Welcome to the Ranger Report power Rankings. This is a segment that we hope to get to you every other week during the season. Chris did a great job with this and I hope you enjoy reading, agreeing, arguing, and commenting on every time one is posted. So here they are!
1. Josh Hamilton (10 R/4 HR/6 RBI/.390 BA/1.137 OPS) – Coming out of 
spring training many pundits questioned if Josh was worth locking up long term with a history of injuries and issues with sobriety. If the first 10 games are any indicator, he’s ready to silence any doubters who believe he isn’t worth a substantial investment. If he can stay on the field for at least 150 games in 2012, I believe, he will take American League MVP honors for the second time in his career.
2. Ian Kinsler (11 R/4 HR/7 RBI/.268 BA/1.031 OPS) – Contracts can be tricky things in sports, sometimes guys play harder to acquire a larger payday then seem to coast once they have inked a new deal. Kinsler isn’t one of those guys, newly equipped with a five-year $75 million contract, he has done everything a manager could want from the lead-off spot and in the field.
3. Colby Lewis (1-0/2 QS/15 K/1 BB/1.42 ERA/1.03 WHIP) – Lewis may not be the flashiest pitcher in baseball but he gives the club exactly what it needs, an anchor. Two rock solid starts of 6 and 6 2/3 innings, respectfully, with 15 strikeouts while only giving one walk.
4. Michael Young (4 R/1 HR/9 RBI/.366 BA/.854 OPS) – Rangerman is living 
up to the nickname given by teammate Mike Napoli so far this season. His versatility in the field gives Ron Washington one of the most dangerous weapons in the game along with his hitting prowess that is truly transforming the designated hitter position. Michael’s largest contribution to the 2012 season has come with runners in scoring position where he has collected 7 hits in 14 at-bats driving in seven of his nine runs in these situations.
5. Matt Harrison (2-0/2 QS/7 K/4 BB/0.64 ERA/1.07 WHIP) – Seemingly a throw-in piece in the table setting 2007 Mark Teixeria trade, Harrison has provided a reliable starter that simply goes out to win ballgames. As the season progresses it will be interesting to see how he fares against tougher lineups but for now is a major reason for the Rangers early season success.
6. Mike Adams (7.0 IP/1 SV/5 HLD/3 K/0 BB/1.29 ERA/1.00 WHIP) – 
Considered by most as one of the best setup men in the league, Mike Adams has been on fire to start the season. Appearing in seven of the team’s first ten games, he has already accumulated five holds and tallied a save. It is possible that we could see a shift in the closer position if Joe Nathan isn’t a reliable option in consecutive days.
7. Adrian Beltre (6 R/1 HR/6 RBI/.289 BA/.858 OPS) – The Gold-Glove winning third baseman hasn’t had a spectacular start to his season but it hasn’t been anything to scoff at either. Beltre accumulated four multi-hit games in the team’s initial ten games but only one that has sailed past the outfield fences. I have no concern about the numbers he will post this year hitting mostly from the clean-up position behind this week’s number one player, Josh Hamilton.
8. Alexi Ogando (6.1 IP/1 SV/4 HLD/7 K/0 BB/1.42 ERA/0.63 WHIP) – The evolution of Alexi has been quite a compelling storyline since entering the United States. He has gone from an A’s middling corner outfielder to a flame throwing middle-relief role to All-Star starter to a dominant postseason middle-reliever to his current role as a trustworthy setup man who is practically interchangeable with Mike Adams. If the dominoes at the back of the rotation begin to fall, Ogando will most likely assume the role of primary setup man.
9. Neftali Feliz (1-0/1 QS/7 K/4 BB/2.25 ERA/1.08 WHIP) – A somewhat surprising first start where he hurled a seven-inning shutout that resulted in a 1-0 Rangers win had him poised for the top five of this list. He followed up this performance with Sunday’s sub-par start where he gave up all three of Minnesota’s futile runs but did show excellent command of the fastball and improved use of his secondary pitches. Many casually compare him to Alexi Ogando but Neftali has been groomed for a starting role throughout the minors and should flourish into a top of the rotation starter in the coming years.
10. David Murphy (1 R/1 HR/3 RBI/.286 BA/.858 OPS) – Fan-favorite received 
the opportunity, for the first time in his career, to be an everyday starter and has taken pride in the role. His numbers may not pop off the page but he was the offensive catalyst for two of the club’s eight wins. A solo home-run was the initial spark in the finale of the Chicago series and a 3-3 batting performance in the 1-0 game against the Mariners where his 2-out infield single scored the only run of the evening solidifies his top-10 positioning on my list.
11. Robbie Ross (3.2 IP/2 W/4 K/1 BB/0.00 ERA/0.82 WHIP) – With an excellent spring where he made everyone take notice that he was ready to take the step forward from Myrtle Beach and Frisco up to the show. He has proven management correct by collecting his first two big league wins in consecutive appearances. As the only left-handed reliever on the roster, look for Ross to get the ball a lot this season.
12. Derek Holland (1-0/2 QS/13 K/3 BB/3.38 ERA/0.83 WHIP) – Dutch picks
up where he left off last season coming out and firing two quality starts for the 2012 edition of your Texas Rangers. He is getting to the point now where he is really trusting his pitches, some may say to a fault, but will have to continue to avoid the big innings he is prone to throw himself into.
13. Koji Uehara (1.2 IP/1 HLD/1 K/0.00 ERA/0.60 WHIP) – Koji may not be the most calming presence on the mound but if he rebuilds the confidence he had in Baltimore he would be an essential piece to an already outstanding bullpen.
14. Nelson Cruz (2 R/1 HR/4 RBI/.211 BA/.592 OPS) – Senor Octubre has never been known for a solid batting average but Nellie’s early season struggles are suggestive of a larger problem. He has had 38 at-bats this season but drawn only two walks while accumulating a stunning 14 strikeouts! If he continues to display this type of plate discipline we’ll probably see him take a couple of games off while he gets exams from every optometrist in the Metroplex.
15. Elvis Andrus (4 R/1 HR/3 RBI/.194 BA/.598 OPS) – The current slump Elvis is experiencing isn’t too troubling because the other bats in the lineup are picking up for him but he has to fix the problems quickly. With Boston and Detroit on the horizon we need an all-hands-on-deck effort to take series wins from two of the tougher clubs in the AL. Andrus’ defensive actions are salvaging his ranking this week but could fall if the offensive slump continues.
16. Yorvit Torrealba (5 GP/1 R/0 HR/0 RBI/.235 BA/.572 OPS) – The depth of this team is one of it’s most unique attributes above other World Series title contenders. Yorvit Torrealba has shown it is because of players like himself and the effort he puts forth that will establish this team as a truly special club. He had the club’s first stolen base of the season on Wednesday and followed the next afternoon with a lead-off, infield single in the third inning. After beating the throw to first he couldn’t contain a Texas-sized smile and was compelled to throw up his antlers.
17. Mitch Moreland (6 GP/2 R/1 HR/2 RBI/.150 BA/.527 OPS) – Only really 
putting his stamp on one game so far, Mitch hasn’t seen much action due to an abscess tooth that knocked him out of the lineup on Saturday and Sunday. The aforementioned game he made his presence felt in was Yu Darvish’s first start in Texas when Mitch rocked a 1-1 pitch over the right-field wall to take the lead and give Darvish his first major league win.
18. Scott Feldman (1.0 IP/0 K/1 H/0.00 ERA/1.00 WHIP) – As of now, Scooter has not been needed to fill his primary role of lengthening games with how the Rangers starting pitching has been. As the schedule gains more strength, you can be assured Feldman will be needed.
19. Mike Napoli (3 R/1 HR/3 RBI/.125 BA/.517 OPS) – Before yesterday’s game at Target Field Napoli’s stat-line was less than impressive (2 R/0 HR/2 RBI/.100 BA/9 SO/20 PA) but salvaged it with the first smooth, powerful swing that resulted in a trip around the bags. Hopefully, we will see him return to a pace closer to the one that made him into a cult favorite in Arlington last fall.
20. Yu Darvish (1-0/0 QS/9 K/8 BB/4.76 ERA/2.21 WHIP) – With the expectations of an entire country and a whole baseball culture on his 
shoulders, Yu Darvish entered his first season with the Rangers with a nightmare of a debut. I was at The Ballpark that strange evening and the experience was unlike any other I’ve seen. With every ball outside of the strike-zone the crowd would release low volume moans and slight groans. But with each and every strikeout would harken back to the Cowboy days of Daryl “Moose” Johnston and bellow out a resounding, “YUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!” It was truly fascinating to see 42,000 people on a razor’s edge hopeful that a player would live up to his hype. His command must improve and he won’t be able to get bailed out every day by this potent lineup but he has to have time to adjust.
21. Craig Gentry – Other than a defensive replacement, we have yet to see Gentry get much of an opportunity this year due to his pedestrian spring. He had a real chance to win the starting center field job in Surprise but for now he will have to settle for his relegated role.
22. Brandon Snyder – With the absence of Moreland on Saturday, Snyder collected three hits and played a solid first base. Unless injuries begin to plague the roster I wouldn’t expect to see Wash give him too much playing time.
23. Alberto Gonzalez – Thursday, with Elvis having the day off, Gonzalez collected his first Rangers hit and flashed some leather at short. He is an improvement over last year’s utility infielder, Esteban German, but could very well be replaced sometime this season.
24. Joe Nathan (6.0 IP/0-2/3 SV/1 BS/8 K/0 BB/6.00 ERA/1.17 WHIP) – The biggest question mark on the team right now is at the closer position but Mike Maddox and Ron Washington have Nathan’s back. The bright spot to point to with Nathan is that he is not giving out free passes to first, as sabermetricians have proven, the worst thing a pitcher can do is put men on base.
25. Mark Lowe – In the small sample size of a mere three outs maybe this isn’t the proper position in the rankings if you are simply looking at the numbers (1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 K, 0 R). The reason for this abysmal rating on my list is the level of trust that has been implied through the first two weeks of the season. His only appearance came in a situation completely devoid of stress yet nearly gave away part of the five run lead that was bestowed to him by Matt Harrison. Even though Lowe exited the inning without sacrificing a run, it was a tremendous diving catch from Josh Hamilton that saved Lowe from a potential two-out rally. To get off of the bottom, of this list at least, Lowe will have to excel when he is called upon to get the team out of a late inning jam thus earning the trust of his manager and the fans alike.
