we’re still waiting to see what the next version of “Murderer’s Row” can do when it’s clicking on all cylinders.

5. Diamondbacks (7): The mark of a good team is when it’s usually dependable closer blows a two-run lead in the ninth inning, which J.J. Putz did on Sunday, but the team still wins on something like a pinch-hit home runs in extra-innings. Take a bow Erik Hinske.

6. Rangers (5): The two-time defending AL West champions already have lost Josh Hamilton to free agency and Michael Young to a trade. Losing club executive Nolan Ryan for any reason would be a huge blow to Rangers fans everywhere.

7. Mariners (4): Michael Morse already has hit more home runs (5) for the Mariners this season than he did in during his first stint with the organization. But there was a caveat – those teams were run by one of the most inept GM’s in MLB history. All Mariners fans know who we’re talking about.

8. Rockies (9): Let’s see a show of hands who actually thought the Rockies would win five of their six games during the first week of the regular season. No hands? That’s not a surprise.

9. Padres (8): If it wasn’t for the woeful Astros, the Padres would be at the bottom of the GW Power Rankings. It could get worst fast as the Dodgers visit Petco Park for a three game-series beginning on Tuesday.

10. Astros (10): If the newest team in the AL West can get swept at home by the Athletics, you can only imagine what will happen when they take on the Angels or Rangers on the road. Heck, their first road trip of the season, starting in Seattle on Monday, could be difficult.

(Last week’s ranking 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.