World Series Position-by-position Breakdown: Do Dodgers Or Blue Jays Have The Edge?

The 2025 World Series is set, arsenic nan defending champion Dodgers will look disconnected pinch nan Blue Jays successful nan Fall Classic.

Toronto vanished nan play arsenic nan apical seed successful nan American League, but was taken to nan brink of elimination successful nan ALCS by nan Mariners. Down 3–2 successful nan series, nan Blue Jays utilized home-field advantage to return nan last 2 games and gain a travel to their first World Series since 1993.

On paper, nan Dodgers are an overwhelming favorite. They are nan defending champions and person 4 erstwhile MVPs, 4 morganatic aces and a $350 cardinal payroll. But they don’t play nan crippled connected paper. Here’s a position-by-position breakdown of nan 2 teams successful nan series. It’s worthy noting nan Blue Jays person rotated their lineups based connected matchups and we’re not yet judge of how Bo Bichette will fresh in, truthful this is our projection of really head John Schneider will capable retired nan lineup card.

This 1 will astonishment people, but nan crippled isn’t conscionable played pinch nan bat. Kirk is simply a phenomenal protect catcher, and that yet gives him nan advantage here. The seasoned backstop had 9 protect runs saved successful 2025, while his 22 fielding tally worth (FRV) classed 2nd successful baseball. Smith’s FRV was -6. Smith is amended connected offense, but Kirk is nary slouch successful that regard.

In nan playoffs, Kirk has produced a .752 OPS and blasted 3 location runs, while Smith is astatine .661 pinch nary dingers. This is adjacent and could easy beryllium a push, but Kirk’s superior defense and existent shape springiness him nan edge.

Advantage: Blue Jays

First base: Freddie Freeman (Dodgers) vs. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Blue Jays)

Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was named nan ALCS MVP. / Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

Freddie Freeman is simply a nine-time All-Star, a two-time World Series champion, nan reigning World Series MVP, has an NL MVP trophy successful his lawsuit and is having a awesome 2025 campaign. If this were solely astir nan regular season, Freeman mightiness person nan edge.

That’s astir arsenic adjacent arsenic it gets—but that hasn’t been nan lawsuit successful nan playoffs, wherever Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has been incredible. He’s slashing .442/.510/.930 pinch six location runs, 12 RBIs and an absurd wRC+ of 280. Freeman has struggled a bit, slashing .231/.333/.410 pinch 1 location run, 1 RBI and a pedestrian wRC+ of 105. Guerrero has had an all-time awesome postseason and has to get nan motion here.

Advantage: Blue Jays

This is different adjacent 1 that is going to beryllium tipped by postseason performance. Tommy Edman was a shrewd pickup by nan Dodgers earlier nan 2024 waste and acquisition deadline, winning nan NLCS MVP award, but he had a comparatively mediocre regular play successful 2025. Isiah Kiner-Falefa, however, was moreover worse while splitting clip betwixt nan Pirates and Blue Jays.

Edman has again turned his crippled up successful that time, slashing .286/.306/.486 pinch 2 location runs and a wRC+ of 118. Kiner-Falefa, meanwhile, has been moreover worse pinch a 54 wRC+. Both are premier defenders, which is their existent value, but Edman has shown he tin plaything a amended bat successful nan playoffs.

Advantage: Dodgers

Shortstop: Mookie Betts (Dodgers) vs. Andrés Giménez (Blue Jays)

Mookie Betts has been a overmuch improved fielder successful his 2nd play regularly playing shortstop for nan Dodgers. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Mookie Betts has had nan worst play of his career, slashing .258/.326/.406 pinch profession lows successful wRC+ (104), wOBA (.318), and fWAR for a afloat play (3.4). But, dissimilar his counterpart, he’s Mookie Betts.

We’re projecting Andrés Giménez to instrumentality astatine shortstop for Toronto contempt Bo Bichette’s expected return to nan lineup aft suffering a knee wounded past month. Giménez is an outstanding defender astatine short, but has ne'er had overmuch pinch nan bat. In 2025, he slashed .210/.285/.313 pinch a wRC+ of 70. He has turned things up successful nan postseason, but Betts has improved arsenic well.

Betts is an eight-time All-Star and has won 3 World Series, an MVP and 7 Silver Sluggers. He besides showed this play he tin play elite defense astatine shortstop. There’s nary mobility which squad wins this matchup.

Advantage: Dodgers

We cognize who Max Muncy is astatine this constituent successful his career. He’s going to get walks, slug a lot, and onslaught retired astatine a decent clip. He’s besides going to beryllium a minus connected defense and beryllium banged up astir of nan time. In 2025, each of those things came true. He played successful 100 games, slashed .243/.376/.470, pinch 19 location runs and a wRC+ of 137. He has fallen disconnected a spot successful nan postseason, arsenic his batting mean has dropped to .214, and he's only slugging .357 pinch a 115 wRC+.

Ernie Clement is simply a phenomenal defender astatine nan basking area who didn’t deed overmuch during nan regular season, but he’s travel live successful October. During nan regular season, he slashed a anemic .277/.313/.398, pinch a below-averaged wRC+ of 98. In 11 postseason games he’s been a different guy. So far, he’s hitting .429, pinch an on-base percent of .444, and is slugging .619, pinch an unthinkable 195 wRC+.

Addison Barger has besides picked up his crippled successful nan playoffs, pinch a 149 wRC+ against 107 during nan regular season. We’re gonna rotation pinch nan guys who are rolling.

Advantage: Blue Jays

Left field: Kiké Hernández (Dodgers) vs. Davis Schneider/Nathan Lukes (Blue Jays)

It has been yet different twelvemonth successful which Kiké Hernández has conjured nan magic that turns him into a postseason superstar. The profession inferior feline has been immense for nan Dodgers again during nan playoffs, playing acold supra his profession regular-season numbers.

In 10 playoff games this year, Hernández is slashing .306/.375/.417 pinch a 125 wRC+ aft going .203/.255/.366 pinch a 70 wRC+ during nan regular season. He has a profession .707 regular play OPS, but successful 96 games spanning 10 trips to nan postseason, he’s astatine .863. The man plays his champion erstwhile nan lights radiance nan brightest.

Schneider and Lukes are solid, but can’t lucifer nan magic their counterpart produces. Lukes has had a bully postseason, hitting .333, pinch a .381 on-base percent and a 125 wRC+, but he and Schneider simply can’t lucifer nan Kiké magic.

Advantage: Dodgers

Pages had a breakout 2025 campaign, looking for illustration a early cornerstone for nan Dodgers. Unfortunately, he has utterly vanished successful nan postseason. The 24-year-old deed 27 location runs while notching a wRC+ of 113 successful nan regular season, but nan playoffs person been a nightmare. In 10 games, he’s slashing .086/.135/.114 pinch a wRC+ of -31. You publication that past number right. The point is, he’s truthful bully defensively that nan Dodgers can’t return him retired of nan lineup.

Varsho is besides a stellar defender who turned successful a career-best season, hitting 20 location runs and slugging a career-best .548, pinch a profession precocious 123 wRC+. The quality is he has brought that occurrence pinch him to October, slashing .273/.304/.500 pinch a wRC+ of 121. Pages has vanished while Varsho has continued to beryllium a dependable beingness successful nan lineup.

Advantage: Blue Jays

Right Field: Teoscar Hernández (Dodgers) vs. George Springer (Blue Jays)

Blue Jays correct fielder George Springer deed nan go-ahead location tally successful Game 7 of nan ALCS. / Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

George Springer had arguably nan champion play of his profession successful 2025 astatine 36 years old, and has besides been incredibly clutch for nan Blue Jays. Which was fundamentally Teoscar Hernández’s communicative successful 2024.

Springer had a career-high wRC+ of 166 while Hernández fell disconnected aft signing a three-year, $66 cardinal woody pinch Los Angeles successful nan offseason. His wRC+ dropped to 102 from nan people of 132 he deed successful 2024, and his wOBA fell to .315 from .360.

Hernández has picked things up successful nan postseason, though, which makes this telephone much difficult. He’s slashing .268/.302/.585 pinch 4 location runs and 11 RBIs successful nan postseason, and his wRC+ has jumped to 142. Springer has matched him, slashing .239/.321/.690 pinch 4 homers, 9 RBIs, and a 150 wRC+. Both players person won titles before, but Springer was named World Series MVP for nan Astros successful 2017. He’s had nan amended play and has history connected his side.

Advantage: Blue Jays

Come on, really? I person to constitute this 1 out? Fine, if you insist.

Ohtani is nan astir singular subordinate successful nan history of baseball. I could put up a bunch of numbers present to beryllium that, but it would beryllium a discarded of everyone’s time. I mean, nan feline conscionable turned successful arguably nan greatest playoff capacity successful sports history during Game 4 of nan NLCS.

Bichette had a phenomenal season, and his return should beryllium a immense prize for nan Blue Jays, but thing tin lucifer what Shohei tin do.

Advantage: Dodgers

Starting rotation

Dodgers starting pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto, left, and Shohei Ohtani person some been fantabulous connected nan mound successful nan playoffs. / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The Blue Jays person immoderate names successful their rotation, but this 1 isn’t moreover close. I mean, Shohei Ohtani is L.A.’s fourth starter. That’s wild.

In 10 games this postseason, nan Dodgers’ rotation is simply a mixed 7–1 pinch a 1.40 ERA, 0.75 WHIP and 81 strikeouts. Those numbers each lead postseason rankings. Blake Snell has been phenomenal, going 3–0 pinch a 0.86 ERA and 0.52 WHIP, while Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow person mixed to spell 2–1 pinch a 1.36 ERA. Ohtani has sounded twice, some victories, and successful Game 4 of nan NLCS, he sounded six shutout innings, allowing 2 hits and 2 walks while striking retired 10. L.A.’s rotation struggled pinch injuries each season, but now it’s whole—and dominating.

Toronto’s starters person been really bully successful nan postseason arsenic well. They're a mixed 5–2 pinch a 3.33 ERA and 1.17 WHIP. Kevin Gausman has led nan measurement successful his 3 starts, going 2–1 pinch a 2.00 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP. Meanwhile, Shane Bieber and rookie Trey Yesavage person made large starts. Max Scherzer besides turned successful a huge capacity successful Game 4 of nan ALCS. The 41-year-old turned backmost nan clock, allowing 2 runs connected 3 hits successful 5 2/3 innings successful a cardinal spot.

While nan Blue Jays person shown up and sounded well, nan Dodgers person dominated. More than anything, their starting pitching is nan biggest advantage successful this series.

Advantage: Dodgers

This has been a anemic spot for some teams each season. During nan regular season, nan Blue Jays classed 16th successful bullpen ERA (3.98), while nan Dodgers were 21st (4.27). Things haven’t been overmuch amended successful nan playoffs arsenic L.A.’s pen has posted a 4.88 ERA and a 1.66 WHIP, and Toronto’s group has a 5.52 ERA and a 1.49 WHIP. It’s been disfigured connected some sides.

While nan Dodgers don’t person a shutdown bullpen, Roki Sasaki has managed to solidify nan backmost end. In 7 postseason appearances, nan rookie has a 1.13 ERA and 0.63 WHIP to spell on pinch 3 saves. Alex Vesia has besides been reliable, while Blake Treinen and Emmet Sheehan haven’t been. The 1 point L.A. has going for it is that its bullpen arms are caller acknowledgment to immoderate ascendant outings by nan team’s starters. Dodgers relievers person only thrown 27 2/3 innings this postseason arsenic opposed to 45 2/3 for nan Blue Jays.

Toronto sewage a awesome capacity from its bullpen successful Game 7 of nan ALCS, but that has been nan exception, not nan rule. Closer Jeff Hoffman has logged 2 saves and posted a 1.23 ERA and 0.68 WHIP successful six appearances, but seemingly everyone other has had astatine slightest 1 meltdown.

Months ago, this would person been flipped, but nan Dodgers person nan amended of nan shaky bullpens.

Advantage: Dodgers

Final Score: Dodgers, 6–5

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