GW MLB West Power Ratings (Week 18):
1. Rangers (1): A productive $eptember could give Josh Hamilton just what he needs to reach A-Rod territory in terms of future $alarie$.
2. Giants (2): Memories of Barry Bonds at his best have emerged with the second-half exploits of Buster Posey – without the juice rumors, of course.
3. Athletics (3): The undisputed under-the-radar team in the big-leagues this season has visions of chasing one of the two wild-card entries into the playoffs.
4. Dodgers (5): Part-owner Magic Johnson turned his attention away from the Dodgers for a bit to give his expertise on the newest superstar in town, Dwight Howard.
5. Angels (4): In Mike Trout, we could be watching the first Rookie of the Year/Most Valuable Player winner since Ichiro did it with the Mariners in 2001.
6. Diamondbacks (6): Not sure what the defending NL West champs expected from Willie Bloomquist, but doubt it was as much as he has delivered.
7. Padres (8): Much-traveled Jason Marquis has been one of the few feel-good stories for the Pads, who have experienced a mostly-poor campaign.
8. Mariners (7): When the season began, Justin Smoak was supposed to be the middle-of-the-lineup run producer the team needed in the worst way. Never mind.
9. Rockies (9): Three golferswest.com cheers for Todd Helton, who might have played his last game of a Hall of Fame career.
(Last Week’s rating in parenthesis)