With Game 1 tomorrow, and the first game of the NBA season not for a few hours, I decided to take this lull in the sports world as an opportunity to preview the World Series. Lets dive right in with position matchups:
Catcher - Buster Posey, SF vs. Bengie Molina, TEX: There was a time when the two were splitting time behind the plate, but Posey exploded at the plate, and Molina was considered expendable, so he was traded to the Rangers. In the playoffs, however, I've gotta give the edge to the guy with World Series experience (with the 2002 Angels) in Molina. Edge: Texas
First Base - Aubrey Huff, SF vs. Mitch Moreland, TEX: Only positive for Texas, its not Huff vs. Chris Davis anymore. Edge: San Francisco
Second Base - Freddy Sanchez, SF vs. Ian Kinsler, TEX: Ian Kinsler had pretty rough go of it in the regular season, but still had a better season offensively than Sanchez. Sanchez is a nice piece, but Kinsler will likely be a perennial All-Star the rest of his career. Edge: Texas
Third Base - Juan Uribe, SF vs. Micheal Young, TEX: I love Mike Young, but again, the edge has to go to the guy with World Series experience in Uribe (in 2005 with the White Sox). Edge: San Francisco
Shortstop - Edgar Renteria, SF vs. Elvis Andrus, TEX: I know I've given the advantage to the guys with WS experience before, but what Andrus brings to the table outweighs what Renteria did with the Marlins 14 years ago. His combination of hitting to contact and speed can really give the Giants fits at the top of that lineup, not to mention that in AT&T Park in San Francisco, a well hit ball in a gap would be an easy Triple for a guy like Andrus. Edge: Texas
Outfield - Pat Burrell, Cody Ross and Andres Torres, SF vs. Josh Hamilton, Nelson Cruz and Julio Borbon, TEX: Although Cody Ross and Josh Hamilton both won their respective LCS MVP awards, they are not created equal. Hamilton and Cruz lead a power-charged outfield that drive the Giants pitchers crazy, not to mention the speed advantage the Rangers have over the Giants when playing at massive AT&T Park. Edge: Texas
Designated Hitter - Pablo Sandoval, SF vs. Vladimir Guerrero, TEX: I like the Panda, but Vlad has postseason experience, and has finally reached the World Series. I know both of these guys will get some playing time in NL parks, but I gotta think Vlad will actually start games in San Francisco, and that give Texas a huge edge. Edge: Texas
Bench: The guys on San Francisco's bench are used to coming in to games for one at bat on a nightly basis, while Texas' bench consists of guys like David Murphy and Matt Treanor, who are solid role guys, they also have Jorge Cantu, who could either shock the world, or do what he has done all season, and fail to hit with RISP. Edge: Tie
Ace - Tim Lincecum, SF vs. Cliff Lee, TEX: The best pitcher in the National League versus the best pitcher in the postseason the last two years. Without a doubt, game 1 will be one of the best displays of dominating pitcher the World Series has seen in a long time, but I have to give this to the guy in his home park, Big Time Timmy Jim. Edge: San Francisco
2, 3 & 4 Rotation Guys - Matt Cain, Jonathan Sanchez and Madison Bumgarner, SF vs. CJ Wilson, Tommy Hunter and Colby Lewis, TEX: I think CJ is a great story, and Tommy Hunter has come up big during the season (not so much in the postseason) but Matt Cain would be an Ace on most teams, and Sanchez has amazing, if somewhat inconsistent, stuff. Edge: San Francisco
Bullpen: I love the guys in Texas' pen, like Oliver and O'Day, but there are members of the Giants pen who are downright scary, and Javier Lopez, who has done nothing but make Left-handers look silly this postseason. Edge: San Francisco
Closer - Brian Wilson, SF vs. Neftali Feliz, TEX: You've got Wilson, who is more guts than stuff, and Feliz, who can throw 100 MPH. I think Feliz could be the MVP of the Rangers this season, because without him, who knows what Frank Francisco would have done to all those 9th inning leads. Edge: Texas
Coach - Bruce Bochy, SF vs. Ron Washington, TEX: Ron Washinton is a crazy guy, and fun to watch, but Bochy has been here before, granted it was a sweep at the hands of the Yankees in the 1998 World Series, but with his overwhelming amount of postseason experience, and some of the crazy shit he pulled in the NCLS against the Phillies, that worked, I gotta go with Bochy. Edge: San Francisco.
So, for those keeping score at home, you should know that the final tally comes to 6-6-1. Yeah, this is probably going to be a good series.
Prediction: With the better pitching and coaching, the Giants overcome the least exciting offense in baseball to win the 2010 World Series in 7 Games.
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