World Series Preview

Well, the wait is finally over! The two best teams in baseball this year are set to embark on what should be a great series. They were 1 and 2 this year in home runs and have some of the best offensive numbers. They feature two aces: CC Sabathia for the Yankees and Cliff Lee for the Phillies. They feature MVPs in Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Howard. With all that in mind, time for a prediction and breakdown of the two teams and what to expect in this series.

Who gets the edge:
Starting Pitching: The Yankees feature big money free agents CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett. Also Yankee mainstay, Andy Pettite. They have used these three in as a three man rotation and so far so good. The Phillies feature Cliff Lee at the top; a big trade decline pick up. Rounding out the rotation is last year's NLCS and World Series MVP, Cole Hamels, veteran ace, Pedro Martinez, and Joe Blanton. Pedro doesn't have the same dominant stuff he used to have and Hamels has been shaky at times this year. Burnett doesn't always give you strong stuff either. Lee has been tough to hit off of as has Sabathia. They meet in Game 1 and could set the pace for the rotations and the rest of the games. They cancel each other out, but it looks a little better behind Sabathia if they can stay healthy and pitch deep. EDGE: Yankees

Relief Pitching: The Yankees' bullpen has been lights out in the second half while the Phillies' staff has been suitable and kept the Phillies in games or won them games. However, they have blown saves and made mistakes. The ultimate comparison comes down to the closers. The Yankees have Mariano Rivera while the Phillies have Brad Lidge (or Ryan Madson). Rivera continues to dominate while Lidge has struggled mightily this year after a career year and postseason a year ago. He has been shaky and blown a fair share of games. If the Yankees get a lead and hand the ball to Rivera, it will most likely be over. Can't say the same thing if Lidge gets the ball with a lead. EDGE: Yankees

First Baseman: The Yankees have Mark Texiera while the Phillies have Ryan Howard. They are possibly two of the best at their position or in all of baseball. Howard was the NLCS MVP and Texiera has a great chance to win the AL MVP award this year. Howard has been lights out at the plate and could present a lot of problems to the Yankees' pitching. Texiera's defense has been great, but his bat has not been too hot. They both need to play big for their respective teams to have a better chance of winning the championship. They are very close, but Howard's postseason numbers give him the slight edge. EDGE: Phillies

Second Baseman: The Yankees have Robinson Cano while the Phillies have Chase Utley. Utley had another awesome year and have been producing enough at the plate and setting up Howard. Cano has been good as well, but sometimes his defense allows hits to get by him. Utley is one of those guys that you want to build around and he does it all. EDGE: Phillies

Third Baseman: The Yankees have Alex Rodriguez while the Phillies have Pedro Feliz. Nothing against Feliz, but he is not A-Rod. Rodriguez started the year injured and came on strong. He has silenced his postseason demons and has been one of the big reasons while the Yankees are back in the fall classic. Feliz is a good player on occasion but cannot do what A-Rod can. EDGE: Yankees

Short Stop: The Yankees have Derek Jeter while the Phillies have Jimmy Rollins. This is another close matchup at a position. Jeter has played outstanding again this year and broke many hallowed Yankees' records. Rollins sets the pace for the Phillies' offense and has been showing his defensive skills the last couple years. Jeter in the postseason almost go together like peanut butter and jelly. Plus he always comes up with timely hits and gets a slight edge for that reason. EDGE: Yankees

Left Field: The Yankees have Johnny Damon while the Phillies have Jason Werth. Werth has a strong arm. Werth has more power, but Damon is no slouch. Damon has the speed on the bases. They are fairly close at the end. EDGE: Phillies

Center Field: The Yankees have Melky Cabrera while the Phillies have Shane Victorino. Cabrera has come on strong this year and has vastly improved. Victorino has a great arm and is gritty at the plate. He has certain intangibles. EDGE: Phillies

Right Field: The Yankees have Nick Swisher while the Phillies have Raul Ibanez. Ibanez has been a big addition this year for the Phillies. He had a career year and has continued to play strong in the postseason. Swisher also had a very good regular season, but has struggled in the postseason. Both are fairly even on defense in the field. Ibanez's power is just a little better than Swisher's. EDGE: Phillies

Catcher: The Yankees have Jorge Posada/Jose Molina while the Phillies have Carlos Ruiz. Posada will play when Sabathia/Pettite pitch while Molina will play when Burnett starts. Ruiz in underrated and has timely hits. Posada has more power and hits better than Molina. Posada will come off the bench for part of the series and when Molina bats it puts the Yankees at a slight disadvantage. Posada is also getting older. It pretty close. EDGE: Phillies

Now that I have dissected each position, its time for the pick for the championship. The Phillies have played great all year and throughout the postseason, but the Yankees have played and looked slightly better. It not be a sweep, but I don't see this going the full seven. It should be a great series with some premier pitching and big hitting. In the end, though the Yankees will have their 27th championship. PICK: YANKEES IN SIX