Who Would Win 2015 vs. 1986 Mets, 2015 vs. 1985 Royals Franchise Battles?

How will the New York Mets and Kansas City Royals fare against each other in the 2015 World Series? We're about to find out.

In the meantime, here's a thought experiment: What if these two franchises stepped into a flux capacitor-equipped DeLorean and traveled back in time to face themselves?

Specifically, what if the current Royals played a best-of-seven series against the 1985 Royals, the last K.C. club to win it all? And what if the '15 Mets squared off against the 1986 world champion Amazins?

We'd get some scintillating baseball, for one, and a couple of epically hyped fanbases.

But who would prevail in each of these space-time-bending clashes? 

Let's unpack that intriguing hypothetical by examining the rosters and statistics, looking at each squad's strengths and vulnerabilities and, of course, adding a hefty dollop of pie-in-the-sky speculation.

We'll consider regular-season stats for context, but ultimately we'll compare each team's postseason roster, leaving off players who may have contributed during the 162-game slog but for whatever reason didn't factor in to the Fall Classic equation. 

These decade-spanning matchups won't happen without an assist from Doc Brown, obviously. But while we wait for the real-life games to begin, it sure is fun to imagine. 

1985 Royals

Rich Pilling/Getty Images

Record

91-71, 1st place, AL West

Starting Rotation

• Brett Saberhagen (20-6, 2.87 ERA, 1.058 WHIP, 158 SO, 235.1 IP)
• Charlie Leibrandt (17-9, 2.69 ERA, 1.224 WHIP, 108 SO, 237.2 IP)
• Danny Jackson (14-12, 3.42 ERA, 1.370 WHIP, 114 SO, 208 IP)
• Bud Black (10-15, 4.33 ERA, 1.337 WHIP, 122 SO, 205.2 IP)

Starting Lineup

1. LF Lonnie Smith (120 G, .257/.321/.366, 6 HR, 40 SB)

2. CF Willie Wilson (141 G, .278/.316/.408, 21 3B, 43 SB)

3. 3B George Brett (155 G, .335/.436/.585, 30 HR, 112 RBI)

4. 2B Frank White (149 G, .249/.284/.414, 22 HR, 69 RBI)

5. C Jim Sundberg (115 G, .245/.308/.381, 10 HR)

6. RF Darryl Motley (123 G, .222/.257/.413, 17 HR, 49 RBI)

7. 1B Steve Balboni (160 G, .243/..307/.477, 36 HR, 88 RBI)

8. DH Hal McRae (112 G, .259/.349/.450, 14 HR, 70 RBI)

9. SS Buddy Biancalana (81 G, .188/.277/.261, 1 HR)

Bullpen

• Joe Beckwith (49 G, 4.07 ERA, 1.379 WHIP, 80 SO, 95 IP, 1 SV)
• Dan Quisenberry (84 G, 2.37 ERA, 1.225 WHIP, 54 SO, 129 IP, 37 SV)

Bench

• Onix Concepcion, INF (131 G, .204/.255/.245, 2 HR)
• Dane Iorg, OF (64 G, .223/.268/.331, 1 HR)
• Lynn Jones, OF (110 G, .211/.261/.257)
• Jorge Orta, UTL (110 G, .267/..317/.383, 4 HR, 45 RBI)
• Pat Sheridan, OF (78 G, .228/.307/.335, 3 HR, 11 SB)
• John Wathan, C (60 G, .234/..319/.324, 1 HR)

The '85 Royals were led on offense by Hall of Famer and current vice president of baseball operations George Brett, who made his 10th consecutive All-Star team and finished second in AL MVP voting.

On the mound, K.C. relied on a stellar starting rotation spearheaded by 21-year-old Bret Saberhagen, who won 20 games and an AL Cy Young Award.

Overall, the Royals ranked second in the Junior Circuit in ERA, while finishing second-to-last in batting average. And they boasted a pair of speedsters atop the lineup, with Lonnie Smith and Willie Wilson each stealing 40-plus bags, and Wilson legging out a franchise-record 21 triples.

K.C. bested the Toronto Blue Jays (sound familiar?) in seven games in the American League Championship Series before defeating the in-state rival St. Louis Cardinals in another hard-fought seven-game showdown to claim the franchise's first—and so far only—Commissioner's Trophy.

2015 Royals

Matt Slocum/Associated Press

Record

95-67, 1st place, AL Central

Starting Rotation

• Edinson Volquez (13-9, 3.55 ERA, 1.308 WHIP, 155 SO, 200.1 IP)
• Yordano Ventura (13-8, 4.08 ERA, 1.298 WHIP, 156 SO, 163.1 IP)
• Johnny Cueto (11-13, 3.44 ERA, 1.132 WHIP, 176 SO, 212 IP)
• Chris Young (11-6, 3.06 ERA, 1.086 WHIP, 83 SO, 123.1 IP)

Starting Lineup

1. SS Alcides Escobar (148 G, 257/.293/.320, 3 HR, 17 SB)

2. 2B Ben Zobrist (126 G, .276/.359/.450, 13 HR, 56 RBI)

3. CF Lorenzo Cain (140 G, .307/.361/.477, 16 HR, 72 RBI, 28 SB) 

4. 1B Eric Hosmer (158 G, .297/.363/.459, 18 HR, 93 RBI)

5. DH Kendrys Morales (158 G, .290/.362/.485, 22 HR, 106 RBI)

6. 3B Mike Moustakas (147 G, .284/.348/.470, 22 HR, 82 RBI)

7. C Salvador Perez (142 G, 260/.280/.426, 21 HR, 70 RBI)

8. LF Alex Gordon (104 G, .271/.377/.432, 13 HR, 48 RBI)

9. RF Alex Rios (105 G, .255/.287/.353, 4 HR, 9 SB)

Bullpen

• Wade Davis (69 G, 0.94 ERA, 0.787 WHIP, 78 SO, 67.1 IP, 19 SV)
• Danny Duffy (7-8, 4.08 ERA, 1.390 WHIP, 102 SO, 136.2 IP, 1 SV)
• Kelvin Herrera (72 G, 2.71 ERA, 1.120 WHIP, 64 SO, 69.2 IP)
• Luke Hochevar (49 G, 3.73 ERA, 1.283 WHIP, 49 SO, 50.2 IP, 1 SV)
• Ryan Madson (68 G, 2.13 ERA, 0.963 ERA, 58 SO, 63.1 IP, 3 SV)
• Kris Medlen (6-2, 4.01 ERA, 1.269 WHIP, 40 SO, 58.1 IP)
• Franklin Morales (67 G, 3.18 ERA, 1.155 WHIP, 41 SO, 62.1 IP)

Bench

• Drew Butera, C (45 G, .198/.266/.267, 1 HR)
• Jarrod Dyson, OF (90 G, .250/.311/.380, 2 HR, 26 SB)
• Terrance Gore, OF (9 G, 3 SB)
• Paulo Orlando, OF (86 G, .249/.269/.444, 7 HR)

The 2015 Royals are returning to the World Series with the same formula that got them to Game 7 in 2014: exemplary defense, timely hitting, speed and a shutdown bullpen.

They've also found their power stroke in the playoffs, though they hit the second-fewest dingers in the AL during the regular season.

And while the pen is an unquestioned asset despite the loss of closer Greg Holland to Tommy John surgery, the starting rotation posted the fourth-worst ERA in the AL during the regular season. Trade-deadline acquisition Johnny Cueto was supposed to stabilize the starting corps but has been a mixed bag since donning a Royals uniform.

These Royals are on a championship crusade, in other words, but they've got a chink in the armor. 

Who Would Win?

Cliff Schiappa/Associated Press

This would be a hard-fought series between two teams with legitimate never-say-die mentalities.

The '85 Royals, after all, won the AL West by just a single game over the then-California Angels, and they overcame 3-1 series deficits to beat the Jays in the ALCS and the Cards in the World Series.

"[The 1985] team wasn't the most talented, but there was that commitment to each other," backup catcher John Wathan said recently, per MLB.com's Tracy Ringolsby. "This year's club has talent. It has more offense and a deeper bullpen. But one thing they have that we had is a refusal to quit."

He's right. This year Kansas City outlasted the upstart Houston Astros in a five-game American League Division Series tussle, then fended off the chirpy, powerful Jays in a six-game ALCS.

On paper, the current Royals have the deep lineup and late-inning cavalry to enter as favorites. But starting pitching matters in a best-of-seven, and that's where the '85 team enjoys a distinct advantage. 

This series would almost surely go down to the wire, but we're giving the edge to the '85 squad on the assumption that Brett would do his thing against K.C.'s wobbly starting corps, and the Saberhagen-led staff would manage to contain the 2015 Royals' attack.

Prediction: '85 Royals in seven.

1986 Mets

Ronald C. Modra/Sports Imagery/Getty Images

Record

108-54, 1st place, NL East

Starting Rotation

• Dwight Gooden (17-6, 2.84 ERA, 1.108 WHIP, 200 SO, 250 IP)
• Ron Darling (15-6, 2.81 ERA, 1.198 WHIP, 184 SO, 237 IP)
• Bob Ojeda (18-5, 2.57 ERA, 1.090 WHIP, 148 SO, 217.1 IP)

Starting Lineup

1. CF Lenny Dykstra (147 G, .295/.377/.445, 8 HR, 31 SB)

2. 2B Wally Backman (124 G, .320/.376/.385, 1 HR, 13 SB)

3. 1B Keith Hernandez (149 G, .310/.413/.446, 13 HR, 83 RBI)

4. C Gary Carter (132 G, .255/.337/.439, 24 HR, 105 RBI)

5. RF Darryl Strawberry (136 G, .259/.358/.507, 27 HR, 93 RBI, 28 SB)

6. 3B Ray Knight (137 G, .298/.351/.424, 11 HR, 76 RBI)

7. LF Mookie Wilson (123 G, .289/.345/.430, 9 HR, 25 SB)

8. SS Rafael Santana (139 G, .218/.285/.254, 1 HR, 28 RBI)

Bullpen

• Rick Aguilera (10-7, 3.88 ERA, 1.278 WHIP, 104 SO, 141.2 IP)
• Sid Fernandez (16-6, 3.52 ERA, 1.233 WHIP, 200 SO, 204.1 IP)
• Roger McDowell (75 G, 3.02 ERA, 1.164 WHIP, 65 SO, 128 IP, 22 SV)
• Jesse Orosco (58 G, 2.33 ERA, 1.222 WHIP, 62 SO, 81 IP, 21 SV)
• Doug Sisk (41 G, 3.06 ERA, 1.528 WHIP, 31 SO, 70.2 IP, 1 SV)

Bench

• Kevin Elster, INF (19 G, .167/.242/.200, 1 HR)
• Danny Heep, OF/1B (86 G, .282/.379/.421, 5 HR, 33 RBI)
• Howard Johnson, INF (88 G, .245/.341/.445, 10 HR, 39 RBI)
• Lee Mazzilli, OF/1B (39 G, .276/.417/.431, 2 HR)
• Kevin Mitchell, OF (108 G, .277/.344/.466, 12 HR, 43 RBI)
• Tim Tuefel, INF (93 G, .2247/.324/.369, 4 HR, 31 RBI)

The 1986 World Series between the Mets and Boston Red Sox will forever be remembered for the ground ball that bounced between Bill Buckner's legs, temporarily prolonging the curse of the Bambino.

Really, though, that's unfair. The '86 Mets were much more than the beneficiaries of a bad hop. They were a deep, talented squad that led the NL in batting average and runs scored as well as ERA.

"[That] was a team of superstars that was supposed to win it," Ron Darling, a starting pitcher on the '86 club and a current Mets broadcaster, told Sports Illustrated. "Us winning it was kind of a natural progression, and it was our time."

Ace Dwight Gooden headlined New York's staff, while the offense was anchored by the likes of 23-year-old Darryl Strawberry, veteran and former MVP Keith Hernandez and second-year spark plug Lenny Dykstra. 

They won 108 games, and they deserved to ascend to baseball's biggest stage.

2015 Mets

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

Record

90-72, 1st place, NL East

Starting Rotation

• Matt Harvey (13-8, 2.71 ERA, 1.019 WHIP, 188 SO, 189.1 IP)
• Jacob deGrom (14-8, 2.54 ERA, 0.979 WHIP, 205 SO, 191 IP)
• Noah Syndergaard (9-7, 3.24 ERA, 1.047 WHIP, 166 SO, 150 IP)
• Steven Matz (4-0, 2.27 ERA, 1.234 WHIP, 34 SO, 35.2 IP)

Starting Lineup

1. RF Curtis Granderson (157 G, .259/.364/.457, 26 HR, 70 RBI, 11 SB)

2. 3B David Wright (38 G, .289/.379/.434, 5 HR, 17 RBI)

3. 2B Daniel Murphy (130 G, .281/.322/.449, 14 HR, 73 RBI)

4. CF Yoenis Cespedes (159 G, .291/.328/.542, 35 HR, 105 RBI)

5. 1B Lucas Duda (135 G, .244/.352/.486, 27 HR, 73 RBI)

6. C Travis d'Arnaud (67 G, .268/.340/.485, 12 HR, 41 RBI)

7. LF Michael Conforto (56 G, .270/.335/.506, 9 HR, 26 RBI)

8. SS Wilmer Flores (137 G, .2263/.295/.408, 16 HR, 59 RBI)

Bullpen

• Tyler Clippard (69 G, 2.92 ERA, 1.127 WHIP, 64 SO, 71 IP, 19 SV)
• Bartolo Colon (14-13, 4.16 ERA, 1.238 WHIP, 136 SO, 194.2 IP)
• Jeurys Familia (76 G, 1.85 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 86 SO, 78 IP, 43 SV)
• Jon Niese (9-10, 4.13 ERA, 1.398 WHIP, 113 SO, 176.2 IP)
• Addison Reed (55 G, 3.38 ERA, 1.375 WHIP, 51 SO, 56 IP, 3 SV)

Bench

• Michael Cuddyer, OF (117 G, .259/.309/.391, 10 HR, 41 RBI)
• Kelly Johnson, INF (49 G, .250/.304/.414, 5 HR)
• Juan Lagares, OF (143 G, .259/.289/.358, 6 HR, 41 RBI)
• Kirk Nieuwenhuis, OF (64 G, .208/.282/.406, 4 HR)

Unlike the '86 team, the '15 Mets weren't supposed to be here; not yet, anyway. They were a team on the rise, with a stellar stable of emerging arms. But the high-powered Washington Nationals entered the season as the prohibitive favorites in the NL East.

So much for that.

The Mets matured faster than expected and added key pieces—most notably Cuban masher Yoenis Cespedes—at the trade deadline. They then outlasted the big-spending Los Angeles Dodgers in the division series and swept the Chicago Cubs in the NLCS.

Suddenly, with Daniel Murphy doing a credible Reggie Jackson impression and the dynamic trio of Harvey/deGrom/Syndergaard living up to the hype, this team looks ready to make the leap from promising to promise fulfilled. 

Here's how Bobby Ojeda, a key left-handed starter on the '86 team, summed up the 2015 team's prospects, per MLB.com's Lindsay Berra: "It's theirs to lose."

Who Would Win?

Aaron Doster/Associated Press

As hot as they've been, the 2015 Mets would enter this series as underdogs to the stacked '86 squad.

And considering the '86 Mets posted better offensive numbers against righties across the board, it's tempting to give them the advantage against the right-handed triumvirate of Harvey, deGrom and Syndergaard.

Certainly we'd pay good money to watch an in-his-prime Strawberry digging in against the 2015 Mets' electric arms. Or, conversely, Doc Gooden firing his arsenal at the scalding Murphy.

In the end, we'll give the upper hand to the underdog 2015 crew because of its late-inning relief, specifically closer Jeurys Familia, who has thrown 9.2 brilliant, scoreless innings in the playoffs.

Good as they were, the '86 team leaned heavily on its three-man rotation of Gooden, Darling and Ojeda, a fact the present-day Mets, who are tied for the most walks among NL clubs this postseason, could exploit. 

Mostly, though, we'd kill to watch this series, which would surely hinge on something even more memorable than an unlucky bounce between the legs.

Prediction: 2015 Mets in seven.

All statistics current as of Oct. 26 and courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.