San Francisco Giants: World Series Position-by-Position Breakdown

Bench & Designated Hitter

Oct 16, 2014; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants pinch hitter Michael Morse (38) hits a solo home run against the St. Louis Cardinals during the eighth inning of game five of the 2014 NLCS playoff at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The Royals don’t need to use their bench much, having the benefit of the designated hitter to limit pinch-hit AB’s. Jarrod Dyson is normally a pinch runner and late-inning defensive replacement, taking over in center field when Cain moves to right.

Juan Perez takes the same role for the Giants, as he will normally take over left field in late inning situations to give the defense a boost. Both Dyson and Perez provide excellent speed, but neither is much of a threat with a bat in his hands.

Joaquin Arias and Matt Duffy are normally the first options as hitters off the bench. Arias struggled early in the season but has really picked his game up in the second half. He has provided a couple key hits throughout the postseason as well. Duffy’s pinch-hitting ability is a great asset, as is his speed and baserunning instincts.

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Josh Willingham and Terrance Gore are the main options off the Royals’ bench. Like Dyson, Gore is a pure speed guy who will be used in pinch-running situations. Willingham provides some power, but he has only batted twice in the postseason.

Andrew Susac and Erik Kratz are the backup catchers for their respective teams. With how valuable the starters are, these two don’t figure to play much of a factor.

Billy Butler is Kansas City’s everyday DH. He is a great contact hitter who can knock one out of the park once in a while. He will most likely be used as a pinch-hitter when the series shifts to San Francisco.

Morse will most likely serve as the DH in Kansas City as Ishikawa is a better defender. Morse is a long ball threat who also hits for a good average.

The benches seem pretty even, and no one really stands out from either side. Butler has the advantage as the DH, as he has played nearly 2/3 of his career games there and is used to the idea of sitting for a long time between at-bats.