<
        >

          The GM's Office

          EXCLUSIVE CONTENT
          Get ESPN+

          Ranking Mets, KC players based on WS impact

          • Jim Bowden, ESPN Baseball AnalystOct 26, 2015, 04:55 PM
            Close
            • Senior baseball analyst for ESPN Insider
            • Former GM of the Reds and Nationals
            • Author of "The GM's Office" blog
            Follow on X

          On this World Series eve, it's time for my annual ranking of the 50 players listed on a World Series roster for either the Kansas City Royals or New York Mets. The players are ranked based on their potential positive impact on the World Series only, not on their regular-season or career performances to date, or their expected future value. The rosters haven't officially been announced, but these are the 50 players I expect to be on them (as of Monday afternoon); I'll make any adjustments necessary once the rosters are finalized.

          Certainly I take into account how hot a player was -- the Mets' Daniel Murphy climbed these ranks for that very reason, as did K.C.'s Alcides Escobar and Edinson Volquez -- but these rankings really have more to do with matchup-related factors, such as who they'll be facing and team strengths/weaknesses. One final note: Position designations are pretty standard. However, I use RHR and LHR for relievers and RHS and LHS for starting pitchers.

          1. Jacob deGrom, RHS, Mets
          Is deGrom this year's Madison Bumgarner? He certainly has made a case for it so far. After leading the Mets in wins above replacement during the regular season (4.7) and finishing fourth in the NL in ERA and FIP, he is 3-0 this postseason with a 1.80 ERA and 27 K's (and only five walks) in 20 innings. He should be well-rested for his Game 2 start, and I think he'll continue to pitch at an elite level.

          2. Matt Harvey, RHS, Mets
          Harvey has successfully put the whole innings-limit debacle behind him by insisting he can take the ball as often and pitch as deep into games as the team wants him to. After being strongly advised to shut it down at 180 innings, he's now at 202 innings for the season and still going strong. In doing so, he put his team and fan base above the future risk he's taking, and now can more directly affect the outcome of this series. I believe he has the highest ceiling of any position player or pitcher in this World Series (though deGrom is the safer No. 1 pick).

          3. Eric Hosmer, 1B, Royals
          The Royals are loaded with good players, but Hosmer is their best.