GW’s MLB West Power Rankings (Week 9)

1. Rangers (1): The first two months of the regular season is behind them and suffice it to say, Josh Hamilton and Michael Young are not being missed nearly as much as the so-called experts expected.

2.  Giants (3): Don’t know about you, but it sure is a treat to watch the reigning World Series champions pull out another heart-stopping victory before another full house at home.

3. Diamondbacks (2): The secret to left-hander Patrick Corbin’s success has been discovered. According to MLB.com, Corbin is wearing a mouth-guard that is supposed to align a player’s jaw with his center of gravity, thereby reducing muscle tension in the neck, shoulders and back, resulting in higher pitch velocity. Really? Well, whatever. It has jettisoned Corbin to a 7-0, 1.71 ERA start.

4.  Athletics (5): It will be something akin to “Turn Back The Clock to the 1989 World Series” this week when the usually-spirited Bay Area rivalry features two interleague games at the usually half-full Coliseum (or whatever it’s called now) followed by two interleague games at usually chock-full AT&T Park.

5. Angels (7): There’s nothing quite like an eight-game winning streak to settle down some folks calling for changes in one of the most successful franchises in the Major Leagues over the past decade-plus. If you’re fishing for answers for the current hot streak, look at Mike Trout first and foremost.

6. Rockies (4): Of all the interleague series on the docket this week, it doesn’t get much better than Rockies at Astros, who play a two-game set in Houston on Monday-Tuesday followed by a two-game series at Coors Field on Wednesday-Thursday.

7. Padres (8): Not sure about other rabid West Coast baseball fans, but the annual interleague clashes between the Peoria, Ariz., spring training pal Pads and Mariners is a must-watch delight. However, don’t expect to see many highlights on ESPN’s Baseball Tonight shows.

8. Dodgers (9): Benching one of his biggest stars (Matt Kemp) just might turn out to be the move that saves skipper Don Mattingly’s job, although job security in this profession is all-too-often a misnomer.

9. Mariners (6): After spending a few hours in second place last week, the team had a pinch-me moment in the clubhouse, realized where they were, and proceeded to lower periscope, falling into the depths of the division – again.

10 Astros (10): No truth to the rumor that the new owners have asked their MLB colleagues to move the team from the American League West to the Pacific Coast League’s American Conference South Division in 2014.

(Last week’s ranking in parenthesis)
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