World Series 2011: Why C.J. Wilson is the Most Important Player in the Series

C.J. Wilson is going to be the most important player in World Series between the Texas Rangers and the St. Louis Cardinals. I had previously written an article that called the Texas Rangers the front-runners, and I had also written an article that said that the World Series will come down to who pitches better. Therefore, it is kind of consistent with my predictions that I would say that a Texas Rangers pitcher will be the most important player in the series.

However, why would I say this?

As a note, I do realize that baseball is a team sport, but I'm operating under the assumption that I must choose only one most important player. All the parts working together will obviously produce the best results. However, I wanted to try to zero in on one athlete. I had a few main reasons that Wilson is the most important player in the series.

First of all, Wilson is starting the first game for the Rangers. I know that they need to win four games to win the series, but winning the first game helps set the tone for the entire rest of the series. It is much easier to win a series after you are up 1-0 than the contrary.

Of course, this is not the only reason why Wilson will be the most important player in the series. He was the Rangers' ace all season. He went 16-7 with a 2.94 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP. He should have the best probability of winning here as well. I know that I have definitely argued that baseball is the most unpredictable sport in the world.

However, he does have the best probability of winning, even though it is far from a certain thing. The Rangers obviously need their best foot to be strong, and in this case that is Wilson.

There will be a lot of runs scored during this World Series unless strong pitching is able to triumph. Wilson will probably have two starts during the World Series, so he will clearly be very important throughout this contest.