World Series offensive breakdown

Tuesday October 27, 2009 • 6 Comments 

We are now just one day away fro Game 1 of the World Series between the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees. There promises to be plenty of drama as these two teams face off in the World Series for the first time in 50 years.

Bellow is a breakdown of how the teams match up position-by-position.

 First Base: This would be the marquee position with two players who are not only of All-Star caliber, but MVP worthy. Ryan Howard has been a monster year after year, producing 40-plus home runs and 140 RBIs a season. His defense has improved and he defines the word clutch. Most people credit Jimmy Rollins for being the engine of the team but it became clear this season that the Phillies would go as far as Howard takes them.
On the other side, Mark Teixeira has been as good as advertised. The Yankees paid him big money in the offseason and he delivered with 39 homers and 122 RBIs. He has also delivered Gold Glove play at first base. Howard’s knack for getting the big hit gives him a slight edge on offense, but Teixeira seems to save a run a game with his glove, making this a toss up.

Verdict: draw

Second base: Robinson Cano has developed into the type of players that could be a cornerstone for the Yankees for many years. He hits for average (.320) and power (25 home runs).
Chase Utley also had a strong regular season, though his average dipped to .282. Something just doesn’t seem quite right with his swing right now and he only has two RBIs in the postseason. Utley may just be the hardest-working player in baseball and if there is something wrong there is a good chance he will fix it.

Verdict: Slight edge Yankees

Shortstop: This was nowhere near Jimmy Rollins’ best year, but his second-half was certainly acceptable. Rollins is hitting just .244 in the postseason, but it was his two-run double in the ninth inning of Game 4 of the NLCS that all-but finished off the Dodgers.
Meanwhile Derek Jeter is having a career year, which is saying something given his track record. He hit .334 during the regular season and his playoff performances in the past have been well-documented. If Rollins was having a typical year this would be a tough call. Since he has struggled, the check mark has to go to the Yankees’ captain.

Verdict: Edge Yankees

Third base: Alex Rodriguez finally learned how to hit in the postseason. Like Howard, A-Rod has been an RBI machine with 12 and is hitting .438. Clearly he is making up for lost time.
Pedro Feliz has been a great defensive presence throughout his career and even with his age creeping up continues to play the position well. Offensively Feliz is not a big cog, but had a three-run homer against the Dodgers in the NLCS and has given the lineup great depth.
He’s just not A-Rod.

Verdict: Edge Yankees.

Catcher: Carlos Ruiz or “Chooch” has been a monster this postseason, both behind the plate and as a hitter. Ruiz is hitting .346 and has driven in seven from the eight-hole. His pitchers love throwing to him and he has become one of the best in the league when it comes to throwing out base stealers.
Jorge Posada is not the player he once was. He still had good numbers with 22 homers and a .285 average, but his shortcomings defensively have led to the Yankees using Jose Molina more than anticipated. In fact, the Phillies will likely see Molina in games that A.J. Burnett pitches.

Verdict: Edge Phillies.

Left Field: The Phillies could not have asked for more than what Raul Ibanez gave them this season. He was an NL MVP candidate the first half of the year and hit a career-high 34 home runs. Even at 33, his defense is not a shortcoming. “Rauuuul” instantly became a fan favorite and remains one.
The Yankees counter with Johnny Damon who can still swing the stick, but has nothing in terms of an arm in the outfield. He is a liability out there and is usually replaced in the late innings.

Note: Ben Fransisco will star in left field on the road and Ibanez will DH. We still list Ibanez as the left fielder because he will play there during the home games.

Verdict: Edge Phillies

Center field: Shane Victorino made the first of what is likely to be many All-Star game appearances this season. He led the team in several offensive categories, including hits (181), average .292 and steals 25. He also provided Gold Glove defense. Last season he introduced himself to all of baseball. This year he announced that he isn’t going anywhere.

Melky Cabrera didn’t quite meet the expectations he ha set for himself with a big 2008 season, but still hit a respectable .274 and is an outstanding defender. Cabrera has good speed, but can not compete with Victorino in that department. In fact, there is not one part of his game that is clearly superior to Victorino’s.

Verdict: Edge Phillies

Right field: What a player Jayson Werth has become. Finally healthy, Werth had a huge season and has kept it up in the postseason. Werth is the team-leader in home runs during the playoffs, knocking five out of the park. He is making opposing pitchers pay for pitching around Howard.

Few people would have predicted that Nick Swisher would be starting for the Yankees in the playoffs when the season started. Xavier Nady was the opening day starter but an injury erased his season after seven games. Swisher stepped in and stepped up. He is not the player Werth is, but the pop in his bat still makes him a threat.

Verdict: Edge Phillies

Designated hitter: Ben Fransisco is the extra bat added during games in New York. Seen as a throw-in in the Cliff Lee trade, Fransisco has been solid in limited action. He hit .278 on the year and is 0-for-4 in the playoffs. Matt Stairs could also see a game in this role with Ibanez playing left.

Hideki Matsui is on the south-side of his career, but can still come up with the big hit. He hits lefties and righties about the same and finished with 28 home runs and 90 RBIs.

Verdict: Edge Yankees.

There you have it, a pretty even matchup on paper. The Yankees get the edge of the infield, mostly due to A-Rod at third, while the rest of the infielders are pretty similar. The Phillies get a big edge in the outfield in both fielding and hitting. There is a reason all three players were All-Stars.

 

Check back later for the breakdown of the pitching matchups.



Time to earn some respect !

Thursday October 22, 2009 • Leave a Comment 

It’s official. Ever since the Phillies won the National League and gained their second straight trip to the World Series I have been conducting an informal poll anong die hard Phillie fans. The answers I am getting are suggestive of how this team has changed.

Yes we are the Phillies, the first team to lost 10,000 games. Not only have we been around forever, we weren’t very good for a long, long time. It used to be decades of suffering with the occasional glimpse of hope or standout player. The Whiz Kids. Schmidty hitting #500, Lefty striking out everyone in the league at least once in his stellar career. And in between were years of finishing 4th or last in the NL East and watching the Braves or Mets go on in the postseason.

The poll I conducted was simple. Who would you prefer to see the Phillies face from the American League in defense of last years championship title ? You have the Yankees and Angels playing, one a perennial champion that matches up pretty tough against the Phitens, the other a flash in the pan team that was good enough to manage to win one Series, in 2002, but more often is known as the post season choke artists. And the Angels decidedly appear on paper to be an easier opponent for the Phillies. They hit for good averages, but don’t have the power, the pitching or the bullpen of the New York club. And the Angels have won one World Series, not 26.

California, since their 2002 World Series miracle, has appeared in the post season 5 times, going 1-4 and winning no league championships. In this time they have lost to the White Sox, the Red Sox, and those pesky Yankees. Those Yankees have won 26 Series and appeared 39 times. Granted the past ten years they have been about equal to the Angels, but the national perception of their franchise is that of the perennial winner.

That is why the result of my poll was so interesting. Phillies fans, at about a 4-1 ratio want to face the Yankees, the perceived tougher opponent. Why ? Maybe because after so many recent occurances of pulling out a game in late innings, and the recent repeated success of this team, the fans are starting to believe in these Phillies.

Maybe we want some respect. We want to be the team that gets to play at 8pm, primetime, while the other team gets the 2:30 afternoon slots when everyone else is at work. We beat the Tampa Bay Rays last year for our first championship since 1980 and, out of our 6 total appearances, our only other win. Beating the Angels would give us our third World Series win, but beating the Yankees would give us credibility. It would also avenge our 1950 loss when we were swept and made to look like the hapless 10,000 loss team, the laughingstock of the league that we then were.

Not these Phils, these Phils are riding a 7 season winning record streak of .550+ ball. Not exactly the next Yankees dynasty, but no pushover laughingstock either. These Phils stand a real chance of actually BEATING the Yankees, which is precisely why we want so much to play them.

The Angels are balanced, much like our Phillies, but there is no A Rod, no CC Sabathia or Derek Jeter on their squad. If we beat the Angels, it will be good, but hardly a shocking happening. It will get standard national coverage and people in about 46 states will say, “Hey, they won it again, big deal, someone else will put them in their place next year.”

Now, if we beat the Yankees, we will be on Sportscenter once a week in the off season. Every trade we make will be scrutinized, potential matchups against next years best AL team will be made, interviews will be requested and granted, in short, the victory will linger. So I say, bring on the Yankees. because once we dispatch them some folks, at least, will have to agree that this Phillies team is pretty darn special.

It will be ok if the Angels continue to look good tonight and win, and maybe take this thing to 7 games and wear out the Yankee bullpen however. I would love to see the Phillies play the Yankees, but no harm in having them show up worn out and on the ropes, is there ? After all, we may want some respect, but we aren’t stupid !! Go Angels, but we will lay in wait for the fellows in pinstripes. Here’s hoping it will be a riveting World Series.