How Baseball's Final Four Teams Compare
Ryan Fagan - SportingNews.com
Oct 13, 2010
There is a definite element of truth to the "it's a team effort" cliche that you hear spouted by players at this time of the year. To win in the postseason, teams have to hit on all cylinders. If the defense is subpar (see: Reds) or the offense struggles (see: Braves) or the bullpen has issues (see: Twins), it is hard to advance in October.
So, which teams have the advantages in the different aspects of this "team" game?
Rotation
1. Phillies. Two of their three starters tossed shutouts in their NLDS sweep of the Reds, and their other guy went 7-0 with a 1.34 ERA in his final 12 starts of the regular season. Not too shabby. The Rangers get knocked down a notch because ace Cliff Lee won't make his first appearance until Game 3 of the ALCS.
2. Giants
3. Rangers
4. Yankees
Late-inning relief
1. Yankees. Mariano Rivera alone would probably be enough to give New York the edge in this category. But the Yankees' bullpen was excellent in the ALDS against the Twins -- one earned run in seven innings -- and Kerry Wood was lights-out after joining the Yankees at the trade deadline (0.69 ERA, 31 strikeouts in 26 innings). However, Wood allowed that bullpen run to Minnesota.
2. Giants
3. Rangers
4. Phillies
Heart of the order
1. Yankees (Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez, Robinson Cano). It is splitting hairs to differentiate among the top three groups, but New York is best. Josh Hamilton's injury issues downgrade Texas, and Jayson Werth's struggles with runners in scoring position (.186 average in the regular season) hurt Philadelphia.
2. Rangers (Josh Hamilton, Vladimir Guerrero, Nelson Cruz)
3. Phillies (Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Jayson Werth)
4. Giants (Aubrey Huff, Buster Posey, Pat Burrell)
Up-the middle defense
1. Phillies. They have the best defensive second baseman in Chase Utley and the best defensive catcher in Carlos Ruiz, and Shane Victorino is an excellent center fielder. The only concern is how hamstring issues will affect Jimmy Rollins' range at shortstop.
2. Rangers
3. Yankees
4. Giants
Supporting cast
1. Giants. San Francisco doesn't have the strongest starting lineup, but it has the deepest bench. The Giants got solid production from Mike Fontenot, Travis Ishikawa, Edgar Renteria and Nate Schierholtz against the Braves.
2. Rangers
3. Yankees
4. Phillies
Road team
1. Rangers. Texas actually had the fewest regular season road wins among the four remaining teams, but it tops these rankings because of its three ALDS road wins at Tampa Bay. Cliff Lee likely starting Game 3 in New York -- where he tossed a complete game to open the 2009 World Series -- is an added bonus.
2. Yankees
3. Phillies
4. Giants
Team speed
1. Rangers. It isn't just their overall speed (five players with at least 14 stolen bases this season); it is the aggressive manner in which they use that speed. It paid off in Game 5 of the ALDS against the Rays, and it will be a big part of Texas' game plan against the Yankees and their catcher, Jorge Posada.
1. Phillies
3. Yankees
4. Giants
Leadoff man
1. Giants (Andres Torres). Torres was the most surprisingly effective leadoff man in baseball this season, finally breaking through as an everyday player at age 32. He has power and speed (16 homers, 26 stolen bases) and his .343 on-base percentage, while not at elite levels, was better than the leadoff hitters for the other three LCS teams. For the Phillies, Rollins' health is an issue.
2. Rangers (Elvis Andrus)
3. Yankees (Derek Jeter)
4. Phillies (Jimmy Rollins/Shane Victorino)
Threat to the defending champion Yankees
1. Phillies. On the strength of its starting pitching and an offensive lineup that finally is intact, Philadelphia isn't just the most likely team to knock off New York, it is the favorite to win the World Series.
2. Rangers
3. Giants
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