Power Ranking the Top 20 Players of the 2014 World Series
The Kansas City Royals’ streak of eight consecutive wins to begin the postseason came to an end Tuesday night, as the American League champions dropped Game 1 of the World Series to the San Francisco Giants 7-1.
The Giants stars stole Kansas City’s postseason thunder in front of a electric crowd at Kauffman Stadium, as ace Madison Bumgarner turned in seven strong innings while Hunter Pence and Pablo Sandoval supported his cause at the dish.
Unfortunately, the Royals’ dynamic lineup and pitching staff didn’t shine as brightly in Game 1 of the Fall Classic as they did in previous series; starter James Shields' struggles continued, as he was chased from arguably the most important start of his career after just three-plus innings, while the Royals offense combined for only four hits in 30 trips to the plate.
With Game 1 out of the way, it’s now time to break down and rank both teams’ top talents on display this October based on regular-season and postseason performances, as opposed to potential postseason impact or long-term potential in the major leagues.
Here are the top 20 players of the 2014 World Series.
20. Mike Moustakas, 3B, Kansas City Royals
1 of 20
| 140 | 500 | .212 | 37 | 15 | 54 | 1 | 35 | 74 | .632 | 0.9 | |
| 9 | 34 | .250 | 5 | 4 | 5 | - | 1 | 7 | .929 | - |
Mike Moustakas finished the regular season with the worst batting average (.215) and on-base percentage (.271) among AL third basemen with at least 500 plate appearances, while his .361 slugging percentage and 76 wRC+ ranked ahead of only Matt Dominguez.
The 26-year-old third baseman’s bat has come to life in October, however, as he leads the Royals with four home runs through nine postseason games, including clutch solo home runs in Games 1 and 3 of the American League Division Series. Besides his error on Tuesday, Moustakas has flashed an impressive glove at the hot corner, highlighted by his falling-into-the stands catch in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series at Kauffman Stadium.
19. Kelvin Herrera, RHP, Kansas City Royals
2 of 20
| 70 | 70.0 | 1.41 | 1.14 | 26 | 59 | .561 | 1.4 | |
| 7 | 8.1 | 1.08 | 0.96 | 2 | 10 | .436 | - |
Kelvin Herrera is all of 5’10”, but the right-hander’s elite arm strength and explosive delivery produces one of the game’s best fastballs. During the regular season, his 98.1 mph average fastball velocity during the regular season ranked second in the major leagues behind Aroldis Chapman, per Brooks Baseball (h/t Baseball Prospectus).
Herrera's 0.58 ERA following the All-Star break was tops in the major leagues among relievers, and he’s continued to dominate in the postseason with one run allowed and 10 strikeouts over seven appearances.
18. Jake Peavy, RHP, San Francisco Giants
3 of 20
| 12 | 78.2 | 2.17 | 1.04 | 17 | 58 | .622 | 1.9 | |
| 2 | 9.2 | 1.86 | 1.24 | 6 | 5 | .611 | - |
Jake Peavy, a member of Boston’s 2013 World Series squad, was everything the Giants hoped he would be after coming over at the trade deadline, going 6-4 with a 2.17 ERA in 12 starts.
Peavy won his first postseason start as a member of the Giants, as the veteran right-hander held the Nationals to just two hits in 5.2 scoreless innings in Game 2 of the National League Division Series. He wasn’t as sharp in his start versus St. Louis in the National League Championship Series, but still limited the red-hot Cardinals to two runs on four hits. However, command issues forced Peavy from the game after only four innings and 76 pitches.
He’ll look to rebound Wednesday night against the Royals in Game 2 of the World Series.
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17. Joe Panik, 2B, San Francisco Giants
4 of 20
| 73 | 287 | .305 | 13 | 1 | 18 | - | 16 | 33 | .711 | 1.6 | |
| 11 | 53 | .235 | 3 | 1 | 6 | - | 2 | 2 | .637 | - |
After taking over as San Francisco’s everyday second baseman, Joe Panik posted an impressive .305/.343/.368 batting line to go along with 10 doubles, two triples, one home run and 18 RBI over 287 plate appearances.
Panik also carved out an important role in the top third of the lineup, batting .303/.333/.361 with 21 runs scored in 37 games as the team’s two-hole hitter and also raked against same-side pitching to the tune of .373/.381/.458 in 84 plate appearances.
Panik is hitting just .235 in the postseason, but the rookie second baseman has impressed with his patient approach and knack for making hard contact, especially against fastballs. The 23-year-old also has shown some unexpected pop, as his two triples and one home run though 11 postseason contests matches his totals from the regular season over 73 games.
16. Brandon Belt, 1B, San Francisco Giants
5 of 20
| 61 | 235 | .243 | 20 | 12 | 27 | 3 | 18 | 64 | .755 | 0.7 | |
| 11 | 49 | .282 | 1 | 1 | 6 | - | 9 | 10 | .767 | - |
Brandon Belt was cleared of his concussion symptoms and rejoined the Giants lineup on Sept. 15. The 26-year-old made up for some of the lost time by hitting safely in five of his final six games, with a .381/.458/.619 batting line and three extra-base hits in 24 plate appearances during that time frame.
Belt continued to swing a hot bat to open the postseason, collecting seven hits in 21 at-bats—highlighted by his go-ahead home run in the 18th inning of Game 2 of the NLDS—between the Wild Card Game and NLDS, but he’s just 4-for-18 since then without an extra-base hit. That being said, the left-handed hitter has maintained a consistent approach during that time frame, though, posting an on-base percentage of .400 thanks to nine walks over his last six games.
15. Santiago Casilla, RHP, San Francisco Giants
6 of 20
| 54 | 58.1 | 1.70 | 0.86 | 15 | 45 | .483 | 0.4 | |
| 7 | 6.2 | 0.00 | 0.75 | 3 | 5 | .291 | - |
Santiago Casilla ran away with the closer’s role in early July after replacing Sergio Romo, as he saved 17 games in 18 opportunities, posted a 2.42 ERA in 26 innings and held opposing hitters to a paltry .165/.240/.275 batting line.
The right-hander finished the regular season with five consecutive hitless appearances (starting Sept. 16) and kept the streak alive for nearly a month before surrendering a hit to the Cardinals in Game 4 of the NLCS (Oct. 15).
14. Brandon Crawford, SS, San Francisco Giants
7 of 20
| 153 | 564 | .246 | 40 | 10 | 69 | 5 | 59 | 129 | .713 | 2.7 | |
| 11 | 47 | .220 | 3 | 1 | 5 | - | 5 | 9 | .639 | - |
Brandon Crawford batted only .246 on the year, but the left-handed hitting shortstop did set career highs in home runs (10), triples (10), RBI (69), on-base percentage (.324) and slugging percentage (.389). He also finished the regular season on an absolute tear, batting .365/.388/.541 with eight extra-base hits and 16 RBI in 23 September games.
Crawford’s hot bat carried over into the postseason, as his grand slam off Edinson Volquez helped the Giants defeat the Pirates in the NL Wild Card Game, and he followed it with five hits in 17 at-bats during the NLDS. However, hits have been few and far between since the beginning of the NLCS, evidenced by his.158 average in the last six games.
13. James Shields, RHP, Kansas City Royals
8 of 20
| 34 | 227.0 | 3.21 | 1.18 | 44 | 180 | .702 | 3.7 | |
| 4 | 19.0 | 7.11 | 1.79 | 6 | 16 | .931 | - |
Shields turned in another strong regular season as the Royals ace, winning 14 games while registering a 3.21 ERA over 227 innings, but the right-hander certainly hasn’t pitched like an ace in October.
The right-hander logged at least seven innings in 18 of his 34 regular-season starts, but after his rough outing in Game 1 of the World Series, he’s now failed to reach the seventh in all four postseason starts. To make matters worse, Shields has really, really struggled in his last two outings, allowing a combined nine earned runs on 17 hits over eight innings between the ALCS and World Series.
Despite Shields’ ongoing struggles, manager Ned Yost said after Tuesday’s game that the right-hander is still his top choice to start a potential Game 5, according to Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com
12. Salvador Perez, C, Kansas City Royals
9 of 20
| 150 | 606 | .260 | 47 | 17 | 70 | 1 | 22 | 85 | .692 | 3.3 | |
| 9 | 38 | .135 | 1 | 1 | 3 | - | 1 | 9 | .374 | - |
Salvador Perez was the hero of the AL Wild Card Game, as his walk-off hit was the beginning of what’s been a historic run through the postseason for the Royals. Since then, however, he has gone just 4-for-31 in the last eight games with one RBI and seven strikeouts, and his solo home run against Madison Bumgarner in Game 1 of the World Series represents his only extra-base hit in October.
11. Yordano Ventura, RHP, Kansas City Royals
10 of 20
| 31/30 | 183.0 | 3.20 | 1.30 | 69 | 159 | .669 | 2.8 | |
| 3/2 | 13.0 | 4.85 | 1.23 | 4 | 8 | .698 | - |
Yordano Ventura would likely take home AL Rookie of the Year honors If not for the emergence of Jose Abreu on the South Side of Chicago. That shouldn’t detract from Ventura’s outstanding campaign, though, as he still posted an impressive 3.20 ERA in 30 starts and fanned 159 batters in 183 innings.
Ventura came out of the bullpen in the AL Wild Card Game and surrendered a two-run dinger to Brandon Moss, but the flame-throwing right-hander bounced back in a big way in the ALDS against the Angels with seven innings of one-run ball.
The 23-year-old gave everyone a scare in Game 2 of the ALCS when he left with shoulder discomfort after 5.2 innings, but he was said to be available to start Game 6 of the series had it been necessary. Ventura will now be tasked with preventing the Giants from going up 2-0 in the World Series before heading to San Francisco.
10. Alcides Escobar, SS, Kansas City Royals
11 of 20
| 162 | 620 | .285 | 42 | 3 | 50 | 31 | 23 | 83 | .694 | 3.5 | |
| 9 | 44 | .275 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 7 | .693 | - |
Alcides Escobar ranked first among AL shortstops in stolen bases (31) and triples (five), second in batting average (.285) and fourth in OPS (.694). Furthermore, his 165 hits and 34 doubles ranked second and third, respectively, in the league at the position.
Other than Lorenzo Cain, Escobar has been the Royals’ top right-handed hitter in the postseason, batting .272 with two extra-base hits and two RBI over the last five games.
9. Eric Hosmer, 1B, Kansas City Royals
12 of 20
| 131 | 547 | .270 | 45 | 9 | 58 | 4 | 35 | 93 | .716 | 0.2 | |
| 9 | 40 | .394 | 4 | 2 | 8 | - | 7 | 8 | 1.167 | - |
Things seemed to click for Hosmer upon returning from the disabled list (fractured hand), as the first baseman batted .287/.343/.489 with 12 extra-base hits and 12 RBI in 102 plate appearances over the final 27 games of the regular season.
Hosmer’s late-season success has led to a breakout performance in the postseason, as the 24-year-old leads the Royals in most offensive categories including hits (13), batting average (.394) and OPS (1.167), while also ranking second in home runs (two) and RBI (eight). Hosmer’s numbers would be even better if Gregor Blanco hadn’t run down his first-inning drive into the right-center field gap in Game 1 of the World Series.
8. Greg Holland, RHP, Kansas City Royals
13 of 20
| 65 | 62.1 | 1.44 | 0.91 | 20 | 90 | .472 | 2.3 | |
| 8 | 8.0 | 1.13 | 1.00 | 5 | 10 | .350 | - |
Two-time All-Star Greg Holland saved 46 games in 48 opportunities during the regular season in addition to posting a stellar 1.44 ERA with 90 strikeouts in 62.1 innings. He also closed out all three games against the Angels in the ALDS and is a perfect 6-for-6 in save chances in the postseason, while opposing hitters are batting just .107 against the right-hander.
7. Wade Davis, RHP, Kansas City Royals
14 of 20
| 71 | 72.0 | 1.00 | 0.85 | 23 | 109 | .408 | 3.1 | |
| 8 | 9.1 | 0.96 | 0.75 | 2 | 10 | .425 | - |
Wade Davis gave Dellin Betances a run for his money as the AL’s top setup man, as the Royals righty struck out 109 batters and allowed just five extra-base hits—none of which left the park—in 72 innings during the regular season. Among qualified relievers in the AL, only Tampa Bay’s Brad Boxberger (72.1 percent) and Boston’s Koji Uehara (74.9 percent) generated less contact within the strike zone than Davis (75.8 percent).
More importantly, Davis’ dominance—thanks to one of the nastiest cutters in the game—in the postseason has been key to the Royals’ success, as he’s sitting on a 0.96 ERA and .156 opponents’ batting average with 10 strikeouts in 9.1 innings (eight appearances).
6. Pablo Sandoval, 3B, San Francisco Giants
15 of 20
| 157 | 638 | .279 | 45 | 16 | 73 | - | 39 | 85 | .739 | 3.0 | |
| 11 | 53 | .333 | 5 | - | 3 | - | 4 | 7 | .834 | - |
Pablo Sandoval’s production this year was nearly identical to his 2013 campaign, as the switch-hitting third baseman batted .279/.324/.415 with 16 home runs, 26 doubles and 73 RBI while playing in 157 games. However, his 3.0 WAR and .323 wOBA ranked 11th and 14th, respectively, among all qualified third baseman.
Sandoval, a two-time All-Star and the MVP of the 2012 World Series, has been on fire since the start of the NLCS, as he’s put together a six-game hitting streak during which he’s batting .400 (10-for-25) with four doubles and four runs scored. Meanwhile, the switch-hitter’s 2-for-5 performance in Game 1 of the World Series raised his career batting line in the Fall Classic to an impressive .417/.440/.875.
5. Alex Gordon, LF, Kansas City Royals
16 of 20
| 156 | 643 | .266 | 54 | 19 | 74 | 12 | 65 | 126 | .783 | 6.6 | |
| 9 | 38 | .200 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 12 | .768 | - |
Alex Gordon emerged as the AL’s top left fielder this season as well as a legitimate MVP candidate, batting .266/.351/.432 with 19 home runs, 34 doubles and 74 RBI while playing in 156 games. Though there were better hitters than Gordon at the position, nobody could match the soon-to-be four-time Gold Glove Award winner’s defensive prowess, as his 27 runs saved and 22.6 UZR/150 were both tops among AL left fielders—and it wasn’t even close.
The 30-year-old Gordon is just 6-for-30 in his first trip to the postseason, but four of those knocks have gone for extra bases (one home run, three doubles), and he’s still leading the Royals with nine RBI in as many games.
4. Hunter Pence, RF, San Francisco Giants
17 of 20
| 162 | 708 | .277 | 59 | 20 | 74 | 13 | 52 | 130 | .777 | 4.7 | |
| 11 | 49 | .286 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 7 | .840 | - |
Hunter Pence enjoyed another strong offensive campaign, hitting .277/.332/.445 while playing in all 162 games for the second straight year. The 31-year-old paced the Giants in hits (180) and runs scored (106) and ranked second in home runs (20), RBI (74) and stolen bases (13).
Pence got off to a slow start in the postseason after finishing the regular season mired in a 4-for-54 slump, as he went 6-for-25 with two doubles but zero RBI through the Giants’ first six contests. Since then, however, he has tallied both a hit and RBI in five of the last six games, and he’s batting .300 with three extra-base hits, four walks and five RBI during that span.
3. Lorenzo Cain, CF/RF, Kansas City Royals
18 of 20
| 133 | 502 | .301 | 38 | 5 | 53 | 28 | 24 | 108 | .751 | 4.9 | |
| 9 | 42 | .333 | 3 | - | 4 | 2 | 3 | 7 | .807 | - |
Lorenzo Cain, meanwhile, swiped a career-high 28 bases this season to go along with his best batting average since he batted .306 over 43 games as a rookie in 2010. He sustained his success over the course of the season while shifting between the No. 1 and No. 3 spots in the Royals batting order. As the team’s three-hole hitter—which is where he’s batted in the postseason—Cain hit .321/.367/.429 over 56 at-bats.
Cain also provided Gold Glove-caliber defense in center and right field (just as he has in the postseason), ranking fifth among all qualified outfielders in runs saved (24 DRS) and sixth in zone rating (20.4 UZR/150).
2. Madison Bumgarner, LHP, San Francisco Giants
19 of 20
| 33 | 217.1 | 2.98 | 1.09 | 43 | 219 | .653 | 3.6 | |
| 5 | 38.2 | 1.40 | 0.72 | 6 | 33 | .451 | - |
Madison Bumgarner, one of Major League Baseball’s true aces, finished the regular season with an 18-10 record, 2.98 ERA and career-high 219 strikeouts in 217.1 innings. He pitched especially well after the All-Star break, going 8-3 (with two complete-game shutouts) in 13 starts while posting a 2.29 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 91-11 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 90.1 innings.
Meanwhile, the 25-year-old left-hander has been the epitome of an ace this October, posting a 1.40 ERA and 0.72 WHIP in 38.2 innings, and each of his five starts have been of the quality variety.
Bumgarner had worked 21.2 consecutive scoreless innings in the Fall Classic dating back to 2010 before Salvador Perez hit a solo home run, and his 32.2 consecutive scoreless playoff innings on the road is a major league record.
In his playoff career, Bumgarner has a 2.54 ERA and 0.97 WHIP to go along with 65 strikeouts in 74.1 innings (12 appearances, 11 starts).
1. Buster Posey, C, San Francisco Giants
20 of 20
| 147 | 605 | .311 | 52 | 22 | 89 | - | 47 | 69 | .854 | 5.7 | |
| 11 | 53 | .292 | - | - | 5 | - | 3 | 4 | .631 | - |
Buster Posey, a two-time World Series champion and the 2012 NL MVP, ranked second among major league catchers with a 5.7 WAR this season, a product of a monster second half in which he hit .354/.403/.575 with 12 home runs, 13 doubles and 43 RBI in 62 games.
The Giants catcher was among the MLB leaders this season at the position in most offensive categories, ranking first in batting average (.311), hits (170), slugging percentage (.490) and RBI (89), and second in home runs (22) and runs scored (72).
Posey also has been one of the Giants' hottest hitters in October—he’s made countless hard outs, too—with a .292 batting average, 14 hits and five RBI over 11 games, and he’s reached base safely in all but one contest.
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