Yankees Daily

Scouting the infielders

Catcher:

Jorge Posada vs. Carlos Ruiz.

Carlos Ruiz

Year	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	BB	K	AVG
2009 Season	322	32	82	9	43	47	39	.255

He’s an excellent defensive catcher but is not a good offensive one. He doesn’t have great regular season numbers but can deliver the clutch hit when needed.

He hit very well against the Dodgers batting .385 with one home run and four RBI in 13 at bats. He also walked five times.

Jorge Posada

Year	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	BB	K	AVG
2009 Season	383	55	109	22	81	48	101	.285

Jorge Posada has good regular season numbers for a catcher but had a poor series against the Angels. He’s batted .200 with one home run and one RBI. He can hit the ball out of the park at anytime to tie or win the game and doesn’t choke in the spot light.

Advantage: Yankees. Even though Jorge won’t catch every game in the World Series, the Yankees will use him off the bench after Burnett leaves the game. He’s a threat every time up.

First Base:

Mark Teixeira vs. Ryan Howard

Now this is what you call a match up.

Ryan Howard

Year	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	BB	K	AVG
2009 Season	616	105	172	45	141	75	186	.279

Ryan Howard will struggle against left-handed pitchers but can carry a team for long stretches if he gets hot. He strikes out, a lot.

He had big clutch hits against the Dodgers and was named the NLCS MVP. He batted .333 with two home runs and eight RBI to go along with five runs scored.

Mark Teixeira

Year	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	BB	K	AVG
2009 Season	609	103	178	39	122	81	114	.292

A MVP regular season candidate. He is a switch hitter and has more power from his left side than his right. He can be streaky at times.

He did not hit well against the Angels batting only .222 with no home runs and four RBI with two runs scored in 27 at bats. He can hit a game tying or winning home run at anytime and is dangerous.

Advantage: Phillies Slight edge to Ryan Howard because he was named NLCS MVP.

Second Baseman:

Robinson Cano vs. Chase Utley

Chase Utley

Year	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	BB	K	AVG
2009 Season	571	112	161	31	93	88	110	.282

His defense would be his weakness but that’s improving. He’s the best hitting second baseman in the game.

He hit poorly against the Dodgers batting .211 with no home runs, one RBI and three runs scored in 19 at bats.

Robinson Cano

Year	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	BB	K	AVG
2009 Season	637	103	204	25	85	30	63	.320

Has one of the best left-handed swings in the game, with tremendously quick hands. Eats fastballs a live and mauls right-handed pitching. Has a good arm. He doesn’t run well on the base paths and has limited range at second base.

He did not hit well against the Angels batting .261 with zero home runs, four RBI and three runs scored.

Advantage: Phillies. Chase Utely is the best second baseman in MLB.

Short-stop:

Derek Jeter vs. Jimmy Rollins

Jimmy Rollins

Year	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	BB	K	AVG
2009 Season	672	100	168	21	77	44	70	.250

Has decent power for a short stop evidenced by his 21 home runs. He has great range and a great arm. He also has instincts, hustle and speed on the base-paths.

He did not hit well against the Dodgers batting only .227 with no home runs and three RBI in 22 at bats.

Derek Jeter

Year	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	BB	K	AVG
2009 Season	634	107	212	18	66	72	90	.334

He’s a phenomenal clutch player and is smooth on the base-paths. His instincts are also first-rate. One of the best players in the series. He has limited range in the field and hits into a lot of double plays.

He hit ok against the Angels. He batted .259 with two home runs and three RBI but also walked six times in 27 at bats. He scored five runs.

Advantage: Yankees

Derek Jeter will always come through in the clutch in the playoffs and will make that unbelievable play when you need it most.

Third base:

Alex Rodriguez vs. Pedro Feliz

Pedro Feliz

Year	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	BB	K	AVG
2009 Season	580	62	154	12	82	35	68	.266

Has considerable power and run production and is a solid defender who can play anywhere. Has an ugly walk/strikeout ratio and doesn’t hit right-handed pitchers consistently.

He had a terrible series against the Dodgers batting .118 while hitting one home run and two RBI in 17 at bats.

Alex Rodriguez

Year	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	BB	K	AVG
2009 Season	444	78	127	30	100	80	97	.286

One of the best hitters of all time. He’s a great athlete that hits for contact and power.

He dominated the ALCS with a .429 batting average and had three home runs with six RBI to go along with a team high eight walks in 21 at bats. He scored six runs.

Advantage: Yankees.

This is the biggest mismatch on paper.

Tags: new york yankees, philadelphia phillies, phillies, world series: scouting the yankees - phillies infield, yankeesdaily

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