Five Reasons Boston Red Sox Are Better Equipped to Win World Series than New York Yankees
World Champions are Looking Good
The Boston Red Sox are coming off one of their best ever seasons where they were the team with the best record on their way to winning the World Series. They were consistent offensively, defensively and had a lights out bullpen. Their starting pitching was not half bad either; this team was reminiscent of the 2004 World Series champs. New manager John Farrell used a mix of experience and youth, and loads of talent made for a championship team that destroyed their opposition and never looked like they would settle for anything but a victory.
The New York Yankees, on the other hand, had a terrible season and missed out on the playoffs for the first time in years. Joe Girardi's Yanks never looked comfortable and were unlucky to lose star players such as Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Curtis Granderson and Mark Teixeira for large parts of the season due to untimely injuries. Their starting pitching looked lackluster as well, and they just never seemed like they could get into a groove. It will be interesting to see what happens with Alex Rodriguez next season as it could possibly impact what happens with the Yankees. Adding Jacoby Ellsbury and Carlos Beltran will help, but that won't be enough at the end of the day in large part because they could not keep Robinson Cano, who is a future Hall of Famer.
These two teams were in a hard fought division which also includes the Tampa Bay Rays with all of their potent pitching and timely hitting, the Toronto Blue Jays who invested plenty but played poorly, and the extremely exciting and young Baltimore Orioles. This division did not allow for any mistakes and will certainly be an even tougher test next year. I still believe the Red Sox have what it takes to make it back to the playoffs even after losing Ellsbury and possibly Stephen Drew.
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5. Jacoby Ellsbury is an Injury Risk
Jacoby Ellsbury is definitely replaceable and will continue to suffer injury problems with the Yankees. He received a huge contract in order to join the Bronx Bombers, but I don't believe he will see out his deal.
4. Superior Starting Rotation
Boston's starting rotation, which includes Jon Lester, John Lackey, Felix Doubront and Clay Buchholz, is far superior to what the helpless Yankees possess. I am not a big fan of Kuroda or Sabathia, and they should have targeted a group of stellar pitchers instead of Ellsbury, McCann or even Beltran for that matter.
3. Management is Top Class
Ben Cherington and John Farrell have proved that the key to winning the World Series starts with having the very best men leading a team. Farrell is far less controversial than Joe Girardi and seems like the perfect fit in Boston. Cherington keeps out of the spotlight but makes all the right moves to give his team an advantage. There's no competition in this category I am afraid; better luck next time Yankees.
2. Carlos Beltran is Not Enough
Adding Carlos Beltran to a lineup that will as of next year include Brian McCann, Alfonso Soriano, Jacoby Ellsbury and Ichiro Suzuki is definitely a good idea. Beltran has proved he can produce on the big stage and is a great player. I don’t think the Yankees needed him as badly as they needed an ace in their rotation or some much needed help in their bullpen. I still think that even with all of these power hitters, the Red Sox will score more runs and will grind out more victories. I do, however, applaud the move; Beltran is well worth it.
1. Chemistry
At the end of the day it is all about chemistry. You can have the best and highest paid players in baseball, but if they don’t get together they are pretty much just a bunch of overpaid drama queens. The 2013 Red Sox proved that chemistry goes a lot further than cash does. This team was probably not the best, but they worked as a team and managed to be incredibly successful. I have no doubt that the Yankees have plenty of quality, but they won’t be successful until they play like a team which could take a few years.
