The 2007 World Series will feature two teams in the Boston Red Sox and Colorado Rockies who couldn't be more different. While big-market Boston entered the season with a whopping $143 million payroll, the Rockies' payroll was only $3 million more than the Red Sox' posting fee for Daisuke Matsuzaka. Boston is just three years removed from a World Series championship, while Colorado is making its first-ever appearance in the Fall Classic. Which team has the edge? A position-by-position breakdown:
C | Torrealba vs. Varitek: With a .320 postseason average, Torrealba is having the better October, although Varitek broke out of his slump with three hits in Game 7 of the ALCS. Both assume key leadership roles on their respective teams: Varitek as the Red Sox captain and Torrealba as a veteran presence guiding a young pitching staff. Neither catcher will upstage the other while batting in the bottom third of their teams' lineups. Edge: Push
1B | Helton vs. Youkilis: Helton topped Youkilis in nearly every offensive category during the regular season, including batting average, home runs, RBI, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. But while Youkilis has posted six multi-hit games this postseason, Helton has managed just one extra-base hit. With no errors in 135 games at first base, Youkilis may even have the edge on defense over the three-time Gold Glove Award winner Helton. Edge: Red Sox
2B | Matsui vs. Pedroia: Relegated to the Mets' trash heap in 2006, Matsui has quietly become an offensive star for the Rockies this postseason, hitting safely in all but one of Colorado's seven games. But despite sitting below the Mendoza Line on May 1, Pedroia hit 29 points better than Matsui during the regular season and comes into the World Series on the heels of three-straight multi-hit games. Edge: Red Sox
SS | Tulowitzki vs. Lugo: For $9 million, the Red Sox have a complete bust in Lugo, who hit .197 in the first half of the season and finished the year at a paltry .237. For a little over four percent of Lugo's salary, the Rockies boast a budding star in Tulowitzki, whose sparkling defense and penchant for the clutch have drawn comparisons to Cal Ripken, Jr. and his boyhood idol, Derek Jeter. Edge: Rockies
3B | Atkins vs. Lowell: Atkins is coming off his second consecutive season with an average over .300 and at least 25 home runs and 110 RBI. But in his contract year, Lowell was even better, putting up a .501 slugging percentage and a career-best .324 batting average. With 11 RBI this postseason, compared to Atkins' one, Lowell wins the battle at the hot corner. Edge: Red Sox
LF | Holliday vs. Ramirez: Manny is certainly being Manny, at least when it comes to his offensive production. Ramirez has hit .400 with four home runs this postseason and has reached base safely in all 10 of Boston's playoff games. But Holliday has emerged as a top candidate for the MVP after leading the NL in both batting average (.340) and RBI (137). Add to that his NLCS MVP and the battle between the two best hitters in the World Series becomes too close to call. Edge: Push
CF | Taveras vs. Crisp: Both Taveras and Crisp have put up pathetic numbers this postseason, each hitting under .170 and combining for five runs scored. While Taveras' regular season numbers (.320, 33 stolen bases) suggest he can still be an impact player atop the lineup, Crisp may soon be permanently replaced by the upstart Jacoby Ellsbury. Edge: Rockies
RF | Hawpe vs. Drew: His Game 6 heroics aside, Drew finished the first year of a five-year, $70 million contract with fewer home runs than Jack Wilson and fewer RBI than Ty Wigginton. Hawpe, meanwhile, wound up sixth in the National League with 116 RBI, while also contributing 29 home runs, all for just $403,000. Edge: Rockies
DH | Baker/Spilborghs vs. Ortiz: Let's not kid ourselves. Edge: Red Sox
Starting pitchers: Much like Josh Beckett did in 2003, Colorado's young trio of Jeff Francis, Ubaldo Jimenez, and Josh Fogg will be making their World Series debuts as relative unknowns. The Red Sox one-two punch of Beckett and Curt Schilling, a combined 15-4 for their careers in postseason play, is vastly more experienced than the Rockies' rotation. Edge: Red Sox
Bullpen: Game 7 of the ALCS showed that Terry Francona has no faith in anyone in the Red Sox bullpen other than Hideki Okajima, who began warming up in the fifth inning, and Jonathan Papelbon, who was asked to get a six-out save for the first time this season. Boston's suspect middle relief, coupled with Colorado's tandem of All-Star Brian Fuentes and steady closer Manny Corpas, make this a closer matchup than it initially appears. Edge: Push
Intangibles: Colorado may be a young team, but it hasn't been intimidated by the big stage; this season, the Rockies swept a three-game series from both the Yankees and the Mets and took two out of three from the Red Sox in Fenway, hammering Beckett and Schilling in the process. Nine days off certainly won't help the blazing-hot Rockies, but the Red Sox, 2-1 favorites, will have to deal with the pressure of overwhelming expectations. Edge: Rockies
