'Hot or Cold' with 2014 World Series' Most Important Stars
For a team to be successful during the regular season, on into the postseason and all the way up to the World Series, it needs to receive contributions from everyone on the roster. However, there are certain players who are undoubtedly more important to the success of their respective team.
So, who are the most important players for the San Francisco Giants and Kansas City Royals in this year's World Series?
For the sake of this article, we have opted to call each team's top three hitters, its Game 1 and Game 2 starters and its closer the most important players on the roster.
Obviously, you could make a case for others to be included, but those are the 12 guys that the following slides will focus on.
The premise here is simple: Are those 12 guys hot or cold as we head into Game 2 of the Fall Classic?
Let's take a look.
Royals: SP James Shields
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Player Overview
James Shields was already having a less-than-stellar postseason prior to taking the mound for Game 1 of the World Series, pitching to a 5.63 ERA in his first three starts.
Now it's just a downright disaster.
The Giants jumped on him early Tuesday night, striking for three runs in the first and chasing the Royals ace after just three-plus innings with seven hits and five earned runs to his credit.
After going at least seven innings in 18 of his 34 starts during the regular season, Shields has now failed to pitch beyond the fifth in three of his four appearances this postseason.
Hot or Cold?
Cold
Shields was already the clear No. 3 arm among the Big Three free agents, but that gap has undoubtedly widened here with his postseason struggles. That said, he's still probably looking at nine figures this winter.
Royals: SP Yordano Ventura
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Player Overview
The Royals have pegged hard-throwing rookie Yordano Ventura as their No. 2 starter for the World Series, and his performance so far this postseason has been a mixed bag.
After a rough debut in the Wild Card Game saw him serve up a three-run home run to Brandon Moss in relief of James Shields, he turned things around with a gem in Game 2 of the American League Division Series, allowing just five hits and one earned run in seven innings.
On the mound again for Game 2 of the American League Championship Series, he was not nearly as sharp, allowing five hits and four earned runs in 5.2 innings. He walked three and did not have nearly the same control over what can be a devastating fastball/curveball/changeup combination.
Following a rough outing from the team's ace in Game 1, Ventura becomes the key to this series for the Royals, and suffice to say, Game 2 will be the biggest start of his life.
Hot or Cold?
Cold
This upcoming Game 2 start could be a defining moment in Ventura's career. If he goes out and throws a gem, the momentum in this series completely shifts. If he lays an egg, the Royals might be sunk before the series even moves to San Francisco.
Royals: RP Greg Holland
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Player Overview
Greg Holland was again one of the most dominant closers in baseball this season, converting 46 of 48 save chances with a 1.44 ERA and 90 strikeouts in 62.1 innings.
He's a perfect 6-of-6 on saves so far this postseason, nailing down all four of the Royals' wins in the ALCS, and he has allowed just three hits in eight innings of work while striking out 10.
Holland is just one piece of a dominant trio of relievers the Royals have at their disposal, with Kelvin Herrera and Wade Davis both pitching brilliantly as well during the regular season and on into the playoffs so far.
If the Royals can carry a lead into the seventh inning, they have to feel awfully good about their chances of winning, especially with Holland set to slam the door in the ninth.
Hot or Cold?
Hot
For my money, Holland is the best closer in the game right now. I'd still probably take Craig Kimbrel if I were building a team from scratch, but that's because he's my favorite player in all of baseball to watch.
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Royals: CF Lorenzo Cain
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Player Overview
It was a breakout season for Lorenzo Cain at the plate this year, and he took on a much more significant role when manager Ned Yost moved him up to the No. 3 spot in the lineup on Sept. 13. All told, he finished the regular season hitting .301/.339/.412 with 38 extra-base hits and 28 stolen bases over a career-high 471 at-bats.
His glove was the star in the ALDS, but it was his bat that came to life in the ALCS, and he finished the series 8-for-15 with two doubles to earn MVP honors.
He was 0-for-2 in Game 1 of the World Series, but he was the only Royals player to reach base twice, as he was hit by a pitch in the first and drew a walk in the third.
Hot or Cold?
Hot
Cain just looks like he has a plan up there at the plate, and even if he's not hitting, his defense in center field is legitimately game-changing.
Royals: LF Alex Gordon
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Player Overview
Alex Gordon remains the closest thing the Royals have to a superstar on the position player side of things, and he was again among the best all-around outfielders in the game during the regular season, ranking seventh in the AL with a 6.6 WAR.
After an 0-for-5 performance in the Wild Card Game, he went 3-for-10 with two doubles, three walks and a pair of stolen bases against the Los Angeles Angels in the ALDS.
He was just 3-for-12 with seven strikeouts in the ALCS, but he delivered the big blow in Game 1 when he hit the go-ahead home run in the top of the 10th inning.
While he continues to contribute with his plus defense in left field, with an 0-for-3 performance Tuesday night, Gordon is now 0-for-11 with two walks and seven strikeouts in 13 plate appearances since that home run.
Hot or Cold?
Cold
Gordon is quickly being overtaken by Eric Hosmer as the face of the franchise. It's a shame he is not putting on more of a show here in October, as he remains one of the more underappreciated stars in the game today.
Royals: 1B Eric Hosmer
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Player Overview
After a terrific 2013 season appeared to have him back on the track to stardom, Eric Hosmer hit just .270/.318/.398 with nine home runs and 58 RBI during the regular season.
He has flipped the switch here in the playoffs, though, closing out the ALCS hitting .448 with two home runs, eight RBI and 22 total bases in eight games. That includes a huge triple in the Wild Card Game, the game-winning home run in Game 2 of the ALDS and an infield chopper that wound up scoring two runs in the ALCS clincher.
He was 0-for-4 in his World Series debut, but considering he was seeing Madison Bumgarner for the first time in his career, that did not come as a huge surprise.
Hot or Cold?
Hot
The postseason has been a coming-out party for Hosmer, as he has been the team's most consistent hitter out of the cleanup spot.
Giants: SP Madison Bumgarner
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In a ranking of the top 100 players in the league at the start of spring training, I pegged Madison Bumgarner as the No. 32 overall player in baseball, good for 11th-highest among pitchers.
Fair to say he'd rank a little higher if that list were compiled today.
A Salvador Perez home run in the bottom of the seventh inning Tuesday night snapped his road scoreless streak at a record 32.2 innings and represented the first run allowed by the left-hander in 21.2 career World Series innings.
He kicked off this postseason run with a four-hit shutout of the Pirates, and in five total starts this postseason he is now 3-1 with a 1.40 ERA, allowing 22 hits, six walks and six earned runs in 38.2 innings of work.
The 25-year-old has been the star of the 2014 postseason to this point, and after claiming National League Championship Series MVP honors, he may be well on his way to another trophy and a third career ring.
Hot or Cold?
Hot
Not just hot—like that blue part of the fire that is hotter than the rest.
Giants: SP Jake Peavy
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Player Overview
David Price and Jon Lester stole the headlines, but a strong case can be made for Jake Peavy being the best pickup of the trade deadline, as he completely turned his season around after joining the Giants.
The 33-year-old was 6-4 with a 2.17 ERA in 12 starts after returning to the NL West, and his intensity and veteran influence no doubt played a major role in the Giants getting their season back on track.
He was terrific in Game 1 of the National League Division Series, allowing just two hits in 5.2 shutout innings to pick up the win and help the Giants jump out to a 1-0 series lead, with Bumgarner unable to go until Game 3 after pitching in the Wild Card Game.
His next start was not nearly as dominant, but he likely would have pitched beyond the four innings he did if it were the regular season. After allowing four hits and two earned runs, the Giants opted to pinch hit for Peavy in the top of the fifth when his spot came up with two on and one out.
Hot or Cold?
Cold
With the way he closed out the regular season and his terrific start against the Washington Nationals in the NLDS, it's hard to call Peavy cold. However, he ran up a big pitch count his last time out, as he struggled some with his command, so you can't exactly call him hot either.
Giants: RP Santiago Casilla
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Player Overview
Santiago Casilla took over the closer's role for the Giants at the beginning of July, and he went on to convert 17 of 18 save chances with a 2.42 ERA and 0.923 WHIP after moving to the ninth.
After not allowing a hit in his final six innings of work during the regular season, he ran that streak to 11.2 innings in the postseason before finally allowing a harmless single to Jon Jay in Game 4 of the NLCS.
He was clearly amped up when he took the mound with the score tied in Game 5, and he loaded the bases with a pair of walks and a Randal Grichuk single before giving way to Jeremy Affeldt with two outs in the inning.
Affeldt got pinch hitter Oscar Taveras to ground out, keeping Casilla's ERA at 0.00 for the postseason and setting up the game-winning home run by Travis Ishikawa.
Hot or Cold?
Hot
The moment seemed to get to Casilla a bit there in Game 5, but he didn't exactly melt down either. He's been so good over the past month it's hard to call him anything but hot.
Giants: RF Hunter Pence
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Player Overview
The Giants wasted little time locking Hunter Pence up with a five-year, $90 million extension last offseason, and it's fairly obvious that the energetic outfielder is one of the emotional leaders of the team's clubhouse.
"This guy helps merely by showing up and being Hunter Pence, by the teammate he is to these guys," Game 2 starter Jake Peavy said of Pence, via Jayson Stark of ESPN.com.
He was relatively quiet in the NLCS, with just four hits, but it appeared that things were starting to click at the back end of the series, as he went 3-for-10 with two RBI over the final three games.
Any momentum he may have built there appears to have jumped the layoff gap, as he went 2-for-3 and homered off of James Shields in his first at-bat of the World Series.
Hot or Cold?
Hot
I did not include Pence among my top eight candidates for World Series MVP in an article I wrote earlier this week. Would probably rethink that if the piece were being written today...
Giants: C Buster Posey
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Player Overview
As far as overall skill set and track record go, it's fair to call Buster Posey the best player on either side of this year's World Series matchup.
The Giants' recent run of success started in 2010, and it's no coincidence that was also Posey's rookie season, as the 27-year-old is a franchise player and has been an impact player from the get-go.
He is still searching for his first extra-base hit of the postseason, but he's been productive nonetheless, going 14-for-48 with five RBI and four runs scored. That includes 5-for-12 with runners in scoring position and 3-for-9 with two walks in late/close situations, as he has been clutch all postseason.
Hot or Cold?
Hot
The zero extra-base hits thing is a bit puzzling, but the Giants have gotten by on manufacturing runs all postseason, and as long as he keeps capitalizing with runners in scoring position, he's doing his job. He is just 1-for-9 in his last two games, though, so it would be nice to see a big Game 2.
Giants: 3B Pablo Sandoval
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Player Overview
Some players just shine in the postseason. Pablo Sandoval is one of those players. The free-agent-to-be wrapped up the NLCS at 8-for-20 with three doubles, running his career postseason line to .325/.372/.548 with 16 RBI and 15 runs scored in 32 games.
Last time he was in the World Series, Sandoval went 8-for-16 with a double and three home runs to take home MVP honors, and he's off to a hot start once again in this year's Fall Classic. He was 2-for-5 with a double and two RBI Tuesday night, and he is now riding a modest six-game hitting streak into the team's Game 2 matchup with flame-thrower Yordano Ventura.
Hot or Cold?
Hot
Sandoval is no doubt going to test the free-agent market this offseason, but it's hard to picture this Giants team without him. Another strong World Series showing could be enough to convince them he's worth a long-term deal.
Unless otherwise noted, all standard and advanced stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference and accurate through Tuesday, Oct. 21.
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