A position-by-position look at the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians going into
the World Series, starting Tuesday night at Progressive Field:---First
Base:Cubs: Anthony Rizzo.
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and top contender for NL MVP this season, Rizzo was the first member of Chicagos
current young core to arrive, in a January 2012 trade with San Diego. Now, hes a
power-hitting staple with a patient eye in the middle of a loaded lineup. Rizzo
busted out of a 2-for-26 slump by going 7 of 14 with two homers and five RBI
over the last three games of the NL Championship Series.Indians: Mike Napoli.
Pasted on T-shirts all over town, Party at Napolis has been the popular cry in
Cleveland this year. And its no wonder. With 34 homers and 101 RBI, the veteran
slugger has been perhaps baseballs biggest free-agent bargain after signing a $7
million, one-year contract. Napoli is a proven winner, appearing in the playoffs
eight of the past 10 years.Edge: Cubs.---Second Base:Cubs: Javier Baez. Slick
and flashy in the field, the 23-year-old Baez has become a breakout star this
postseason and was co-MVP of the NLCS. Blessed with rare bat speed, hes cut down
on his big swing and strikeout rate, helping him deliver several clutch hits.
Supremely confident, excellent instincts -- he even stole home in the NLCS
opener. Power to all fields and perhaps a future Gold Glove winner, too.Indians:
Jason Kipnis. A two-time All-Star, Kipnis grew up a huge Cubs fan outside
Chicago. Hes a leader in the clubhouse who provides left-handed pop and some
speed. He hit two homers in the playoffs but went 1 for 19 (.053) during the
ALCS. Kipnis sprained his left ankle while celebrating after the final out of
the pennant clincher in Toronto, an injury that was still bothering him on the
eve of the World Series.Edge: Indians, on track record. Cubs, on pure
talent.---Shortstop:Cubs: Addison Russell. Another impressive youngster, the
22-year-old Russell batted .238 with 21 homers and 95 RBI this season, his
second in the majors, and was elected to start the All-Star Game along with
several Cubs teammates. Russell also snapped out of a postseason skid (1 for 24)
in the final three NLCS games, going 6 for 13 with two homers and four RBI. He
was obtained from Oakland when Chicago traded pitchers Jeff Samardzija and Jason
Hammel in July 2014.Indians: Francisco Lindor. Next in a bumper crop of gifted
young infielders on display in this Series. The 22-year-old Lindor, runner-up
for AL Rookie of the Year last season, can do it all -- including light up a
ballpark with his energy and smile. He batted .323 with two homers, two doubles
and four RBI in eight playoff games, also showing off his vast array of skills
to the national audience. Cleveland drafted Lindor eighth overall in 2011 -- one
pick before the Cubs took Baez.Edge: Indians.---Third Base:Cubs: Kris Bryant.
Probably the favorite for NL MVP, the 24-year-old Bryant has delivered
immediately on his promise of big power after he was drafted No. 2 overall in
2013. Last seasons NL Rookie of the Year and a two-time All-Star already, he had
a .939 OPS with 39 homers and 102 RBI this season. But hes more than just a
bopper. Also a versatile defender, Bryant runs pretty well and is a better
all-around player than his profile might suggest.Indians: Jose Ramirez. The
unheralded Ramirez has been a pleasant surprise for Cleveland, filling a hole at
third base with an excellent season. The switch-hitter batted .312 with 11 home
runs, 46 doubles, 76 RBI and an .825 OPS. Not to mention 22 stolen bases and his
knack for clutch hits. Wow, right? Did anyone outside Ohio even notice? Ramirez
was a mixed bag in the AL playoffs, going 5 for 10 with four runs against Boston
but 1 for 17 vs. Toronto.Edge: Cubs.---Catcher:Cubs: David Ross, Willson
Contreras or Miguel Montero. Longtime batterymates going back to their days in
Boston, Ross is the regular catcher for Game 1 starter Jon Lester. Set to retire
after this season, the graying 39-year-old is a fan favorite in Chicago, where
Ross is affectionately known as Grandpa Rossy. He hit 10 homers in only 166
at-bats during a quality year at the plate and then went deep against the Giants
in the NL playoffs. Contreras is an advanced right-handed hitter at age 24, and
the rookie can also play left field and first base. Montero is a two-time
All-Star with left-handed pop. He batted just .216 this year but caught both of
Jake Arrietas playoff starts and delivered the third pinch-hit grand slam in
postseason history, a tiebreaking shot against the Dodgers in the eighth inning
of the NLCS opener.Indians: Roberto Perez. Subbing for injured starter Yan
Gomes, Perez provides strong defense behind the plate. He threw out 46 percent
of attempted base stealers this season, and the Indians went 33-20 when he
started. Limited to 61 games by a broken thumb, Perez batted .183 with three
homers this year.Edge: Cubs.---Left Field:Cubs: Ben Zobrist. One of baseballs
most versatile players, Zobrist helped Kansas City win the World Series last
season and then signed a $56 million, four-year contract with the Cubs. The
productive switch-hitter is a three-time All-Star with a discerning eye who bats
in the middle of the lineup to keep it balanced. He mostly played second base
during the season but has been shifted to left field to make everyday room for
Baez.Indians: Rajai Davis or Coco Crisp. The speedy Davis was another free-agent
pickup at a friendly price who played a significant role for the Indians. He hit
12 homers, scored 74 runs and led the AL with 43 steals but went hitless in 12
playoff at-bats. Crisp returned to his Cleveland roots when he was acquired from
Oakland on Aug. 31, just in time to be eligible for the postseason. The
36-year-old switch-hitter finished the season with 13 homers and hit two more in
the playoffs.Edge: Cubs.---Center Field:Cubs: Dexter Fowler. An underrated
leadoff hitter, Fowler re-signed with Chicago late last offseason for $13
million in a surprise move that paid off handsomely for the Cubs. The
switch-hitter compiled a career-best .393 on-base percentage and scored 84 runs
in 125 games. When he gets on, the Cubs really go.Indians: Tyler Naquin. With 14
home runs and an .886 OPS in 116 games, the 25-year-old Naquin ranked among
rookie leaders in several offensive categories. A first-round draft pick in 2012
out of Texas A&M, he is 3 for 16 (.188) in the postseason with a pair of
doubles.Edge: Cubs.---Right Field:Cubs: Jason Heyward. A major disappointment at
the plate after signing with Chicago for $184 million over eight years, the
three-time Gold Glove winner at least provides outstanding defense. He had a
paltry .631 OPS this season and went 2 for 28 in the playoffs, dropping his
career postseason batting average to .160 and occasionally leaving him on the
bench.Indians: Lonnie Chisenhall. The converted third baseman has found a home
in right field, where Cleveland is happy with his defense. He batted .286 with
eight homers and 57 RBI this season, then connected for a big home run in the
Division Series against Boston. Chisenhall is 10 for 30 (.333) in his postseason
career.Edge: Even.---Designated Hitter:Cubs: Kyle Schwarber. In an October
shocker, the expectation is Schwarber will return from an early-season knee
injury in Game 1 of the World Series. A prodigious young power hitter, Schwarber
played two games in April before tearing a pair of ligaments in his left knee.
He was ruled out for the year but made a rapid recovery from surgery and was
cleared to play two games in the Arizona Fall League. Apparently, that was
enough for the Cubs. One year removed from college, Schwarber hit 16 homers with
an .842 OPS in 69 games last season. Then he hit five more home runs in the 2015
playoffs.Indians: Carlos Santana. The unusual thing about Santana is that hes a
power hitter who bats leadoff, because of his patient approach at the plate. The
switch-hitter walked 99 times this season to go with a career-high 34 homers and
87 RBI. Santana was 5 for 29 (.172) in the playoffs but homered twice in the
ALCS.Edge: Indians.---Starting Pitchers:Cubs: Despite going seven decades
without a pennant, Chicago has a pair of proven World Series arms in its deep
rotation. Lester, co-MVP of the NLCS, won championship rings with Boston in 2007
and 2013. He is 3-0 with a 0.43 ERA in three World Series starts and will be on
regular rest Tuesday night. The 32-year-old lefty went 19-5 with a 2.44 ERA this
season and 2-0 with a 0.86 ERA in three playoff outings. Right behind him is
Kyle Hendricks (16-8), who led the majors with a 2.13 ERA and beat Clayton
Kershaw 5-0 with 7 1/3 innings of two-hit ball in the NLCS clincher. Arrieta
(18-8), last years NL Cy Young Award winner, has been inconsistent in the
postseason. John Lackey (11-8), who just turned 38, won Game 7 of the 2002 World
Series as an Angels rookie and helped the Red Sox to their 2013 title.Indians:
Coming into the season, Cleveland had an enviable stable of young, power arms
who made up one of baseballs best rotations. That was before a string of
injuries left the Indians piecing together their playoff pitching plans. Corey
Kluber, the 2014 AL Cy Young Award winner, remains a workhorse at the top and
will start the Series opener on two extra days of rest. He was 18-9 with a 3.14
ERA and 227 strikeouts this season. Josh Tomlin (13-9) was dropped from the
rotation after going 0-5 in August but got another chance in October and
delivered. He won both playoff starts with a 2.53 ERA in his first postseason.
Trevor Bauer (12-8) expects to pitch after a bleeding right pinkie forced him
out early in Game 3 of the ALCS. He sliced open the finger while repairing one
of the drones he enjoys flying as a hobby. Rookie left-hander Ryan Merritt came
through with 4 1/3 scoreless in the Game 5 clincher, his second major league
start. Carlos Carrasco is out with a broken pinkie, but All-Star righty Danny
Salazar, sidelined since Sept. 9 because of forearm tightness, will be on the
World Series roster. Its unclear if he will start or work out of the bullpen. So
the rotation remains Clevelands biggest question mark.Edge:
Cubs.---Bullpen:Cubs: A midseason trade for hard-throwing closer Aroldis Chapman
gave the Cubs an imposing arm in the ninth inning. Hes been summoned in the
eighth on occasion during the postseason, but hasnt exactly been lights out.
Hector Rondon, Pedro Strop, Carl Edwards Jr. and Justin Grimm offer live arms
and good stuff from the right side, but arent always completely reliable.
Left-handers Travis Wood and Mike Montgomery provide length and flexibility.
There are options here. There is depth. But its not necessarily a dominant
unit.Indians: The teams best weapon and biggest strength. The most powerful
chess piece in this entire postseason has been Andrew Miller, the ALCS MVP
acquired in July from the New York Yankees -- where Chapman was his teammate.
The 6-foot-7 lefty with the wipeout slider has struck out 21 over 11 2/3
scoreless innings after going 10-1 with a 1.45 ERA while striking out 14.9
batters per nine innings this year. The way Cleveland utilizes him, Miller
starts looming by the middle innings and becomes an option in almost any
high-leverage situation. He entered as early as the fifth during the AL
playoffs. Not to be forgotten are closer Cody Allen (32 saves) and steady
right-hander Bryan Shaw. And when Bauer was removed in the first inning, Dan
Otero, Jeff Manship and Zach McAllister helped the relievers rack up 25 outs in
a Game 3 win during the ALCS. With a 1.67 ERA in 32 1/3 playoff innings, the
bullpen is a big reason Cleveland has thrown three shutouts this postseason. And
if the Indians win the World Series, this group will likely rank among the
greatest October bullpens in baseball history.Edge: Indians.---Bench:Cubs:
Plenty of options for a team that thrives on versatility, flexibility and depth.
Montero and Contreras came through with huge pinch hits in the playoffs. Chris
Coghlan is an experienced left-handed hitter who can play the infield and
outfield. From the right side, Jorge Soler has power and Albert Almora Jr.
brings fine defense. A healthy Schwarber would obviously add a very dangerous
bat to the mix.Indians: This unit would probably be deeper if not for an injury
to All-Star Michael Brantley and drug suspensions for fellow outfielders Abraham
Almonte and Marlon Byrd. Davis, Crisp or Naquin will likely be on the bench,
offering speed and some pop. Davis and Crisp have plenty of experience, too.
Brandon Guyer, obtained at the Aug. 1 trade deadline from Tampa Bay, can provide
punch against left-handed pitching.Edge: Cubs.---Manager:Cubs: Joe Maddon. A
popular free spirit who led the Rays and Cubs out of the doldrums, Maddon is a
three-time Manager of the Year with a philosophical approach. He wants his
players to have fun and he thinks outside the box. Hes shown a quick hook with
starting pitchers in October and has been accused of overmanaging. Maddon lost
in his only previous trip to the World Series, in 2008 with Tampa Bay.Indians:
Terry Francona. After winning two World Series titles in Boston, ending an
86-year drought and overcoming a 3-0 ALCS deficit to the Yankees along the way,
Francona is building a Hall of Fame resume. He has a deft touch -- especially in
October -- and this years run with the injury-riddled Indians could become his
masterpiece. Francona has an excellent feel for his players and knows how to
take pressure off them. His aggressive, unconventional use of Miller and the
rest of that brilliant bullpen is a huge reason the Indians are here.Edge:
Indians.---Pick: Cubs in 6.
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"Theyve both been real good," said Babcock. "Havent changed our minds." A
decision has seemingly been made - Sundays Group B-deciding tilt against Finland
ahead - but it could not have been an easy one. Price opened the tournament with
a sturdy 19-save performance against the Norwegians, yielding just one goal.
Cronulla are expecting a battle-hardened North Queensland in Fridays preliminary
final, rather than a fatigued Cowboys side ripe for the picking.The Sharks have
this week been keen to point out how fresh they are leading into the Allianz
Stadium match after earning a week off courtesy of their qualifying final win
over Canberra two weeks ago.The Cowboys have again taken the long road through
the playoffs after a first week loss to Melbourne.But that extra week last year
didnt affect the premiers when they claimed their maiden title in a golden point
win over Brisbane in the grand final.The Cowboys come into the preliminary final
on the back of another extra time win over the Broncos.And Sharks coach Shane
Flanagan is of wary of the hard edge the Cowboys have gained.They are a hardened
footy team, they will have been timing their run to the semi-finals, Flanagan
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