Angels Player Power Rankings – Week 9

With Weaver hitting the DL we are guaranteed a new number one in the rankings! Will it be the big bad Trumbomber or the Trout that Saved Anaheim?

As always, the rankings are based on a player’s overall season performance with a weight on recent performance.

RANK	PLAYER	CHANGE	COMMENTS
1		+1 Last Week: 2	Mark Trumbo – The Legend of the Trumbomber grows with his titanic walk-off blast against the Yankees.
2		+2 Last Week: 4	Mike Trout – How fast is Mike Trout? So fast that he made Elvis Andrus forget that he is supposed to throw to first base.
3		— 0 Last Week: 3	C.J. Wilson – Texas fans were so happy to see C.J. go, but the Angels have won both of the “real” starts he has made against the Rangers so far. As the kids like to say, “scoreboard.”
4		+1 Last Week: 5	Ernesto Frieri – Of course it was Mike Napoli who would touch up Frieri and end his no-hit streak. Sonuvabitch.
5		+1 Last Week: 6	Scott Downs – He finally gave up a run, but it was of the unearned variety, so I guess we can let it slide.
6		+2 Last Week: 8	Albert Pujols – So, Pujols was a disaster in May but was much better, but still not great in May. What is June going to be like? I’m both excited and scared to find out.
7		— 0 Last Week: 7	Dan Haren – So great against the Yankees, too bad he didn’t save a little bit of it for his “meh” start against Texas.
8		+6 Last Week: 14	Jerome Williams – Two runs allowed in seven innings against the Rangers yet the baseball world outside of Anaheim still thinks Williams is a hump.
9		+1 Last Week: 10	Kendrys Morales – Morales is a 250-pound slap hitter who doesn’t walk. Why is it the Angels are moving Pujols to third this week so Morales can play first and remain in the cleanup spot?
10		+2 Last Week: 12	Alberto Callaspo – Say what you want about the rest of Callaspo’s game, but the dude is pretty clutch.
11		-2 Last Week: 9	Howie Kendrick – Last week, Howie Kendrick had a .227 batting average and a .217 OBP. I didn’t even realize that was possible.
12		— 0 Last Week: n/a	Torii Hunter – Hey, look! Torii Hunter’s back. Umm, hooray? Hooray, right? Anyone? I really don’t know what the right reaction is here.
13		+3 Last Week: 16	Peter Bourjos – Bourjos had a shot to prove he deserved more playing time in the last week, but he didn’t exactly take advantage with his bat. He didn’t exactly blow it either thanks to his superb glove, which means the uncertainty around his role is destined to continue.
14		-3 Last Week: 11	Ervin Santana – Ervin lays another egg and has me wondering if it will be his rotation spot in danger of Richards looks like the real deal.
15		-2 Last Week: 13	Jordan Walden – After going 30 days without allowing a run, Waldo sure looks like he is starting to sideways again.
16		+4 Last Week: 20	Erick Aybar – The combined look of frustration and resignation on Aybar’s face when Gentry robbed him of that homer pretty much said all that needed to be said about Aybar’s season thus far.
17		+5 Last Week: 22	John Hester – Turns out this guy can kind of hit, no wonder Scioscia hasn’t been using him enough.
18		-1 Last Week: 17	Jason Isringhausen – Izzy has a 2.41 ERA yet Scioscia seems like he won’t use him in a game unless he has no other choice. He’s basically this year’s Rich Thompson, only older and not Australian.
19		-1 Last Week: 18	Hisanori Takahashi – He almost made it through May without giving up a run, but then the Yankees came to town. Or maybe it was because Scioscia let him pitch in a close game again. Either way.
20		-5 Last Week: 15	Maicer Izturis – Another miserable week and his OPS is down to .569. On the bright side, this poor season could make him easier to re-sign after the season!
21		— 0 Last Week: 21	Kole Calhoun – Scouts don’t think Calhoun is quite a five-tool prospect. Clearly the underestimated the all-important cow-milking tool.
22		+1 Last Week: 23	Bobby Wilson – Not only can he not hit, now he can’t bunt either. Paging Hank Conger. Hank Conger, please report to Angel Stadium, STAT!
23		+1 Last Week: 24	Bobby Cassevah – His meltdown on Sunday masked a solid long relief effort on Monday and a ballsy bail out of Walden on Saturday. But still, Sunday. Woof.
24		— 0 Last Week: n/a	Garrett Richards – Fair or unfair, it looks like Richards is going to get two starts to prove whether or not he should be part of the 2013 Angel rotation.
25		-6 Last Week: 19	David Carpenter – He hadn’t pitched in over a week when he got roughed up by the Yankees. However, he had no such excuse for getting hit hard by the Rangers a few days later. I hope he likes… whatever food is the trademark of Salt Lake City. According to Wikipedia, it is “fry sauce” which is a mix of mayo and ketchup. Really, Utah? That’s the best you can do?