Creature Vs. Creature: A Tampa Bay Perspective on the 2008 World Series

This is the second half of this "Creature vs. Creature" piece can be found here. I won't go into as much depth, but here it goes.

The Lineup

Batting first, you will have Akinori Iwamura. He has been the one lock we have had all year. He plays every day and leads off. It was most fitting that he made the final out of the ALCS.

He provides outstanding defense and a solid bat. In my opinion, Aki is one of the best defensive second baseman in the league. Aki gets on base. It is what he does best. That is what you need out of a leadoff hitter. Aki has been the only one in the starting nine that has not seen time on the disabled list yet this year.

Next you have B.J. Upton. B.J. has dealt with a torn labrum all season, and that can be blamed for his lack of power. B.J. has finally found his power stroke and is finally crushing them, left and right. He finished the 2007 season with a .300 batting average and 25 homers. That is the B.J. Upton we are seeing now.

He has already belted seven homers this postseason, tying him with Troy Glaus for second-most in a single postseason. Upton also has good speed and can track down almost any ball in center. You may see a few stolen bases from B.J. He lead the team in stolen bases this year, since Carl Crawford had leg trouble all season.

Batting in the third spot is our best power hitter, Carlos Pena. Carlos turned it on in the second half of the season after having an uncharacteristic first half. Carlos started to regain his power in the second half and raised his average.

Pena is the proven leader of the Rays and is a great guy for a clubhouse and for a team. Carlos has been overshadowed by the performances of B.J. Upton and Evan Longoria but has still had a good postseason to date.

Evan Longoria bats cleanup. He should be the Rookie of the Year. He has been hitting towering shots left and right this postseason, like I mentioned above. He got called up 12 games into the season and has been our everyday third baseman ever since. At 23, he is the future of this team. Evan has showed that his experience does not matter in the postseason. He is playing like this is his fifth postseason and this is not a big deal.

Next you have Carl Crawford. This postseason run is the sweetest for him. CC is the longest-tenured guy on the team, this being his sixth season. His time is finally paying off. After not playing all of September and playing his first games since coming off the disabled list in the postseason, he has performed considerably well.

Here is a brief rundown of the rest of the team. Cliff Floyd will be the DH against lefties at home. He provides pop in the middle of the lineup.

Dioner Navarro will play catcher and bat seventh. He is a great game caller and will keep control of this very young pitching staff. He will also get his fair share of hits. He doesn't have that much power, but he will get on base, which is important.

Rocco Baldelli will play right field against lefties. He is possibly the best feel-good story in baseball. After being diagnosed with a mitochondrial disorder, nobody thought he would ever play baseball again.

Rocco has shown he can still hit. He hit the huge homer over the monster in Boston. Rocco deserves this postseason run. This very well be his last series with the team. Baldelli's contract expires after this season.

Willy Aybar will be the DH against righties at home. He has proven himself, hitting the huge homer in Game Seven. Willy really did well, while Longoria was DL'd with a  broken wrist. He was not quite Longoria, but he was the best possible replacement.

Gabe Gross will play right field against righties. He has played atrocious defense thus far and is batting under .100. I am hoping Maddon will see this and will play Fernando Perez in this roll. Perez gets on base and distracts pitchers with his outstanding speed. He also can track down any ball in the outfield. When he is out there, the Rays have the fastest outfield in baseball and have three-fourths of a relay team out there.

The Rotation

Scott Kazmir will throw in Game One in the World Series against Cole Hamels, due to the fact that James Shields pitched on Saturday in Game Six and is not on full rest. Kazmir has had pitc-count trouble all season and has had a hard time making it to the sixth. Kazmir had a shaky first few starts in the postseason but had an outstanding Game Five–a game where we blew it.

James Shields will pitch Game Two. This creates a better matchup against Brett Myers. "Big Game" James has been outstanding at home and will still get to start at home. James Shields has been proven the ace of the staff and has been the most consistent starter on the team.

Matt Garza will pitch the first game in Philly. He is coming off his ALCS MVP performance, and if he can keep his emotions in check, we should see more of the same. He throws absolute gas and has great breaking pitches.

Andy Sonnanstine will pitch Game Four. He is the most deceiving pitcher in the major leagues. He rarely hits 90 and had an ERA over four this season. Yet he still had 15 wins. Go figure. He has been nothing but clutch this year, winning almost every do-or-die game he pitched in.

X-Factor

B.J. Upton: If he can pick up where he left off, he could easily be the MVP of the Series. He has had an outstanding postseason in the first postseason of his young career.

Prediction

Rays in six.

I will go out on a limb. The Rays have a huge amount of momentum heading into the World Series and have home-field advantage. The Rays are nearly unbeatable at the Trop.