Picking a People’s Champion

Finding a people’s champion among the four teams fighting for baseball’s world championship is a tough assignment.  Last year the Tampa Bay Rays won the honor without a contest.  This year there is nothing even close to a small market team.  All four teams are among the top ten in salaries, so no one can deck themselves out as “Underdog.”

The Phillies’ payroll of $113 million is seventh highest in the game, but in many ways they are the most home-grown of all four teams in the playoffs and could offer a road map to any of the other franchises.  Deft use of their amateur draft picks and player development produced the core of the Phillies roster: Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, and Cole Hamels.   Even the Pineapple Express won his stripes in the Phillies farm system.

When those core talents reached a level of performance that warranted an increase, the Phillies ownership moved from the bottom tier in payroll to the top tier.  But they did it by signing those key players to long term contracts.  Ryan Howard is the highest paid player on the team and this playoff series is making that look like some of the smartest money in the game.  Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins are also among the highest paid players on the team, given long term contracts that keep them in Phillies uniforms for their peak playing years.  

Philadelphia has added players wisely to complement their base.  Adding Brad Lidge last season was the perfect addition to a weak bullpen–this year not so much.  But in 2009 they beat the odds again with Raul Ibanez.  No one expected him to be the perfect corner outfielder to complement Jayson Werth?   

The Dodgers have the lowest payroll of the four teams at a paltry $100 million–ninth best among all teams.  They feature a bevy of home grown talent like James Loney, Matt Kemp and Clayton Kershaw, but the presence of Manny Ramirez, the second most prized free agent at the beginning of the season, belies any comparison to the Phillies.  Rapheael Furcal and other big name free agents dot their lineup.

The Dodgers have always been more about finding talent than developing it.  Branch Rickey raided the Negro Leagues to build his best teams.  Today’s Dodgers are in that proud tradition more than any other.

I won’t belabor the points about the Yankees with their $200 million in payroll that laps the field and makes a mockery of competitive balance (Give Jimmy Hoffa a team, bring Major League baseball to New Jersey).  But the Los Angeles Angels are little better.  They are constantly near the top of the payroll structure, but have been limited in recent years by Vladimir Guerrero’s long-term contract that made it difficult to pay Tori Hunter $100 million.

Deploying my AIG World Series Handicapping Strategy, I derive a distinct favorite: the Philadelphia Phillies.  They call themselves the “Fighting” Phllies and they are the closest thing we have to a blue collar presence in the playoffs.  This endorsement has nothing to do with the 11-0 beat down they administered to the Dodgers Sunday night or the come-from-behind victory late last night.  I am not swayed by the sense of inevitability growing around them.

No, if the Dodgers can pull it off, I will hold my nose and just go with the National League team.  But the Phillies are the best we have.  So I am hoping they can finish off the Dodgers.  Then it is on to whomever wins the AL.  I still assume it will be the Yankees.  The Phillies will give us underdog fans a modicum of hope against the machine.  They provide a role model for other struggling teams and the best chance in baseball to beat the Yankees.