GW power rankings: Giants No. 1

Beyond Golf — 12 May 2014 by Jim Street

The slightly-delayed, but always-popular,
golferswest.com MLB West power rankings are back for a third consecutive
season.

Unlike past seasons, we at GW decided to give the 10 West Division teams almost
40 games to get their starting rotations settled and their lineups in order
before introducing the first power rankings for 2014.

And so, without further fanfare, here’s our take on what’s happening in the
MLB’s American and National League West Divisions thus far.

1. Giants (24-14): You now need a Morse code to see who’s on first for the NL
West leaders.

2. Athletics (23-15): Closer Jim Johnson finally looks like the dependable
game-ender of old.

3. Rangers (19-19): If 26 outs were needed to pitch a no-hitter, Yu Darvish
would have two of them.

4. Rockies (23-17): The loss of retired Todd Helton hasn’t been nearly as
noticeable as expected.

5. Mariners (19-18): Team is waiting for King Felix to resume pitching like a
No. 1 instead of a No. 4.

6. Dodgers (20-19): Keeping four quality outfielders happy at the same time is
difficult for Don Mattingly.

7. Angels (18-17): The Angels are hanging in there despite having an
injury-plagued lineup.

8. Padres (18-21): The return of Chase Headley from an injury on Saturday had
an instant impact.

9. Diamondbacks (15-25): D-Backs fans are getting a bit irritated with pitching
coach Mike Harkey.

10. Astros (12-26): It’s not a good sign when local TV ratings showed a “0” the
first week of the season.

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.