| Fielders/batters |
| Position |
 |
 |
Edge |
| First base |
Todd Helton. Doesn't have the power he used to but hits for high average and works the count. Excellent defensively. |
Kevin Youkilis. Slumped for much of the second half but has reclaimed his power stroke. A patient, pesky hitter. |
Rockies |
| Second base |
Kazuo Matsui. Solid in the field, consistent at the plate and adds a speed boost. |
Dustin Pedroia. Brilliant rookie year, though his bat cooled down the stretch and early in the playoffs before coming to life again. |
Red Sox |
| Shortstop |
Troy Tulowitzki. Has struggled at the plate in the playoffs, but his glove work has been exceptional all year. |
Julio Lugo. A basestealing threat -- but has struggled to get on for much of the playoffs. |
Rockies |
| Third base |
Garrett Atkins. Had a horrendous start to the season but still finished .301-25-111. |
Mike Lowell. A pull hitter by trade, with great middle-in power. Makes contact even when fooled by breaking balls. |
Red Sox |
| Left field |
Matt Holliday. Biggest, baddest bat in a deep lineup. Doesn't always look natural in the field but is decent. |
Manny Ramirez. Has great patience and strike zone intelligence, forcing fastball counts. Has been on his game in the playoffs. |
Rockies (barely) |
| Center field |
Willy Taveras. Speed makes him a game-changerbut needs to get on more than he did in the NLCS. |
Coco Crisp. Struggling badly, especially with fastballs, but has a great glove. Jacoby Ellsbury could take his spot. |
Rockies |
| Right Field |
Brad Hawpe. Has delivered one clutch hit after another during the team's 21-1 stretch. |
J.D. Drew. Oft-maligned, but his grand slam in Game 6 of the ALCS was huge. Rockies lefties could nudge Bobby Kielty into the lineup. |
Rockies |
| Catcher |
Yorvit Torrealba. Hit big homers in the play-in game and the NLCS clincher but struggles to throw out runners. |
Jason Varitek. Has lost bat speed but provides great leadership and game-calling ability. |
Red Sox |
| DH |
Ryan Spilborghs. Hit .356 during the Rockies' 14-1 run to end the regular season. Has a little pop and good speed. |
David Ortiz. Patient, crushes mistakes. Loves low fastballs. |
Red Sox |
| Pitchers |
| No. 1 |
LHP Jeff Francis. Heater sits in the low 90s, which makes his change and curveball even more effective. |
RHP Josh Beckett. Attacks the strike zone early with his lively, 96- to 97-mph fastball, and he's locating his sharp curve. |
Red Sox |
| No. 2 |
RHP Ubaldo Jimenez. Has the best stuff in the rotation, with a devastating slider and a fastball that can touch 98 or 99 mph. |
RHP Curt Schilling. Has big-game credentials. Doesn't throw as hard as he once did but is tough when his fastball has movement. |
Red Sox |
| No. 3 |
RHP Josh Fogg. A grinder, which is a nice way of saying his stuff is a few notches below excellent. |
RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka. Won Game 7 of the ALCS but has left too many pitches up in the postseason. |
Red Sox |
Middle relief/
setup men |
Brian Fuentes, Matt Herges, LaTroy Hawkins and Ryan Speier are reliable enough that Hurdle isn't afraid to lift his starters early. |
Manny Delcarmen doesn't look ready for playoff pressure, and Eric Gagne looks awful. A lot is riding on the righty-lefty combo of Mike Timlin and Hideki Okajima. |
Rockies |
| Closer |
Manny Corpas. Showed a short memory with a scoreless 10th inning after blowing a Game 2 LCS save. Has thrived since replacing Fuentes as the closer. |
Jonathan Papelbon. Comes after hitters with a high-90s fastball, mixes in a nasty slider and knocks them out with a changeup. |
Red Sox |
Season Over!
CBS
