The 2013 World Series is upon us, a contest between two storied franchises, the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox. In this preview, I'll compare match-ups by position, including the projected starting fielders, pitchers, and then each team's bench and bullpen as a whole.For the looks at individual players, I'll include their regular season and postseason stats (up until their final League Championship Series game).For any platoon position, I'll use the player that seems to be getting the most time (i.e Red Sox LF).
C. Jarrod Saltalamacchia Yadier Molina
regular: 14HR 65RBI 68R .273/.338/.466 12HR 80RBI 68R .319/.359/.477
post: 0HR 5RBI 1R .231/.259/.269 1HR 2RBI 4R .256/.356/.359
Saltalamacchia (Salty) has shown a lot of growth this season as he enters a contract year, both at the plate with a consistent season as well as behind. While Salty will surely see a nice payday come the offseason, there is really no competition here. You could call Molina the MVP of this Cardinals purely for what he does behind the plate. Its nearly impossible to run on him, and he's one of, if not the best pitch caller in the game.
Edge: Cardinals
1B. Mike Napoli Matt Adams
regular: 23HR 92RBI 79R .259/.360/.482 17HR 51RBI 46R .284/.335/.503
post: 2HR 3RBI 5R .242/.342/.515 1HR 4RBI 5R .268/.333/.390
Mike Napoli has shown glimpses of what he can do in October, especially during his key HR's in the ALCS versus the Detroit Tigers. He hasn't had any hip problems over the season due to his Avascular Necrosis, and has shown his typical pop, amid cool streaks throughout the season. Adams has stepped up this year, among many in part of the Cardinals youth movement, putting up solid numbers, and he will certainly see some NL Rookie of the Year votes (NL ROY). In this instance though, I prefer the veteran in this case.
Edge: Red Sox
2B. Dustin Pedroia Matt Carpenter
regular: 9HR 84RBI 91R .301/.372/.415 11HR 78RBI 126R .318/.392/.481
post: 0HR 6RBI 3R .256/.311/.308 0HR 2RBI 5R .167/.250/.262
The unofficial captain, Dustin Pedroia is the spirit of the Red Sox, whether his consistency getting on base or his top gold-glove at second. Some may call him "scrappy", but I would say that he's just determined, no matter the circumstances. Matt Carpenter had a solid sophomore campaign showing a little more pop than Pedroia did this season, however defense is the key here, and while Carpenter was average defensively for the average 2B (0.3 dWAR), Pedroia was extraordinary (2.3 dWAR).
Edge: Red Sox
SS. Stephen Drew Pete Kozma
regular: 13HR 67RBI 57R .253/.333/.443 1HR 35RBI 44R .217/.275/.273
post: 0HR 2RBI 1R .086/.111/.143 0HR 2RBI 2R .200/.333/.240
Despite Drew's pedestrian postseason numbers, he had a solid regular season from May onward, following a cold start to the season. Drew has a solid glove, while his bat can be streaky, but all it takes is 1 moment it seems to spark Drew. Kozma has been adequate at SS for the Cardinals, however they may still look for an upgrade come the offseason. He's pretty solid defensively (1.3dWAR), however his bat is really lacking.
Edge: Red Sox
3B. Xander Bogaerts David Freese
regular: 1HR 5RBI 7R .250/.320/.364 9HR 60RBI 53R .262/.340/.381
post: 0HR 0RBI 7R .500/.727/1.000 1HR 4RBI 3R .189/.250/.297
This is an interesting matchup. The Red Sox top prospect, Xander Bogaerts, was inserted into the lineup at 3B in the ALCS, sending Will Middlebrooks to the bench. In a brief sample size, Bogaerts' postseason performance thus far has been outstanding, putting up veteran-like at bats and drawing walks. Freese was the hero for the 2011 world series winning Cardinals during that Game 6, however he had a bit of a down year this season, putting up respectable numbers with his bat, but producing a -0.3 WAR and a -1.5 dWAR. Due to Freese's experience though, I'm calling this a toss-up
Edge: Even
LF. Jonny Gomes Matt Holliday
regular: 13HR 52RBI 49R .247/.344/.426 22HR 94RBI 103R .300/.389/.490
post: 0HR 2RBI 6R .200/.259/.280 2HR 5RBI 6R .244/.261/.444
This is a platoon situation for the Red Sox, but Gomes has been seeing the most time recently. Gomes has had solid pop, getting clutch hits during the regular season, however he hasn't quite displayed that thus far in the postseason. Holliday on the other-hand has been nothing but solid for the Cardinals. What me may lack in defense he more than makes up for it with his bat.
Edge: Cardinals
CF. Jacoby Ellsbury Jon Jay
regular: 9HR 53RBI 92R .298/.355/.426 7HR 67RBI 75R .276/.351/.370
post: 0HR 5RBI 10R .400/.467/.525 0HR 3RBI 5R .206/.282/.206
Jacoby Ellsury had a healthy, consistent 2013, not showing the power he flashed in 2011, but bringing back the speed with 52 stolen bases. Ellsbury also played really solid defense with a 1.9 dWAR.Jay has been in a bit of a platoon with Shane Robinson in the postseason, but Jay has seen the most playing time. Jay had a respectable season as well with the bat, with about the same amount of pop as Ellsbury, but nowhere near the amount of SB (10), or defensive quality (-0.9 dWAR) as Ellsbury.
Edge: Red Sox
RF. Shane Victorino Carlos Beltran
regular: 15HR 61RBI 82R .294/.351/.451 24HR 84RBI 79R .296/.339/.491
post: 1HR 8RBI 4R .237/.341/.342 2HR 12RBI 5R .256/.383/.538
Shane Victorino proved the critics wrong, showing he was worth his contract this season as he returned to form with solid offense and defense. Victorino wasn't shy defensively, making spectacular catch after catch. Of course there's also his clutch grand slam in Game 6 of the ALCS. Beltran has just kept rolling on, showing that age is just a number. Especially during this postseason, Beltran's power has been a force. While he isn't close defensively to Victorino, in a tight match-up, I have to give the edge to Beltran.
Edge: Cardinals
DH. David Ortiz Allen Craig
regular: 30HR 103RBI 84R .309/.395/.564 13HR 97RBI 71R .315/.373/.457
post: 3HR 7RBI 5R .200/.349/.486 N/A (injured, added to active roster)
Big Papi is Big Papi, that's all there is to it. Just like Beltran, Ortiz is showing that age is just a number. He also continues to be clutch in the postseason, with his big grand slam in Game 2 of the ALCS. While Craig had a solid season, he's missed all of the postseason this far. The plan is for Craig to DH at Fenway and then re-evaluate him in St. Louis. There are a lot of question marks with Craig right now.
Edge: Red Sox
As I move onto starting pitching, we know the first 2 pitching match-ups, but not the last 2, so those will be purely speculation.
Jon Lester Adam Wainwright
regular: 213.1IP 15-8 177K/67BB 3.75era 241.2IP 19-9 219K/35BB 2.94era
post: 19.1IP 2-1 14K/7BB 2.33era 23IP 2-1 20K/1BB 1.57era
Lester returned to form in 2013, pitching more like the front-line starter he is, especially in the postseason thus far. Wainwright on the other hand will certainly garner some NL Cy Young votes, and he's continued his run of preventing walks into the postseason. Based on postseason numbers thus far its close, but advantage Wainwright.
Edge: Cardinals
John Lackey Michael Wacha
regular: 189.1IP 10-13 161K/40BB 3.52era 64.2IP 4-1 65K/19BB 2.78era
post: 12IP 2-0 14K/3BB 3.00era 21IP 3-0 22K/4BB 0.43era
The veteran versus the youngster in this case. Lackey has been more like the pitcher the Red Sox had been expecting when they originally signed him. Lackey received little run support during the regular season, hence his record, but he's been consistent. Wacha really came on this year to show he's MLB ready, especially during his near no-hitter during his last start of the regular season. He's continued this run into the postseason. At Fenway, however, I prefer Lackey, whose been excellent at home.
Edge: Red Sox
Clay Buchholz Joe Kelly
regular: 108.1IP 12-1 96K/36BB 1.74era 124IP 10-5 79K/44BB 2.69era
post: 16.2IP 0-0 15K/5BB 5.40era 16.1IP 0-1 13K/6BB 4.41era
This one is a bit of a wildcard. There have been some speculation regarding Buchholz's health, but the plan is for him to still start either Game 3 or 4. If Buchholz can avoid that 1 bad inning he's seemingly had so far in the postseason, then he could be a real game changer. Kelly, like Wacha, is part of that young Cardinals pitching movement. He issues more walks than one would like, but has been fairly consistent. Depending on which Buchholz you get (if he starts), I like the Red Sox here.
Edge: Red Sox
Jake Peavy Lance Lynn
regular: 144.2IP 12-5 121K/36BB 4.17era 201.2IP 15-10 198K/76BB 3.97era
post: 8.2IP 0-1 4K/3BB 8.31era 11.2IP 2-1 12K/7BB 5.40era
The Red Sox acquired Peavy for these type of starts, to give them some depth in the rotation. Besides a solid outing in the ALDS, Peavy has been really shaky. He was solid during the regular season though, with his era inflated due to pitching injured while with the Chicago White Sox and being left in games too much while the White Sox were showcasing him. Lynn has been a solid strikeout pitcher this season, however with some command issues. Those issues have risen up during the postseason, but I would take Lynn here given Peavy's lack of consistency in the postseason so far.
Edge: Cardinals
Now I'll just evaluate the teams' overall bench and bullpen, without evaluating each player.
Red Sox Cardinals
The Red Sox have a really strong bench, featuring Daniel Nava (who platoons with Gomes), Will Middlebrooks (recently displaced by Bogaerts), along with Mike Carp and David Ross, a solid veteran catcher. The Red Sox have a lot of pop and pinch hitting opportunities once they head to St. Louis, as Napoli will likely see the most time on the bench during the NL portion of the world series. The Cardinals bench contains Shane Robinson (who splits with Jay), back-up catcher Tony Cruz, along with guys like Daniel Descalso and Kolten Wong. While there are some nice players there, its not quite as deep as the Red Sox.
Edge: Red Sox
Red Sox Cardinals
Entering the season, Joel Hanrahan was the Red Sox closer with Andrew Bailey as the set-up, but when both went down due to injury, the role went to Koji Uehara, and he hasn't looked back. A bridge has also formed to Uehara with arms such as Junichi Tazawa, Craig Breslow and the rookie Brandon Workman. The Cardinals are currently working by closer by committee, although youngster Trevor Rosenthal has been getting most of the save work in the postseason. The BP also includes Edward Mujica, John Axford and Shelby Miller. While there's a lot of youth and flamethrowers, Breslow and Tazawa have shown they are capable of getting the tough out,so in a fairly even match-up, the edge goes to Boston.
Edge: Red Sox
Overall, the Red Sox have the advantage at 1B/2B/SS/CF/DH/Lackey/Buchholz/BP/Bench, while the Cardinals have the advantage at C/LF/RF/Wainwright/Lynn, with 3B being a toss-up. I think this will be a really close series that has the capability to go the distance. Its a world series where the rookies, young players are poised to make big moments. I'm going with the Boston Red Sox in 7.....with Xander Bogaerts as the world series MVP, with a clutch series and potential game winning hits.
Play ball.
