This time last year, it appeared as if Andruw Jones’ big league career could be over. On Wednesday, Jones proved once again hat his career is still alive and kicking.

Jones, hitting in the cleanup spot, hit homers in his first three at-bats to help the Texas Rangers beat the Los Angeles Angels by a final score of 8-1. He hit a two-run homer in the first inning and then solo homers in the third and fifth.

Last season, Jones hit .158 with three homers and 14 RBIs in 209 at-bats. This season, Jones is hitting .250 with 14 homers and 35 RBIs in 160 at-bats.

Since entering the Major League Baseball as a 19-year-old phenom with the Atlanta Braves, Jones has seen the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. This season, he appears to have saved his career.

With the win, the Rangers improved their record to 47-36 and into first place in the AL West. The Angels, 46-37, dropped into second place.

Andruw Jones - Rangers (Image: Zuma Press)

Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers played in his first minor league game as he rehabs from abdominal surgery. In the contest, Hamilton got one hit in four at-bats. He also recorded a walk, run and a steal.

After the game, Hamilton reported that he felt good. Although he didn’t play in the field, he reportedly looked smooth running the bases.

After being one of the best stories in baseball last year, Hamilton hasn’t been as hot this year. In 35 games, Hamilton is hitting .240 with six homers and 24 RBIs. He also has 20 runs, five doubles, two triples and three stolen bases.

Both Hamilton and the Rangers believe that he could return to the big league level by this coming weekend. If he doesn’t, might start out as the designated hitter and then eventually return to his spot in the Rangers’ outfield.

Josh Hamilton - Texas Rangers (Image: Newscom)

On Monday, Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers had an MRI on his troublesome groin. The images showed bad news for Hamilton and the Rangers — the slugger could be forced to sit out up to two months.

Josh Hamilton - Texas, Rangers (Image: Newscom)

As a result of what the MRI indicated, Texas has played Hamilton on the disabled list. The quickest doctors say that the outfielder could return to the lineup would be in two weeks, however the Rangers are unlikely to bring him back that fast. That is especially true since this is already Hamilton’s second stint on the DL this year.

To replace him on the roster, the Rangers called up Brandon Boggs. The 26-year-old Boggs hasn’t played in the major leagues so far this season.

Although Hamilton isn’t on the same pace that he was last season, he’s still a very important part to the Rangers. He’s currently hitting .240 with six homers and 24 RBIs. At 30-21, the Rangers have the second best record in the American League.

Now that we’re into June, the MLB power rankings are starting to mean something. The meat of the MLB season is where the men are separating from the boys.

Here are our 2009 MLB power rankings as of June 1st:

1. Los Angeles Dodgers
Even without the suspended Manny Ramirez, the Los Angeles Dodgers are the best team in baseball. They aren’t quite as good without Ramirez but they have a good shot to hold onto their National League leading record.

2. Texas Rangers
Are the Rangers for real? It’s difficult to tell for sure. The fact that their bats are hot isn’t the story. The real story is that their pitching finally appears to be decent, which is bad news for the rest of baseball.

3. New York Yankees
All the millions the Yankees handed out this summer appear to be paying off. Mark Teixeira is hitting well and C.C. Sabathia has become the ace. Once Alex Rodriguez really heats up, the Yankees will be tough to beat.

C.C. Sabathia seems to be worth the money (Image: Newscom)

4. Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies aren’t getting any help from their starting pitchers and their bullpen has been shaky (especially closer Brad Lidge), they have only lost four times in their last 16 games. Once their pitching becomes decent, watch out!

5. Boston Red Sox
Like the Phillies, the Red Sox are winning despite their starting pitching. However, with John Smoltz getting closer and closer to returning and a strong bullpen, Boston appears to be in good shape to make the playoffs.

Edinson Volquez, who has been on the disabled list due to a back injury, will make his return to the pitching mound on Monday against the St. Louis Cardinals. He hasn’t been able to pitch since May 16th.

Prior to last season, the Cincinnati Reds acquired Volquez in a deal that sent Josh Hamilton to the Texas Rangers. Although Hamilton blew up in Texas, Volquez was also really good. Last year, the native of the Dominican Republic was 17-6 with 206 strikeouts in 196 innings to go along with a 3.21 ERA.

This season, Volquez was 4-2 in his eight starts with a 4.25 ERA. The 25-year-old was actually a bit better than that ERA indicates — especially when you consider that he is sporting a National League best .185 batting average against stat.

With a record of 26-23, the Reds need Volquez to come back strong if the team wants to make a legit run at the 2009 baseball playoffs.

Edinson Volquez Injury Update (Image: Zuma Press)

Nelson Cruz usually isn’t the cleanup man for the Texas Rangers. On Saturday against the Houston Astros, he looked like a natural. The native of the Dominican Republic hit a pair of homers to help the Rangers beat their intrastate rivals by a final count of 6-3.

Nelson Cruz - Texas Rangers (Image: Zuma Press)

For the game, Cruz was 2-for-4 with two runs and four RBI. On the season, the 28-year-old outfielder is hitting .285 with 11 homers, 30 RBI and 22 runs. Despite his age, Cruz has never played more than 100 games in a season. In 31 games last season, Cruz hit .330 with seven homers and 26 RBI.

On the mound for the Rangers, Scott Feldman went 6.2 innings to pick up his third win of 2009. He gave up five runs and three earned runs while striking out five and walking two.

The win lifted the Rangers to 25-17. Currently, Texas leads the NL West with a 2.5 game lead over the Los Angeles Angels.

With the loss, the Astros are now 18-23 and in last place in the NL Central.

Josh Hamilton missed 13 games for the Texas Rangers with a ribcage muscle strain. On Tuesday, Hamilton returned with a bang.

After going without a hit in his first three at-bats, Hamilton came to the plate in the seventh inning with the game tied 1-1. With one swing, Hamilton put the Rangers up 3-1 when he hit a homer against the Seattle Mariners. Texas never trailed again and beat Seattle by a final count of 7-1.

Josh Hamilton, Texas Rangers (Image: Newscom)

The Rangers have now sit in first place in the AL West after winning eight of their last ten games. At 18-14, Texas has outscored their opponents by 21 runs, which is the third largest margin in the American League behind the Toronto Blue Jays and the Boston Red Sox.

If Hamilton can find the swing that made him such a story last season, he could help lead the Rangers to the playoffs for one of the few times in team history.

While spring training isn’t the greatest way to judge a baseball team, the exhibition standings aren’t as worthless as you may think. In fact, last year the Tampa Bay Rays had the best record during spring training and then went on to represent the American League in the 2008 World Series.

Who are the best teams during 2009 spring training? Here are the top five:

1. Los Angeles Angels
Last year, the Angels finished with the best record in baseball at 100-62. During 2009 spring training, Los Angeles is 24-7. They have outscored their opponents 247-158. All in all, it appears like it will be another very good year for the Angels.

2. New York Yankees
Like the Angels, this is no surprised. The Yankees spent millions upon millions of dollars during the offseason to better their roster. Even this early in the process, these Yankees look like World Series contenders. If their pitchers can remain healthy, they’ll be scary.

3. Milwaukee Brewers
After the Brewers lost CC Sabathia, many thought their chances of doing much in 2009 had vanished. But their bats look strong in spring training and the pitching has shown signs of potential. The Brewers are definitely a sleeper at this point.

4. Atlanta Braves
For many years, the Braves were a favorite in the National League. Currently, most experts don’t consider the Braves a true contender. Despite the doubters, the Braves are 20-11 in spring training and their pitching has been very impressive.

5. Texas Rangers
The Rangers are utilizing their typical formula. They’ve scored 226 runs so far in spring training but they’ve also given up 206 runs. The Rangers will score runs but their record will depend on whether or not Texas can have a halfway decent pitching staff.

Here is a video of Michael Young of the Rangers talking to Jim Rome:

Each year, there are a couple Cinderella stories in Major League Baseball. If a team has the right mix of chemistry, enough talent and a united goal to win, it’s very possible to make a lot of noise.

Here are five baseball teams that could surprise during the 2009 MLB season:

5. Oakland Athletics
While nobody is picking the Athletics to win the World Series, they definitely added a few interesting pieces over the offseason. The A’s typically are strong closers so if they can get off to a good start, they may make noise in the American League.

4. St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals have one big asset — Albert Pujols, arguably the best hitter in baseball. With Pujols to build around, it doesn’t take much else to field a quality team capable of surprising the world.

3. Atlanta Braves
Bobby Cox is one of the best managers in the game and he knows how to guide his team to a winning season. This year’s Braves seem to have better chemistry than in seasons past and could be a dark horse in the National League.

2. Milwaukee Brewers
Many MLB observers counted the Brewers out after they lose CC Sabathia to the Yankees. Though their pitching is definitely weaker, they have great bats in their lineup and a few pitching prospects who could step up into larger roles.

1. Texas Rangers
The Rangers have mastered the art of hitting. Putting runs on the board isn’t a problem. Now if they can get a halfway decent pitching staff, they would be a difficult team to beat. In 2009, it looks like their pitching staff could improve immensely if their prospects pan out.

Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers agrees (Image: Newscom)

I do a lot of reading. And when I get a chance, I try to read some books written by athletes. I’ve even started a little book club. I’ve just learned of two more books that could be added to that list in the near future.

The Coach Matters: Life Lessons Beyond The Playing Field by Venus Williams

“Williams will reflect on how her own coaches’ advice, including that of her father and mother, helped her make tennis history and succeed in the business world and beyond. The tennis star will interview other business, sports, entertainment, fashion and political icons who had high school, college or professional coaches whose sports maxims translated well off the court and field.” (Publishers Weekly)

An Untitled Memoir by Josh Hamilton

“Texas Ranger Josh Hamilton’s comeback story from blue chip prospect to addict to American League All Star; after being confronted by his grandmother at rock bottom, Hamilton embraced Christianity, found his faith, and made it back to the pinnacle of his profession.” (Prayers For Blowouts)

Two stories worth checking out in a few years.