New York Mets vs. Kansas City Royals: Who Has The Advantage In World Series?

Defense

Oct 23, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals center fielder Lorenzo Cain (6) catches a fly ball against the Toronto Blue Jays in the fifth inning in game six of the ALCS at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

It is tough to judge defense, as there aren’t many concrete stats outside of errors to judge fielders by, but even that one is tough sometimes. But, it is clear which team has the advantage here.

For the Mets, their defense got worse once Ruben Tejada went down. He may not be as big a threat as Wilmer Flores at the plate, but is the superior fielder and it is not really close. It hasn’t happened as much recently, but Flores has cost the Mets games with his glove in the past. Curtis Granderson has his limitations in right field, while Murphy and Duda are adequate at best.

David Wright is solid at third base, while Conforto is underrated in left field when he plays. Cespedes is dangerous either in left field or center, and Lagares still gets the job done in center. d’Arnaud could be a problem though, as he doesn’t throw out base runners efficiently and the Royals like to run.

That is a lot of question marks defensively, something the Royals do not really have. Alex Gordon is arguably the best left fielder defensively in MLB, taking home the gold glove for four consecutive seasons. Cain is as good as they come in centerfield, and Rios gets the job done in right field. Alcides Escobar is slick fielding at shortstop, while Zobrist is above average depending on where he is deployed. Hosmer has won two straight gold gloves, and Moustakas is above average at third base.

While the bullpen is the strength of the Royals, their defense isn’t far behind. The difference in defensive quality for the Mets and Royals is rather vast, and the advantage is easy to decide.

Advantage: Royals

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