With "Opening Night" set for Wednesday between the World Champion St. Louis Cardinals and the new-look Miami Marlins and "Opening Day" set for Friday, ESPN released its Week 1 MLB Power Rankings on Monday.
Your Texas Rangers are in a good spot heading into the season, as the two-time defending AL champions checked in at No. 2 on the list, voted on by ESPN analysts Jim Bowden, Tim Kurkjian, David Schoenfield and Jayson Stark.
The Rangers are at No. 2 behind the New York Yankees, which should come as no surprise with ESPN's love affair with all things pinstripe, but in reality, the Yankees are much improved this year too with a re-tooled starting rotation and that dangerous lineup still intact.
As good as the Yankees' lineup is, it's hard to say anyone's is better than the Rangers', and the Texas rotation is looking to pretty good as well, though it's highly unproven.
Behind the Rangers are No. 3 Los Angeles Angels, No. 4 Detroit Tigers and No. 5 Tampa Bay Rays. The Boston Red Sox check in at No. 6 while the Arizona Diamondbacks are No. 7 as the first team from the National League on the list.
