GW’s MLB Power Ratings (Week 4):
1. Rangers (1): Promotion idea: Have a Michael Young bobble head giveaway. You just wind it up and a line drive comes off the bat.
2. Dodgers (2): The reunion of veteran outfielder Bobby Abreau and Dodgers manager Don Mattingly bodes well for the NL West team’s pursuit of postseason action.
3. Diamondbacks (3): Cody Ransom has been hotter than a midsummer day in Phoenix since being recalled from Triple-A Tacoma, batting .345 with 3 home runs and 10 RBIs in his first 29 at-bats.
4. Rockies (4): A slight change has been made to right-hander Jeremy Guthrie’s contract. From now on, the bicycle he rides must be equipped with training wheels.
5. Giants (5): Pablo Sandoval is extremely grateful that a broken hamate is not career-threatening. He’s also pleased to know that he’ll never sustain that injury again.
6. Athletics (7): After averaging more than 43,000 fans per game in their first two “home” games (in Tokyo), the A’s are packing in an average of 16,713 patrons for their other 11 home games.
7. Angels (6): That shipment of Kryptonite sent from St. Louis to Anaheim last December sure seems to be working during the early stages of the 2012 season.
8. Mariners (8): The theme of the season so far is “close-but-no-cigar”, but as in each of those 100-plus loss campaigns in recent seasons, the glass-is-half-full bunch is saying, “It’s still early.”
9. Padres (9): It’s always tough to see my self-proclaimed nephew, Huston Street, get injured, and soreness in his pitching shoulder (right) is troublesome news for sure.
(Last Week’s rating in parenthesis)