New York Mets vs. Kansas City Royals: Who Has The Advantage In World Series?
Bench
October 20, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; New York Mets center fielder Juan Lagares (12) catches a fly ball in the eighth inning against the Chicago Cubs in game three of the NLCS at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
The bench is an underrated part of the baseball team, and it really comes into play during the postseason. With pitching changes happening more often, bench players are inserted into the lineup early and often sometimes. This does not have as big an impact in AL parks with the DH, but with three games of the series being played at Citi Field under NL rules, it is bound to come into play.
The Mets bench looked like a Triple-A team at times during the season, but their midseason moves bolstered it greatly. Kelly Johnson and Michael Cuddyer are solid veterans off the bench, while Juan Lagares is a defense weapon off the bench; he isn’t quite Gold Glove caliber as he was last season, but his arm injury does not affect his legs and range.
For the Royals, they do not have as big of name power as the Mets, but their bench isn’t bad either. They have assets such as Jarrod Dyson and Terrance Gore as late game weapons on the base paths. Like Lagares, Dyson can also be inserted into the game for defense. Paulo Orlando has been a spark plug all season off the bench.
The Mets have relied on their bench much more than the Royals have though, as the Royals have trotted out the same lineup every game, while the Mets have given more at-bats to bench players. Some of that has to do with being in the NL and pinch hitting, but that gives the Mets the edge here.
Having players that have pinch hit and been in the situation of sitting around all night and then being called upon is not an easy one. Michael Conforto can be a weapon off the bench, and if Juan Uribe is healthy, he is a big upgrade over Kirk Nieuwenhuis. The biggest advantage the Royals have here is the late game baserunning option in Dyson and Gore, but that isn’t enough to move the needle in the Royals’ direction.
Advantage: Mets
Next: Starting Rotation Advantage