Los Angeles Dodgers: Complete World Series comparison of both teams
By Jason Reed
Starting nine:
Los Angeles Dodgers:
- Austin Barnes, Max Muncy, Chris Taylor, Justin Turner, Manny Machado, Joc Pederson, Cody Bellinger, Yasiel Puig, Matt Kemp
It is hard to pick one starting nine for the Los Angeles Dodgers as the team is continually juggling the outlook, even in October. Thus, we went with what we think is the team’s “A” lineup, which comes against right-handed pitching and has Matt Kemp at designated hitter.
You could make the case that Muncy should DH and Taylor should move to center, prompting Bellinger to first. I would be fine with that too. However, Bellinger’s defense in the outfield has been so pivotal I think it is wise to keep him there.
This is a lineup that could put up 10 runs a game if they are all firing on all cylinders. However, like we saw at times in the NLCS, the team will have bad approaches at the plate and will rely too much on the home run ball.
Hopefully, the series against the Brewers serves as a lesson on how to approach a game offensively and can lead to more consistent results in the World Series.
Boston Red Sox:
- Christian Vazquez, Steve Pearce, Ian Kinsler, Rafael Devers, Xander Bogaerts, Andrew Benintendi, Jackie Bradley Jr., Mookie Betts, J.D. Martinez
I went with the lineup we will see the most of from the Red Sox this series with three of the Dodgers’ four starting pitchers being southpaws.
I feel like from a pure 1-9 standpoint this lineup might not be as deep as the Dodgers. Austin Barnes is a concern, however, some of the bottom of the order guys for Boston have not been great, either.
It is absurd to ignore how good this offense is though. Mookie Betts is the likely MVP and J.D. Martinez could even finish as a finalist. Benintendi is dangerous, Bradley is red-hot and both Bogaerts and Devers have scary bats as well.
This is a textbook American League offense, just turned up in intensity quite a bit.