World Series position-by-position breakdown

The San Francisco Giants are searching for their third championship in five years, while the Kansas City Royals are making their first World Series appearance since 1985. 

To help determine what team has the advantage, below is a position-by-position breakdown. 

Catcher: Buster Posey (Giants) vs. Salvador Perez (Royals)

Posey is strong defensively and a legitimate threat at the plate - he led the team in average, homers and OPS. A disciplined hitter with elite batting skills from the catching position, Posey is the premier player on the Giants.

Perez has been one of the game's top defensive players over the last two seasons, according to FanGraphs' positional-adjusted fielding stat, and second best at his position (teammates Alcides Escobar, Lorenzo Cain and Jarrod Dyson also rank among the top 25 defensive players in baseball over that stretch). But his bat has disappeared in the second half, and even when factoring in Perez's strong defensive game there's no contest here. 

Advantage: Giants

First base: Brandon Belt (Giants) vs. Eric Hosmer (Royals)

Belt might be the better player right now, but Hosmer has been a major reason why Kansas City is here. They are a couple of left-handed power threats whose best years are likely ahead of them, but are still among the top bats on their respective teams. 

Advantage: Giants

Second base: Joe Panik (Giants) vs. Omar Infante (Royals)

Infante could require offseason surgery for a right shoulder injury that has continued to cut into his production. Panik had a nice rookie year and has struck out once in 46 postseason at-bats. Of the 29 players to log at least 25 at-bats during the playoffs, Nori Aoki (one strikeout in 27 ABs) is the only one who hasn't been punched out more.

Advantage: Giants

Shortstop: Brandon Crawford (Giants) vs. Alcides Escobar (Royals)

A couple of slick-fielding shortstops whose value is strongly tied to their gloves. What Escobar gives away in power to Crawford he more than makes up for on the bases. Escobar ranks third since 2012 in FanGraphs' all-encompassing baserunning stat, and only 11 players have swiped more bases than him over that time (he has converted on 89 percent of his attempts).

Advantage: Royals

Third base: Pablo Sandoval (Giants) vs. Mike Moustakas (Royals)

Moustakas struggles to get on base but his four homers are tied for the most this postseason, a trade off the Royals will take. The free-swinging, switch-hitting Sandoval - who bats much better from the left side - has shown a more patient approach in October and is the more established player. Each third baseman adds value with the glove.

(Courtesy: MLB.com)

Advantage: Giants

Left field: Travis Ishikawa (Giants) vs. Alex Gordon (Royals)

Gordon is Kansas City's most complete player. Ishikawa is a cult hero in San Francisco after hitting a World Series-clinching home run. He has swung the bat well throughout the postseason, but Ishikawa has almost no experience in left field, while Gordon plays the position better than anyone.

Advantage: Royals

Center field: Gregor Blanco (Giants) vs. Lorenzo Cain (Royals)

Both are defensive-minded center fielders, but Cain is equipped with the better stick. The ALCS MVP has delivered with his bat during the playoffs, while Blanco has been a non-factor at the plate.

Advantage: Royals

Right field: Hunter Pence (Giants) vs. Nori Aoki (Royals)

Pence is the Giants' next best offensive player after Posey, and his power gives him a big edge over Aoki, a high contact hitter with good on-base skills. One of the few Giants who can swipe a bag, Pence has accounted for two of the team's three stolen bases in the playoffs.

Advantage: Giants

Designated hitter: Michael Morse (Giants) vs. Billy Butler (Royals)

Morse (oblique) had two at-bats in September and hasn't started a playoff game. But the power hitter launched a game-tying homer in Game 5 of the NLCS to help San Francisco clinch the pennant and is the Giants' best bet to DH. Butler had a down year but still pounded left-handers and has made a living on his ability to hit the ball.

Advantage: Royals

Bench

Kansas City's bench has the ability to provide a much bigger impact thanks to speedsters Dyson and Terrance Gore, who has as many stolen bases this postseason as the Giants. Dyson has also been acting as a defensive replacement for Aoki, giving the Royals a three-headed monster in the outfield during the late innings.

Advantage: Royals

Starting pitching

Madison Bumgarner is without question the best starting pitcher in this series. He'll get Games 1 and 5, and could possibly log some meaningful innings if it goes the distance - a scary thought for the Royals. The southpaw will get to face a heavy left-handed hitting lineup, as three of the Royals' better offensive players in Hosmer, Gordon and Moustakas all bat from the left side, in addition to Aoki.

Lefties batted .181, slugged .219 and had just four extra-base hits off Bumgarner's four-seam fastball this season. San Francisco's ace had the highest swing-and-miss rate (minimum 200 pitches) on the pitch among starting pitchers this season, according to Baseball Prospectus. 

Veterans Jake Peavy and Tim Hudson will follow Bumgarner in the rotation. The duo have a combined 2.70 ERA over four postseason starts. Vogelsong, meanwhile, was roughed up in the NLCS, but has had good postseason success throughout his career: 3-0 with a 2.16 ERA in six starts. 

James Shields gets Game 1 for Kansas City, but perhaps the "Big Game" label should be reconsidered. Shields, who did throw well down the stretch, putting up a 2.67 ERA over the final two months of the season, has endured consistent postseason struggles. He has a 5.19 ERA in nine career starts, and opponents have hit .298/.356/.454 off him. 

Rookie Yordano Ventura gets Game 2, while Jason Vargas and Jeremy Guthrie are expected to get the following two contests. Ventura has electric stuff, Vargas had a career year and has thrown well in two playoff starts, while Guthrie could be the weakest starter on either team. 

Advantage: Giants

Bullpens

The Royals' bullpen is as automatic as there is in the game from the seventh inning on. Manager Ned Yost will lean on the Kelvin Herrera-Wade Davis-Greg Holland trio heavily - they have thrown 32 percent of the Royals' postseason innings - and be less inclined to play the lefty-righty matchup because of their dominance. 

San Francisco hasn't been hitting for power and both stadiums are two of the most home-run suppressing parks in the game. 

The hard-throwing right-handers were lethal in the regular season (average four-seam fastball velocity is according to PITCHf/x data at FanGraphs).

In the playoffs, the trend has continued. They've all allowed one run and struck out 10 each over a combined 25 2/3 innings of work. 

Not to be outdone, San Francisco has a strong bullpen, too. The foursome of Yusmeiro Petit, Javier Lopez, Jeremy Affleldt and Santiago Casilla haven't allowed a run in 24 postseason innings, while setup man Sergio Romo has surrendered one after finishing the regular season strong. 

Advantage: Royals