World Series Preview

The World Series has pretty much what baseball fans and FOX want. It has the defending champs, it has the Yankees, who have not been to the Series since 2003, and it has a ton of hype. Now, in this post, I will examine each position for each team, and give who has the edge in it. I will only examine the starting and relief pitching, and the bench as a whole, finally, the intangibles both teams hold. The rest has a player by player examination. The pick comes at the very end, but I'm pretty sure you already know who I'm going to take.

Catcher
Carlos Ruiz vs. Jorge Posada
Both catchers handle the game incredibly well for both of their pitching staffs, and both handle the bat fairly well, and with throwing runners out, Ruiz holds a slight advantage, as Posada is older, so he can't get up and throw sooner. The only other difference is Posada's experience, as he has been a stalwart of the Yankees ever since their 1996 title, so he holds experience as an edge. But when it all comes down to it, it's a wash. Advantage: Even

First Base
Ryan Howard vs. Mark Teixeria
Both have some excellent power, and some good defense. Teixeria can hit for average as well, which makes him a better overall hitter. He also has better defense, as he can go all out and cover a lot of ground while making better throws. Howard has been so good as the postseason has gone on, and he had an 8 game RBI streak snapped in Game 5 of the NLCS. But, as a whole, Teixeria and the Yanks get the edge.

Second Base
Chase Utley vs. Robinson Cano
Utley did get a bit wild with his throws in the NLCS, but has managed to put that aside and come back to be an all around great defensive player. Utley has not performed as well offensively as he did in the regular season, but after this week off, he should bounce back. Cano is a young, talented second baseman, who has the skills to become a very good one, but isn't there yet. Give Utley and the Phils the edge at this position.

Shortstop
Jimmy Rollins vs. Derek Jeter
This is probably the hardest position to breakdown, as both are the unquestioned leaders of their teams, both just have intangibles that you can't gauge. Both have great defense, both come up with huge hits at huge times. So, this is pretty much a washout.
Advantage: Even

Third Base
Pedro Feliz vs. Alex Rodriguez
This is where the teams differ the most, and its easy to see why. Just look at the names, and the salaries. Rodriguez is the most complete player, as he has power to all fields, can steal bases, field well, and makes the smart decisions. Rodriguez has also gotten over the playoff woes which have haunted him throughout his career. Feliz's pretty much only advantage is that he is a better fielder that Rodriguez.
Advantage: Rodriguez and the Yanks by a long shot

Left Field
Raul Ibanez vs. Johnny Damon
If this was last year, when Pat Burrell was in left for the Phillies, this would be going towards the Yankees, but alas, when the Phillies signed Raul Ibanez to a three year deal, a lot of folks worried, but Ibanez has been stellar, with 30 homers, 90 RBI, and above average defense. Damon is only 35, but it seems to have taken much more of a toll on him than Ibanez, as he's slower, doesn't cover as much ground, and doesn't have as much power as Ibanez, it's close though.
Advantage: Ibanez

Center Field
Shane Victorino vs. Melky Cabrera
Both have great speed, both cover a ton of ground, both have pretty much the same power, so it's a wash basically.
Advantage: Even

Right Field
Jayson Werth vs. Nick Swisher
Swisher has been kinda like the class clown of the Yankees, keeping the team loose, and giving most of the Shaving Cream pies to his teammates. Swisher hasn't been all that good in the postseason though, batting under .200 without a homer. WErth, on the other hand, has been great in the postseason, making some good defensive plays, and hitting some long homers, taking over permanently for the departed Geoff Jenkins.

Starting Pitching
Both teams have some very good staffs, but the Yankees have a workhorse in CC Sabathia, who will pitch on 3 days rest yet again, pitching game 1, 4, and 7. Then, there is A.J. Burnett who has put up solid numbers in the first year of his contract, which is surprisng, since he has notoriously been a contract pitcher. Then, there is the winningest postseason pitcher of all time, Andy Pettite, and he has been dependable throughout this postseason, closing out both series. The Phillies have solid pitching as well, but nothing dominant, aside from Cliff Lee, the AL Cy Young award winner from last season, has produced a less than 1.00 ERA, and has been dominant in his 3 starts. The rest of the staff, is good, but noit great. They will need to step it up another notch to get the next title.
Advantage: Yankees

Relief Ptching
Both teams again have solid relievers, but the Phillies have had great middle relief comparitive to the Yankees, with Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes, who have given up a lot runs to the Angels. The Closer for the Yanks, Mariano Rivera, is only the best ever, so Brad Lidge can't live up to that.
Advantage: Phillies, slightly

Bench
The Yankees have brought out Brett Gardner as a pinch runner a lot, and then they have other speed guys in Jerry Hairston, Jr. and Freddy Guzman, then they have 2 other catchers, Jose Molina, and Francisco Cervelli, who are there as insurance policies, but they don't have much, and they're not built to have much, as they're an AL team. The Phillies have many options, with Eric Bruntlett, Greg Dobbs, Matt Stairs, and Paul Bako. Personally, I think power is a lot more important than speed, so take the Phils with the Bench.

Intangibles
Both teams are out for something. The Phillies are playing for their dead broadcaster, Harry Kalas, and are determined to win back to back titles for the first time since the Yankees, back in 99-2000. The Yankees are determined to win another title, and they just have the swagger, as they are hungry to win another title, as they haven't done so since 2000.
Advantage: Phillies

Managers
Charlie Manuel vs. Joe Girardi
Manuel and Girardi know a little bit about each other, as they both managed in the NL East in 2006, but a lot has changed since then. Manuel has won a title, and knows what he is doing in key situations, as he's very experienced, having managed for 7 years now. This is Girardi's 3rd year, and still has a tendency to overmanage the game. Look at ALCS game 3 for example, when he brought in another pitcher for no good reason.
Advantage: Phillies

Pick: Phillies in 6.