The 2014 World Series is almost here, and it's time to stack up the opposing teams by position. This is a tale of the tape between the Kansas City Royals, America's darlings, and the San Francisco Giants, a team trying to win its third Fall Classic in six seasons.
Catcher
Buster Posey vs. Salvador Perez
Both catchers are among the best in baseball at the position. Posey, who hit .311 with 22 home runs and 89 RBI has the edge at the plate, while Perez was worth 16.6 runs defensively per Fangraphs.com. That doesn't mean Posey is a slouch behind the plate, nor does it mean Perez's hitting should be discounted.
Posey's leadership has drawn comparisons to Derek Jeter's, and he's helped the Giants win two World Series already. Edge Giants.
First Base
Brandon Belt vs. Eric Hosmer
Belt had a disappointing year for the Giants, who were expecting him to blossom into a premier slugger. Hosmer had similar problems to Belt this season, but came on late and has swung a magic bat in the postseason. He's hitting .448 with two home runs and eight RBI this postseason. Edge Royals.
Second Base
Joe Panik vs. Omar Infante
Infante has the track record advantage over Panik to be sure-this is Panik's first MLB season and he was called up just about midway through the campaign. Panik seems to be blissfully immune to the big moments he's been in, and although he has low averages his postseason RBI totals prove that he's coming through when it counts. Infante hasn't been the same defender this year as he was in seasons past, so Panik looks to be the better option this October. Edge Giants
Shortstop
Brandon Crawford vs. Alcides Escobar
Escobar had 31 stolen bases this season, and has been a true tone-setter for a Royals team that advanced from the Wildcard round largely because of its speed. Escobar hit .285 over the regular season slate, and has been an above-average gloveman.
Crawford has an excellent glove as well, and he did swat a game-changing grand slam in the Wildcard game vs. the Pirates. He has more power than Escobar, but overall Escobar has been more impactful over the regular season and playoffs. Edge Royals.
Third Base
Pablo Sandoval vs. Mike Moustakas
Sandoval is the bigger name, with the better moniker (Kung Fu Panda) and the higher batting average. Is he the better player though? Sandoval makes much more contact than Moustakas does, but this postseason "Moose" has been making his hits count. He's swatted four home runs in the ALDS and ALCS, driving in five runs. And despite a .211 batting average, his OPS sits at a lofty .922. Right now, I'd roll with Moustakas. Edge Royals.
Left Field
Travis Ishikawa vs. Alex Gordon
Gordon is a darling among statheads for his high WAR despite relatively pedestrian regular season numbers. This postseason though, he brought his bad and his glove to the party. Like Moustakas, Gordon has been making his hits count, racking up nine RBI in his first playoffs. He's also made several big plays with his glove and his arm, and is no small part of Kansas City's success.
Ishikawa might have the most iconic moment of this postseason, clinching the NCLS with a walk-off three-run home run in Game 5. He hit .385 in the NLCS, but unfortunately he doesn't stack up to Gordon. Edge Royals.
Center Field
Grego Blanco vs. Lorenzo Cain
Blanco has been ho-hum in replacing Angel Pagan, who had been a major catalyst for San Fran during the regular season. Meanwhile, Cain has become a human highlight reel in center during this postseason, and he raked at a .533 clip in the ALCS. At 28 stolen bases himself this year, he and Escobar have been the leaders of their speedy approach. Edge Royals.
Right Field
Hunter Pence vs. Nori Aoki
Pence was a standout at the plate for the Giants this season, and provided a consistent presence as other players went in and out of slumps or dealt with injuries.
Aoki, meanwhile, has been a nice player for Kansas City. He hasn't stolen a ton of bases, batted .300, or shown much pop, but he has been able to work counts, and do little things that don't show up in the box score. Cliché? Maybe. But how else to explain some of Kansas City's monstrous success this October? Still, Edge Giants.
Starting Rotation
Madison Bumgarner, Jake Peavy, Tim Hudson, Ryan Vogelsong vs. James Shields, Yordano Ventura, Jeremy Guthrie, Jason Vargas.
The Royals are undefeated in the playoffs, so it's hard to quibble with how their rotation has performed. Their ace, "Big Game" James Shields hasn't been much of an ace this postseason, or ever though. He's given up four runs in two of his three starts, and will have to face Madison Bumgarner in Game 1.
After the aces, San Francisco has much more postseason experience. While that hasn't been able to derail the Royals to this point, the Giants have proven more than other franchises that they own October. Edge Giants.
Bullpen
KC's bullpen has been lights out all year, and that hasn't changed in the playoffs. Greg Holland has recorded six saves while giving up just one run so far, while Wade Davis has given up just two hits in five innings.
Santiago Casilla has gotten the job done as the Giants' closer this year, and the Giants have some hellacious left-handers they can use in a pinch in Jeremy Affeldt and Javier Lopez. Both 'pens have been great which is a major factor in both teams being alive. Edge Royals.
Bench
The Royals have speed for days on their bench, which suits them perfectly. The Giants are clearly doing alright, but Kansas City is slightly better built to fill in for injuries if they arise. Edge Royals.
Manager
Bruce Bochy vs. Ned Yost
Bochy is a five-time National League pennant winner and two-time World Series champion with the Giants. Yost, meanwhile, is managing in his first postseason. While he's 8-0 he's come under fire for his liberal use of sacrifice bunts, and occasionally being overaggressive on the base paths. Edge Giants.
Prediction
Kansas City has more advantages, but their edges at manager, right field and catcher are large gaps. Yes, the Royals are the hotter team but San Francisco has plenty of their own momentum to counter it, and a slightly better rotation.
The bullpen will be the deciding factor here. With Kansas City's speed, they're able to jump out to leads, then hold them with the light-out relief corps. That is how this series will play out. Royals in 7.
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