By: Jeff Barnes
Who would have picked these teams? A World Series match up for the that no one expected. Manfred, MLB and Fox all have to be dancing in the street about this year’s teams.
The Texas Rangers and the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Two teams that were not on anyone’s radar when making postseason picks. Two teams that surprised baseball by jumping out to big leads in their divisions.
Had I had a crystal ball I could have laid down a $10 bet to start the season and collected around $18,000 predicting this WS matchup. I picked the Orioles and Pirates.
Unless you are a fan of one of these teams or just a diehard baseball fan you may not have any interest in this series. How could a team that gave up a division lead in the last days of the season and a team that finished with 84 wins be the last two standing? And how could this be a good series?
If you are thinking this World Series matchup is a disaster in the making, you should back up and look at what each team offers and how this series could end up being one of the best ever.
The Rangers and the Diamondbacks are two closely matched teams. In a position-by-position breakdown you would find many are a toss-up as to who is better.
There are no guarantees that Adolis Garcia will lead the Rangers like he did vs. Houston. Can Ketel Marte continue on his post season hitting streak? Will Corbin Carroll be the Rookie of the Year, or will he be the player who struggled early in the postseason. How will the starters pitch and can the bullpens maintain the high level of success each has had? All these questions make this series even more interesting.
Each team has clear strengths and even clearer weaknesses that you would think would have gotten them eliminated early on in postseason. But both teams have situational awareness and the ability to adjust as they go. Neither team is so locked down in on analytics that they can’t adapt as they play.
As we look at each team the Rangers have the advantage of having a manager in Bruce Bochy who has a great feel for the game and is not always going by conventional wisdom or the chains of analytics to find ways to win. The Rangers also hold an advantage in power. They have quite a few bats with big pop in them. Adolis Garcia showed that in the ALCS.
Corey Seager last played in a World Series and won on the same field he will start this series on. He too has the ability to leave the yard.
Position by position the Rangers hold slight edges on most. Some more definitive than others. The Rangers infield is full of All-Stars and Gold Glove finalists.
Rookies Josh Jung and Evan Carter have surprised everyone and seem to be the type of players that lead teams to postseason hardware. Leody Taveras just gets the job done time and time again.
The edge goes to the Rangers at DH, Mitch Garver can out hit his Diamondback counterparts. It is just a personal thing, but I give Jonah Heim the edge overall behind the plate.
The Rangers pitching will be their biggest question, outside of Nathan Eovaldi who has been big in both this postseason and in the past. Jordan Montgomery has shown he really can be a staff ace.
The drop off with a unhealthy Max Scherzer is noticeable. Obviously, Max could dominate but over the last few years he tends to run into issues at this time of year. He is also dealing with a cut on his thumb, which could have an effect on his breaking balls. Not sure he can overcome that. Andrew Heaney has been decent out of the bullpen but is not a great option as a starter. Like with any team the Rangers will need their bullpen especially Aroldis Chapman and Jose LeClerc to shut down the Dbacks. From my view the Rangers could easily sweep the Diamondbacks.
Having said that the Diamondbacks will not go away that easily and one of their biggest strengths through the postseason has been adaptability. Torey Lovullo will stick to the matchups and pull pitchers early, if the numbers say to do so.
The Dbacks figured out the Phillies pitchers and were successful in stealing bases in Game 6 and 7. That with timely hitting will keep the Dbacks in the series. They have shown they can win with this style of play. The Dbacks will be hoping Christian Walker will be able step up and provide some power. Gabriel Moreno has been an unsung hero all year for Arizona, his importance can’t be understated.
Pitching should be a strength for the Diamondbacks. Zac Gallen a Cy Young candidate needs to find the same stuff he had vs. the Dodgers as does Merrill Kelly. Continue to find ways to vary their delivery and stay out of the middle of the plate. Oddly the one pitcher I don’t have a concern about is another rookie in Brandon Pfaadt. The question is will Torey give him a little longer leash during the World Series than he did in the NLCS? Lovullo pulled Pfaadt, even though he seemed to be in control.
I give the edge to the Diamondbacks for their starters and their bullpen. They made some great additions this season and some great call ups as well. Paul Sewald gives Lovullo confidence at the back end of the pen with Kevin Ginkel, Joe Mantiply and Ryan Thompson just to name a few.
As my Sibling Rivalry Baseball Podcast cohost and sister has accused me of many times, I am guilty of talking at length. So, let’s get to the bottom line we know that postseason baseball is incredible and that you never know who will step up to be the hero for their team and fans. Teams that look incredible during the season or other series can lose their groove in a second.
I believe this series we’ll see the everyday grinder type players come out on top. The superstars may have solid series but not MVP status. The Diamondbacks are going to win this series in 6 with Ketel Marte and Brandon Pfaadt sharing the MVP. Evan Longoria will lead his team by example and grab what could be his final chance at a championship. The Rangers will be led by Nathaniel Lowe and Evan Carter. Max Scherzer’s thumb will stop him from pitching well.
Many have said that both of these teams arrived a year and shouldn’t be here but both teams did what they had to win by adapting and overcoming. There is no early. If you make it, you were supposed to be here. Play like every game is an elimination game and take home that piece of metal.