Phillies Preview: World Series Hitters

2009 World Series
Philadelphia Phillies (93-69) v. New York Yankees (103-59)

The World Series will feature the two top offenses of the 2009 season, between the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Yankees. For the first time in Major League history, the top two home run hitting teams will square off in the Fall Classic. The teams have deep lineups that can drive in runs and produce scoring opportunities quickly. With both teams' ball parks being very hitter-friendly, the World Series promises to be high scoring.

Key Hitters: New York Yankees

Alex Rodriguez, R - Alex Rodriguez is arguably one of the best hitters in the game today. The slugging third baseman hits for high average and has power to all fields. The big righty was been surrounded in controversy for most of his career. However, the 33-year old will be making his first appearance in the World Series. Thus far this postseason, Rodriguez has been uncharacteristically productive, carrying the Yankees' offense to this point. How he performs against Phillies pitching will largely determine the Yankees' success.

Mark Teixeira, S - Mark Teixeira was an off-season signing for the New York Yankees. The switch-hitting first baseman is a solid hitter from both sides of the plate and can hit for some power too. Teixeira is playing for his fourth team in the last three seasons, and will also be making his first World Series appearance. He bats ahead of Rodriguez and will have a number of critical at bats in this series. If the 29-year old is able to perform better than he has to this point in the playoffs, he will take a lot of pressure off of Rodriguez.

Derek Jeter, R - Derek Jeter is the captain and emotional leader of the New York Yankees. Jeter is historically a clutch postseason performer and has led the Yankees to four championships in his career. The righty bats lead off and knows how to have a patient at bat and always seems to come up with key hits. The 35-year old shortstop has had another solid postseason and will need to be the spark plug for the Yankees offense if they are to win this series.

Key Hitters: Philadelphia Phillies

Ryan Howard, L - Ryan Howard is becoming one of the truly legendary power hitters of this generation. Howard put together his fourth consecutive 40-homer, 130-RBI season and simply produces runs at a prolific rate. The big lefty slugger once again got hot late in the season and helped carry the Phillies offense down the stretch. The 29-year old performed fairly well in his playoff experience and will lead the power charge for the Phillies offense. He has been the leader of the Phillies' offense this postseason, more than ever, and will be the most important hitter in their lineup this series.

Chase Utley, L - Chase Utley is the quiet leader of the Phillies squad and he does it predominantly with his bat. The slugging second baseman had another superb season, eclipsing 30 home runs and 20 stolen bases. However, the 30-year old Utley did wear down as the season progressed and entered a prolonged slump to finish the season with a subpar batting average by his standards. Utley will be key in the Phillies' offense, as he needs to produce against the Yankees' lefties and protect Ryan Howard.

Jayson Werth, R - Jayson Werth was an unheralded rising star coming into the 2009 season. The right-handed power hitter had a break out season and was named to the All-Star team. Werth will be of utmost importance in this series, as he is the biggest right-handed power threat for the Phillies. If the 30-year old can be a presence among all of the Phillies left-handed hitters, then their offense should be able to produce against all pitchers. Werth has been hitting the ball hard all postseason and will need a big series against the Yankees to help carry the Phillies' offense.

Starting Lineup: New York Yankees

SS - Derek Jeter, R: 153 G, .334 BA, 18 HR, 66 RBI, 30 SB

2009 vs. RHP: 146 G, .311 BA, 12 HR, 43 RBI

2009 vs. LHP: 80 G, .395 BA, 6 HR, 23 RBI

Postseason Career: 132 G, .308 BA, 20 HR, 54 RBI, 16 SB

Career vs. PHI: 202 PA, .288 BA, .370 OBP, .463 SLG, 7 HR, 37 K

LF - Johnny Damon, L: 143 G, .282 BA, 24 HR, 82 RBI, 12 SB

2009 vs. RHP: 133 G, .288 BA, 17 HR, 56 RBI
2009 vs. LHP: 85 G, .269 BA, 7 HR, 26 RBI

Postseason Career: 49 G, .270 BA, 9 HR, 26 RBI, 10 SB
Career vs. PHI: 115 PA, .194 BA, .278 OBP, .252 SLG, 1 HR, 16 K

1B - Mark Teixeira, S: 156 G, .292 BA, 39 HR, 122 RBI, 2 SB

2009 vs. RHP: 149 G, .282 BA, 30 HR, 91 RBI
2009 vs. LHP: 89 G, .305 BA, 9 HR, 31 RBI

Postseason Career: 13 G, .278 BA, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 0 SB
Career vs. PHI: 96 PA, .315 BA, .344 OBP, .576 SLG, 6 HR, 19 K

3B - Alex Rodriguez, R: 124 G, .286 BA, 30 HR, 100 RBI, 14 SB

2009 vs. RHP: 118 G, .289 BA, 22 HR, 79 RBI
2009 vs. LHP: 61 G, .277 BA, 8 HR, 21 RBI

Postseason Career: 48 G, .307 BA, 12 HR, 29 RBI, 5 SB
Career vs. PHI: 142 PA, .284 BA, .408 OBP, .526 SLG, 8 HR, 36 K

C - Jorge Posada, S: 111 G, .285 BA, 22 HR, 81 RBI, 1 SB

2009 vs. RHP: 102 G, .282 BA, 17 HR, 57 RBI
2009 vs. LHP: 60 G, .290 BA, 5 HR, 24 RBI

Postseason Career: 105 G, .238 BA, 11 HR, 34 RBI, 3 SB
Career vs. PHI: 140 PA, .213 BA, .307 OBP, .484 SLG, 8 HR, 46 K

2B - Robinson Cano, L: 161 G, .320 BA, 25 HR, 85 RBI, 5 SB

2009 vs. RHP: 144 G, .326 BA, 15 HR, 53 RBI
2009 vs. LHP: 100 G, .335 BA, 10 HR, 32 RBI

Postseason Career: 22 G, .238 BA, 2 HR, 13 RBI, 0 SB
Career vs. PHI: 59 PA, .196 BA, .220 OBP, .286 SLG, 1 HR, 4 K

RF - Nick Swisher, S: 150 G, .249 BA, 29 HR, 82 RBI, 0 SB

2009 vs. RHP: 133 G, .250 BA, 20 HR, 52 RBI
2009 vs. LHP: 87 G, .244 BA, 9 HR, 30 RBI

Postseason Career: 19 G, .161 BA, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 0 SB
Career vs. PHI: 45 PA, .222 BA, .356 OBP, .278 SLG, 0 HR, 10 K

CF - Melky Cabrera, S: 154 G, .274 BA, 13 HR, 68 RBI, 10 SB

2009 vs. RHP: 128 G, .277 BA, 8 HR, 48 RBI
2009 vs. LHP: 85 G, .268 BA, 5 HR, 20 RBI

Postseason Career: 15 G, .259 BA, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 0 SB
Career vs. PHI: 42 PA, .308 BA, .341 OBP, .410 SLG, 1 HR, 4 K

Starting Lineup: Philadelphia Phillies

SS - Jimmy Rollins, S: 155 G, .250 BA, 21 HR, 77 RBI, 31 SB
2009 vs. RHP: 146 G, .257 BA, 14 HR, 55 RBI
2009 vs. LHP: 80 G, .230 BA, 7 HR, 22 RBI

Postseason Career: 26 G, .234 BA, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 4 SB
Career vs. NYY: 92 PA, .262 BA, .315 OBP, .429 SLG, 2 HR, 15 K

CF - Shane Victorino, S: 156 G, .292 BA, 10 HR, 62 RBI, 25 SB
2009 vs. RHP: 146 G, .283 BA, 8 HR, 50 RBI
2009 vs. LHP: 90 G, .314 BA, 2 HR, 12 RBI

Postseason Career: 26 G, .299 BA, 6 HR, 21 RBI, 6 SB
Career vs. NYY: 25 PA, .375 BA, .400 OBP, .625 SLG, 1 HR, 1 K

2B - Chase Utley, L: 156 G, .282 BA, 31 HR, 93 RBI, 23 SB
2009 vs. RHP: 143 G, .279 BA, 20 HR, 60 RBI
2009 vs. LHP: 116 G, .288 BA, 11 HR, 33 RBI
Postseason Career: 26 G, .245 BA, 4 HR, 11 RBI, 5 SB

Career vs. NYY: 43 PA, .256 BA, .326 OBP, .385 SLG, 1 HR, 15 K

1B - Ryan Howard, L: 160 G, .279 BA, 45 HR, 141 RBI, 8 SB
2009 vs. RHP: 144 G, .319 BA, 39 HR, 108 RBI
2009 vs. LHP: 124 G, .207 BA, 6 HR, 33 RBI

Postseason Career: 26 G, .295 BA, 6 HR, 24 RBI, 0 SB
Career vs. NYY: 38 PA, .158 BA, .158 OBP, .342 SLG, 2 HR, 14 K

RF - Jayson Werth, R: 159 G, .268 BA, 36 HR, 99 RBI, 20 SB
2009 vs. RHP: 154 G, .256 BA, 22 HR, 62 RBI
2009 vs. LHP: 89 G, .302 BA, 14 HR, 37 RBI

Postseason Career: 29 G, .288 BA, 9 HR, 17 RBI, 4 SB
Career vs. NYY: 34 PA, .129 BA, .206 OBP, .387 SLG, 2 HR, 13 K

LF - Raul Ibanez, L: 134 G, .272 BA, 34 HR, 93 RBI, 4 SB
2009 vs. RHP: 123 G, .267 BA, 21 HR, 53 RBI
2009 vs. LHP: 86 G, .285 BA, 13 HR, 40 RBI

Postseason Career: 18 G, .208 BA, 1 HR, 9 RBI, 0 SB
Career vs. NYY: 148 PA, .276 BA, .331 OBP, .463 SLG, 5 HR, 33 K

3B - Pedro Feliz, R: 158 G, .266 BA, 12 HR, 82 RBI, 0 SB
2009 vs. RHP: 149 G, .282 BA, 6 HR, 63 RBI
2009 vs. LHP: 69 G, .208 BA, 6 HR, 19 RBI

Postseason Career: 31 G, .212 BA, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 0 SB
Career vs. NYY: 43 PA, .179 BA, .256 OBP, .231 SLG, 0 HR, 7 K

C - Carlos Ruiz, R: 107 G, .255 BA, 9 HR, 43 RBI, 3 SB
2009 vs. RHP: 97 G, .242 BA, 5 HR, 26 RBI
2009 vs. LHP: 41 G, .293 BA, 4 HR, 17 RBI

Postseason Career: 26 G, .296 BA, 2 HR, 11 RBI, 3 SB
Career vs. NYY: 12 PA, .583 BA, .583 OBP, 1.083 SLG, 2 HR, 0 K

Phillies World Series Previews
Overview, Rotations, Bullpens, Hitters, Benches

Game Previews: One, Two, Three

Game Recaps: One, Two, Three