Angels Player Power Rankings - Week 17

RANK	PLAYER	CHANGE	COMMENTS
1		— 0 Last Week: 1	Mike Trout – If there is one reason to root for the Angels to get back in the playoff race, it is so that Trout can become a more serious MVP candidate. I mean, who doesn't want to re-live the Cabrera vs. Trout holy WAR?
2		+1 Last Week: 3	Jered Weaver – I know he is the ace of the staff, but given his not-so-secret should problems, maybe Sosh could ease off with the 120+ pitch outings?
3		+1 Last Week: 4	C.J. Wilson – Shutting out Oakland while pounding the strike zone is the exact kind of C.J. the Angels are going to need if they really want to make a desperate playoff run.
4		-2 Last Week: 2	Howie Kendrick – With a .255 average and .269 OBP in July, maybe his exclusion from the All-Star Game really wasn't all that much of a snub.
5		— 0 Last Week: 5	Ernesto Frieri – After having the All-Star break off, why would Scioscia not bring in Frieri to protect a four-run lead? I will never understand the notion that you are supposed to use your best reliever only when you really have to.
6		— 0 Last Week: 6	Albert Pujols – The rest did Albert's broken body some good. Perhaps that is something he needs a little bit more of the rest of the season.
7		— 0 Last Week: 7	Erick Aybar – I'm still trying to decide if Jon Morosi's suggestion of the Angels trading Aybar is the best idea or the worst idea.
8		+1 Last Week: 9	Scott Downs – Downs seems to have finally recaptured his old form (no pun intended). Now the Angels have to decide if they should trade him at the deadline or hold onto him and maybe even try and re-sign him.
9		-1 Last Week: 8	Mark Trumbo – Since he started his second half slump early this season, maybe he can end it early, right?
10		— 0 Last Week: 10	Hank Conger – Dear Fox Sports West, nobody cares what Hank Conger did over the All-Star break. There is no need for a Twitter poll about it for three straight days. Come to think of it, there is no need for Twitter polls in general.
11		+1 Last Week: 12	Alberto Callaspo – Just when it looked like he had his throwing issues ironed out…
12		-1 Last Week: 11	J.B. Shuck – Let's hope Bourjos' wrist starts healing properly because the clock is already on the 11th toll of midnight.
13		+4 Last Week: 17	Michael Kohn – I used to joke that Kohn was mini-Jepsen, but he is starting to look more like mini-Frieri with his .155 batting average allowed.
14		— 0 Last Week: 14	Josh Hamilton – I know it is only one series, but Josh isn't inspiring a lot of hope in his pre-break hot streak carrying over to the rest of the season.
15		+1 Last Week: 16	Dane De La Rosa – Scioscia wasting no time in overworking Dane out of the break.
16		-1 Last Week: 15	Chris Iannetta – Iannetta is secretly trying to become more like Hank Conger in an effort to earn back playing time. That's why he threw that ball into left field in last night's game. I'm not sure his strategy is sound here.
17		+1 Last Week: 18	Garrett Richards – How many times does he have to come in early in a game to relieve Jerome Williams and then out-pitch Jerome before he is just given the rotation spot?
18		-5 Last Week: 13	Kevin Jepsen – Still a mess yet still the setup man. I will never understand this.
19		+2 Last Week: 21	Michael Roth – Which happens first: Roth gets sent back to the minors or I finally get a useable Angels headshot of Roth?
20		-3 Last Week: 20	Jerome Williams – The defense did him no favors against Oakland, but that had nothing to do with him giving up a dinger to Eric freaking Sogard.
21		-2 Last Week: 19	Joe Blanton – Penalized due to this site's long held stance against Gatorade-related violence.
22		+1 Last Week: 23	Collin Cowgill – You may not know this but Cowgill is actually ancient Gaelic for "defensive replacement."
23		+2 Last Week: 25	Brad Hawpe – We now live in a world where 34-year old Brad Hawpe, who has been worth -0.3 runs on the basepaths in his career, is considered a viable option as a pinch-runner.
24		— 0 Last Week: 24	Billy Buckner – If a pitcher never pitches, does he still take up a roster spot?
25		-3 Last Week: 22	Brendan Harris – The timing of his DFA is curious, but I can't say I'm sorry to see him go.