2009 World Series Preview

Well we now know what the 2009 World Series match up will be as the Philadelphia Phillies will take on the New York Yankees starting Wednesday night. The following will be a position by position breakdown of the series and my final prediction.

Catcher: The Phillies Carlos Ruiz hit .255 during the regular season but has been better in the playoffs hitting .385 in the NLCS. Ruiz hit 9 home runs in 322 at bats. Ruiz is a solid catcher defensively nothing more. The Yankees Jorge Posada hit .285 this season with 22 home runs. Posada has always been known more for his bat than glove but he does fine behind the plate though his throwing arm leaves a bit to be desired. Edge: Yankees.

First base: Ryan Howard was his powerful self again this year belting 45 home runs and driving in an impressive 141 runs. Ryan even cut down on his strikeouts this season and has improved defensively. In his first year in New York Mark Teixeira hit 39 home runs and drove in 122 runs and has improved the overall infield defense of the Yankees immensely. Although Teixeira's bat has slumbered for most of the playoffs, it seemed to be finally coming around in the last two games. Edge: Even

Second base: Chase Utley had another excellent year for the Phillies with 31 home runs and 93 RBI. He was also solid in the field even though he had a few hiccups in the NLCS against the Dodgers. Robinson Cano had a bounce back year in 2009. Cano improved his average 49 point up to .320 and drove in 85 runs. Cano has also improved defensively. Edge: Slightly to Phillies.

Third base: Pedro Feliz had a decent year at the plate batting .266 with 12 home runs, but he has struggled through both rounds of the playoffs so far. Alex Rodriguez has been on fire for the Yankees and probably would have been the MVP of the ALCS if not for C.C. Sabathia. Rodriguez hit over.400 in both playoff series and the Angels were pitching around him in the ALCS by the end. Will the Phillies do the same in the World Series. Edge: Yankees

Shortstop: Jimmy Rollins hit just .250 for the Phillies this year but he was still a team leader and played a strong shortstop though out the season and is a stolen base threat. Rollins has only driven in 3 runs in the playoffs so far this post season. Derek Jeter hit .334 this season in the lead off spot he is also a threat to steal when he is on base. This post season Jeter has hit 3 home runs and driven in 5 runs. Jeter isn't spectacular in the field with his range being the biggest problem. Edge: Yankees

Left field: Raul Ibanez had a career year in home runs for the Phillies with 34 and also had a slugging percentage of .552. Ibanez hit just .167 in the NLCS but has driven in 9 runs so far in the playoffs. Johnny Damon had solid power numbers this season with 24 home runs and 82 RBI. Damon is a liability in the field with his weak arm and will often be replaced in the late innings by Brett Gardner. Edge: Phillies.

Center field: Shane Victorino hit .292 during the regular season and was a spark plug for the Phillies lineup. In the field Victorino is one of the best at his position. Melky Cabrera was out of a job at the beginning of the season but worked his way back in the Yankees lineup. Cabrera has a little pop in his bat as he hit 13 home runs on the year. Cabrera is nothing more than average in center field. Edge: Phillies.

Right field: Jayson Werth had a career year in 2009 hitting 36 home runs and notching 99 RBI. Werth has carried it on right through the post season with 5 homers and 10 RBI. Werth also had an impressive 11 outfield assists. Nick Swisher was a breath of fresh air for the Yankees in 2009. Swisher cracked 29 home runs and drove in 82 runs. His attitude was probably his biggest contribution as he is often cited as one of the reasons the Yankees appear to be having more fun this year. Swisher's bat has completely disappeared in playoffs hitting just .125. Edge: Phillies.

Starting pitchers: The Phillies will probably have a four man rotation of Cliff Lee, Pedro Martinez, Cole Hamels, and Joe Blanton. Lee has been an ace for the Phillies in the playoffs a role that was supposed to be filled by Hamels. Martinez was brilliant in his one start in the NLCS going 7 shutout innings. Hamels has struggled at times as he has all season being not much more than a .500 pitcher. Blanton is a solid veteran who will go about 6 innings and let up a few runs. The Yankees will most likely continue with their 3 man rotation of C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, and Andy Pettitte. Sabathia has been all the Yankees could have wanted when they signed him to that huge contract this past off season. Burnett can be cruising along and then have an inning where he can't find the plate with a GPS unit. Pettitte is the career leader in post season wins as of Sunday night and is known as a big game pitcher. Edge: Yankees

Bullpens: Neither the Phillies or the Yankees have had a great post season from their bullpens. Chan Ho Park and Ryan Madson were both battered around in the NLCS. While Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes were getting knocked around in the ALCS. The difference is in the closers. Brad Lidge blew 11 saves in the regular season and lost 8 games with an ERA of 7.21. Lidge has saved 3 games in the post season without incident. The Yankees Mariano Rivera had 44 saves on the year, while blowing only 2. Rivera also saved 3 games in the playoffs allowing 1 run in 10 2/3 innings. Edge: Yankees

Overall I think it will be a very close series that will go 7 games. I think the key will be Sabathia on the mound for the Yankees in the final game. Prediction Yankees in 7.

All statistics courtesy of www.mlb.com