[ot-caption title=”Postseason star Daniel Murphy embraces his son Noah after winning the NLCS Series, (via, filtered Google images, Anthony Causi)”]

On April 4th, ESPN published their expert postseason predictions. This is not a knock on ESPN, or anyone else who made postseason predictions in April for that matter, because we know how much can change during a grueling, six month season.

Three experts picked the defending ALCS champion Royals to play October ball. None picked the Mets. Not to mention, no one picked the Jays or the Cubs.

The Mets and Royals will play for the crown in the 2015 World Series beginning Tuesday night at Kauffman Stadium.

How do you like that? Baseball is one weird sport.

The Royals’ season came to a screeching halt last year in the fall classic, and most thought that Kansas City proved their legitimacy. The off-season flew by, but come prediction time we saw many leave the Royals out of the postseason talks. Well, look how far we’ve come. This team certainly has its flaws, but the Royals quietly silenced any doubters left in their six game ALCS victory over the highly touted Blue Jays. From top to bottom, it is hard to spot any holes in a KC lineup that holds the most underrated three, four, and five hitters in the league. Cain, Hosmer, and Morales will have to lead the Royals and their explosive bats through a head-on collision with the best pitching rotation in the world. The Mets will present a new challenge to their powerful bats: powerful pitching.

Harvey, deGrom, Syndergaard, and Matz. What do all of those names have in common? They are all under 28 years old. These young guns have pitched their team through the (potential) top three NL Cy Young award winners in Jake Arrieta, Zack Greinke, and Clayton Kershaw. It also does not hurt to mention that the Mets have some guy named Murphy on their team. (Do I even need to explain the postseason he’s having?) The message is clear. With a championship starved New York behind them, the Mets are absolutely on fire. They routed the momentum heavy Cubs, never trailing for a second in the series, pushed through the $310 million Dodgers, and are the talk of the town up in the Big Apple. The Mets are clearly this year’s Cinderella, (or last year’s Royals) and they will be fresh as ever coming off of a five day rest on Tuesday.

As October turns into November, it will likely bring with it World Series baseball for the first since 2010.

Our Preview begins with each positional starter for both teams, and the Royals have a slight advantage.

C – Mets’ catcher Travis d’Arnaud finally enjoyed a long-awaited breakout season. Coming to New York from Toronto in the R.A Dickey trade, it was well know that there was pop in d’Arnaud’s bat. He showed that and a little extra in his 2015 campaign, and even though he only played 67 games, he still smacked twelve home runs. However, there to one up him is the always underrated Salvador Perez. Perez always seems to fly under the radar in discussions concerning elite catchers. He has been everything and more for the Royals in this postseason, with four bombs thus far. Also, excellent behind the plate, Perez has definitely proved himself as one of the best catchers in the game over the last two years.

• Mets: Travis d’Arnaud
• Royals: Salvador Perez
• Small Advantage: Royals

1B – Lucas Duda hid under Daniel Murphy’s light for eight Mets’ playoff games, before exploding in game four of the NLCS with five RBI. Batting in the five hole, Duda must produce in order for the Mets to take advantage of a weak Royals pitching staff. Down one heading into the seventh inning is not a position Duda and the Mets want to find themselves in. Meanwhile, Eric Hosmer enjoyed a second consecutive year of excellent regular season and postseason play, batting in the meat of a flawless Royals’ lineup. Hosmer’s 18 homers and 93 RBI speak volumes about how solid the Royals three, four, and five hitters have been. There is not much else to say about the Royals’ iron horse, except for the fact that he might find himself in right field in this series. More on that coming up.

• Mets: Lucas Duda – Lineup X Factor
• Royals: Eric Hosmer
• Advantage: Royals

2B – In one of the more underwritten trades this season, the Royals acquired second baseman Ben Zobrist from Oakland. The MLB has always been aware of Zobrist’s talent, but for him health is the biggest issue. He stayed healthy the entire second half of the season and delivered quality numbers making general manager Dayton Moore look like a thief. He dealt two prospects to the Athletics in order to grab Zobrist for a team that needs to win now. Moving on to the Mets – well this is a tough one. Anything written about Daniel Murphy is an instant understatement. Six homeruns. Six games. An unstoppable force in the lineup, Murph almost singlehandedly mashed through the Dodgers and then received some help from his friends in Chicago. Murph made the sports back cover of the New York Post six times through the Mets’ first two postseason series. Murph was proclaimed the king of the world. Murph is on fire.

• Mets: Daniel Murphy
• Royals: Ben Zobrist
• Advantage: Mets

3B – A fan favorite, Mike “Moose” Moustakas enjoyed a steady 2015 campaign, but such success has not carried over into the postseason. With just one home run though eleven games, the Royals need more production out of the hot corner. However, he is solid in the field and is always a good bet to put up a solid at bat. For New York, captain David Wright is immortal. He is the longest active player to remain on one team for his entire career. While he did start slow against the Dodgers, Wright picked his play up in the NLCS against the Cubs. Wright is a true leader and battles pitchers.

• Mets: Wright
• Royals: Moustakas
• Advantage: Mets

SS – Wilmer Flores’s season can be best described as a roller coaster. That being said, he had the Kingda Ka of seasons. The Mets attempted to send Flores to Milwaukee as a secondary piece in a package that included hurler Zach Wheeler for outfielder Carlos Gomez at the trade deadline. Flores knew he would be playing his last game as a Met, and upon receiving an ovation from the fans he teared up. The deal fell through, and Flores became famous. He began the season as a starter, lost his job, was not traded, and is now playing in the World Series after SS Ruben Tejada broke his leg. Flores needs to deliver quality at bats for the Mets and occasionally add in the longball. Over in Kansas City, Alcides Escobar is tearing through pitchers this postseason. The Royals acquired him in the Zack Greinke trade, which is working out amazingly for all parties included. Escobar, the ALCS MVP, hit .478 in the series and KC needs him to continue setting the table for the big men.

• Mets: Flores
• Royals: Escobar
• Advantage: Royals

LF – Michael Conforto, a heralded prospect in the Mets’ farm system, was called up from AA ball in July to ‘save’ the Mets’ lineup. He does not make the biggest of impacts on this lineup, but he certainly delivered for a rookie in the regular season. However, an 0-8 effort in the NLCS will not cut it for the Mets’ left fielder. His World Series will be strictly limited to playing against righties, but the Royals do not have a left-handed starter. Handling left field for the Royals is Alex Gordon, the longest tenured active Royal by four years. Gordon is the clear cut leader on this team and is an excellent left fielder, having not committed an error in the last two years. The Royals need everything out of him in their second consecutive Fall Classic. He has the option to return to KC next year.

• Mets: Conforto
• Royals: Gordon
• Advantage: Royals

CF – Center field is certainly the most talented position on both sides in this World Series. When the trade to receive Gomez from the Brewers fell through, GM Sandy Alderson needed to restart and make another move. Cepsedes came to New York from the Tigers and immediately made an impact. In 57 games with the Mets, he homered 17 times and drove in 44 runs. For some reason the MLB still does not know that you cannot run on his arm, as he brought his howlitzer with him to Citi Field with four outfield assists. Cespedes can crush the ball, but is not the best best to put up a long at bat. On the other end of the spectrum is the always impressive Lorenzo Cain. Batting third in the Royals’ lineup, Cain hit .307 this season and is easily the best hitter in this World Series. Going back to the Royals three four five punch, Cain is the biggest piece of that tirade. He scored the winning run of the ALCS on terrific base running. Cain can do it all, and he gives the Royals a slight advantage in center field.

• Mets: Cespedes
• Royals: Cain
• Small Advantage: Royals

RF – Right field creates an interesting story line in this World Series. Alex Rios is old; there is no dodging that. He is not at all a weak link, but he would be the one to sit in this series if someone does. Obviously there is no DH in the National League park, so will they sit Rios for Hosmer in right field so that Morales can play in New York? This could dictate the outcome of the series. Morales is no joke hitting fifth in the Royals’ lineup, as he had 106 RBI. He must play. However, Hosmer, logging just five starts in the outfield in his career, is the only player that can be moved to the outfield. Morales would play first. Obviously the Mets have the advantage in right field as a result of uncertainty and a great year from Curtis Granderson.

• Mets: Granderson
• Royals: Rios
• Advantage: Mets

Pitching Staff

Mets: Harvey, deGrom, Syndergaard, Matz        |        Royals: Ventura, Cueto, Volquez, Young

While the Royals might have a slight advantage in the box, the fight is unfair on the mound. If I were asked whether I would rather Steven Matz or the Royals undefined ace, I would undoubtedly pick Matz. That should put the starting pitching of this World Series into perspective. Game four of this series (or whenever Chris Young starts for the Royals) will be pitched by committee for Kansas City. Young will be on an incredibly short leash and manager Ned Yost will be quick to pull him for the likes of Danny Duffy, Kelvin Herrera, or Kris Medlen. Johnny Cueto is the x-factor for the Royals in this series. If he pitches a gem, it will bring KC one step closer to a championship. If not, well, we already know what we will see out of the Mets’ rotation. The Mets’ lineup will also be quick to pound bad pitching after facing pitchers like Kershaw throughout the postseason.

Bullpen

Mets: Colon, Niese, Reed, Clippard, Familia        |        Royals: Madson, Hochevar, Duffy, Herrera, Davis

What the Royals lack in innings one to five on the mound, they certainly make up for it in six to nine. Their bullpen has not skipped a beat from its excellence last season, even with the loss of closer Greg Holland. The Mets, on the other hand, are incredibly subpar in the bullpen. They do not have a lefty, and will lean heavily on their starters to deliver seven quality innings. Manager Terry Collins will also not hesitate to go to lights out closer Jeurys Familia for a six out save. Luckily, for the Mets, they will see great outings from their young starters.

Expect the unexpected in this World Series. The Mets are the total package right now, and most nights its mediocre bullpen does not have to pitch due to outstanding starting pitching. This could become a problem for the Mets, because the Royals are not free-swingers like the Cubs. Kansas City will battle in counts and take pitch counts way higher than the Mets can afford, forcing Collins to use his bullpen. While the bullpen may not be the best, starters Jon Niese and Bartolo Colon will help out in bullpen roles. The series will come down to how Yost handles Kendrys Morales. The Royals cannot go without their designated hitter in this series. Yost will have to move Eric Hosmer to right field in Citi Field, bench Rios and play Morales at first. Losing Morales would create a gaping hole in the Royals’ lineup.

All of that being said, I believe that the Mets’ strong pitching will outweigh the Royals big bats. The Mets’ starters will dig deep and give the team the quality innings necessary for the team to use the bullpen as little as possible. The Mets will hit bad pitching and the Canyon of Heroes will be adorned with blue and orange this November for the first time since 1986.