Rockies: Todd Helton. He has played in five All-Star Games, is a .332 lifetime hitter and has 303 career homers. He's also above average on defense. But, maybe since he's also played in 1,578 games without making the postseason before this, Helton's profile isn't as high as it should be. He's the player the Rockies rally around. "When you have a player who has meant as much to a franchise as Todd has meant to the Rockies . . . it makes what we are going through that much more meaningful," Matt Holliday said recently. "Most of us have been around 3, 4 years and we think about the struggles we've been through. Todd's been playing 10 years waiting for this."
Phillies: Ryan Howard. The conventional wisdom coming into the season was that Howard would have a hard time matching his .313-58-149 MVP numbers of 2006, but could still have an outstanding year. And that's pretty much what happened. While his batting average went down (to .268) and his strikeouts went up (from 181 to a major league-record 199) he still finished second in the league in both homers (47) and RBI (136). And he showed signs of coming on strong at the end, hitting .412 with seven homers and 16 RBI in the last 10 games.
ADVANTAGE: PHILLIES
SECOND BASE
Rockies: Kaz Matsui. A switch-hitter, he generally faces only righthanded pitchers, although he's expected to get the start in Game 1 against Cole Hamels today. During the season, he had only 70 at-bats against lefties, hitting .271, compared with .291 vs. righthanders. He ended the season in a 9-for-43 (.209) slump, but the Rockies were 10-1 after he returned from the DL (right hamstring pull). He was also successful on 32 of 36 stolen base attempts. Jamey Carroll picks up most at-bats against lefties.
Phillies: Chase Utley. When he signed his 7-year, $85 million contract before the season, Utley promised it wouldn't change his take-no-prisoners approach. It didn't. He had a career-high 48 doubles, despite missing a month of the season with a broken hand that probably cost him a shot at the NL MVP Award, but he never missed a beat after returning to the lineup. Against lefthanders, he batted .318, including .349 after June 4.
ADVANTAGE: PHILLIES
SHORTSTOP
Rockies: Troy Tulowitzki. His numbers make him a strong Rookie of the Year candidate, but he brings more to the table than the fact he had more homers (24) by a rookie shortstop than any player in history besides Nomar Garciaparra. He doesn't turn 24 until next week, but is the take-charge guy in the infield.
Phillies: Jimmy Rollins. Everybody knows by now that Rollins established himself as a legitimate MVP candidate. In fact, it appears that the voting could be a showdown between him and Rockies leftfielder Matt Holliday. One more time: He's the fourth major leaguer ever to have at least 20 doubles, triples, homers and stolen bases in a season. He played every day, helped set the tone and drove in an amazing 81 runs from the leadoff spot . . . Rollins has never won a Gold Glove, but that could come this year, too.
ADVANTAGE: PHILLIES
THIRD BASE
Rockies: Garrett Atkins. After batting only .223 with three home runs and 20 RBI through May, Atkins came on strong in the final 4 months. The rest of the way, he batted .338; he finished the season with 25 homers and 111 RBI, and went 12-for-18 (.667) with six RBI and seven runs scored in his last five games. An average defensive player, he is steady on the balls he gets to, but doesn't have great range.
Phillies: Greg Dobbs/Wes Helms/Abraham Nuñez. Helms didn't provide the production the Phillies hoped for when they signed him as a free agent last winter. But the emergence of Dobbs and the defensive brilliance of Nuñez allowed manager Charlie Manuel to mix-and-match effectively at the position for much of the year.
ADVANTAGE: ROCKIES
CATCHER
Rockies: Yorvit Torrealba. After starting the year as the backup, the role he has been in most of his career, Torrealba displaced Chris Iannetta as the starter. He can hit mistakes, so pitchers must be careful; nine of his last 15 hits were for extra bases. He's also batting .215 (34-for-158) since Aug. 1 and has thrown out only two of his last 32 runners attempting to steal.
Phillies: Carlos Ruiz. After being hit on the left elbow by a pitch Sunday, Ruiz is doubtful for at least the NLDS opener. That's a concern, since he went from a question mark going into spring training to establishing himself as the everyday catcher as the season progressed. Veteran Chris Coste will get more playing time than expected, and pitchers enjoy throwing to him.
ADVANTAGE: EVEN
LEFTFIELD
Rockies: Matt Holliday. Becoming only the fifth player since 1949 to lead the NL in both batting average and RBI, Holliday burnished his MVP credentials with five home runs and 17 RBI in his last 12 games, while batting .442 (23-for-52). The Rockies feel just as strongly that Holliday deserves it as the Phillies feel about Jimmy Rollins. "Matt Holliday, for us, is the MVP," manager Clint Hurdle said. "The runs he's driven in have been significant. Timing has been critical."
Phillies: Pat Burrell. It was a tale of two seasons. In the first half, Burrell hit .215 with 11 homers and 37 RBI, including batting .129 in June. After the break was a different story: .295-19-60. And that included a torrid July, when he batted .435 and helped carry the team. Even when he wasn't getting hits, he had good discipline at the plate, drawing 114 walks. With the Phillies ahead in the late innings, he usually comes out for a pinch-runner or a defensive replacement.
ADVANTAGE: ROCKIES
CENTERFIELD
Rockies: Ryan Spilborghs/Cory Sullivan. Against lefthanders, Spilborghs gets the nod. He's a high-energy guy. The last player cut in spring training, he was called up in mid-May and has contributed. Late in the season, he had several clutch hits. Against righthanders, Sullivan plays. He didn't make the team out of spring training, either. He doesn't have much power, but brings speed to the lineup.
Phillies: Aaron Rowand. On the field, Rowand had a career year heading into an offseason when he can become a free agent. He went hitless in consecutive games only five times all season. Off the field, he remained one of the biggest reasons the Phillies developed such a strong bond, but it remains to be seen whether the Phillies can afford to bring him back.
ADVANTAGE: PHILLIES
RIGHTFIELD
Rockies: Brad Hawpe. Most of Hawpe's damage this year was done against righthanded pitching. He batted more than 100 points higher (.315 to .214), had a much higher on-base percentage (.418 to .283), hit more homers (24 to five) and drove in more runs (94 to 22) than against lefties. Still, he hit a big home run down the stretch against San Diego southpaw Joe Thatcher and had another crucial hit against Diamondbacks lefty Doug Slaten.
Phillies: Shane Victorino/Jayson Werth. After Victorino was hurt in Chicago in late July, Werth went on a tear that helped keep the Phillies afloat. When Werth cooled off, Victorino came back to add some spark to the lineup with his speed. And while Werth can throw runners out, Victorino's arm makes third-base coaches think before even trying to send runners home.
ADVANTAGE: ROCKIES
STARTING PITCHING
Rockies: LHP Jeff Francis, LHP Franklin Morales, RHP Ubaldo Jimenez, RHP Josh Fogg. The key is how the younger guys, Morales and Jimenez, react to postseason pressure. Both pitched well after being called up from the minors, but are inexperienced. Morales has only eight career starts in the big leagues and Jimenez 16. Francis doesn't have overpowering stuff, but knows how to pitch. Fogg is a journeyman who earned the nickname "Dragonslayer" this year for an uncanny ability beat the opposing team's ace.
Phillies: LHP Cole Hamels, RHP Kyle Kendrick, LHP Jamie Moyer, RHP Kyle Lohse. The Phillies were able to line up their rotation as they wanted it, meaning Hamels could start two games if needed. Kendrick opened the season at Double A Reading, but has been unflappable all season. Moyer and Lohse are veterans who have pitched in big games before.
ADVANTAGE: PHILLIES
BULLPEN
Rockies: Manny Corpas (closer), Brian Fuentes, Jeremy Affeldt, LaTroy Hawkins, Ryan Speier. Corpas was 19-for-20 in save opportunities after replacing Fuentes as the closer on July 7. Fuentes bounced back, however and allowed only three runs in his last 20 appearances. Affeldt is unscored on in his last seven outings and Speier has retired 12 of the last 15 batters he's faced. The bullpen is deep, which helps explain why Colorado was 74-1 when leading after eight innings this season.
Phillies: Brett Myers (closer), Tom Gordon, J.C. Romero. It has already become part of Phillies lore, the way Romero, Gordon and Myers pitched almost every day down the stretch as the Phillies closed with a 13-4 rush to overhaul the Mets and win the NL East. The question is whether they can continue that effectiveness into the playoffs, especially the 39-year-old Gordon, who has battled shoulder problems for more than a year. And if manager Charlie Manuel uses any other relievers, the game might well be out of hand anyway.
ADVANTAGE: ROCKIES
HAGEN'S SERIES PREDICTION: Phillies in 5.
