Five Cuts: Youth would be served in a Phillies-Rays World Series

Evan Longoria, just one of Tampa's young stars, is putting on a power show in the playoffs. Jim McIsaac/Getty Images Rank Player, Team Age HRs 1. Albert Pujols, 2004 Cardinals 24 6 2. B.J. Upton, 2008 Rays 24 5 Evan Longoria, 2008 Rays 23 5 4. Jose Canseco, 1988 A's 24 4 Miguel Cabrera, 2003 Marlins 20 4

1. The Phillies are in and the Rays are one win away from joining them in the World Series. Combined previous World Series appearances in the wild card era? Uh, that would be zero -- proof that Bud Selig's new world of competitive balance continues to turn over faster than ever. But Philadelphia and Tampa Bay also continue to prove that baseball in the Testing Era is a young man's game. On most nights in a Philadelphia-Tampa Bay World Series there will be only two or three players on the field older than 29 years old, and maybe no one older than 31.

The Rays have only one regular and no starting pitcher in his 30s: 30-year-old first baseman Carlos Pena. The only regulars used by the Phillies past their 30th birthday are leftfielder Pat Burrell, 31, and third baseman Pedro Feliz, 33, though Greg Dobbs, 29, sometimes takes the spot of Feliz. It has been a breakout October for the young stars of the game, and in honor of such, this is an all-twentysomething edition of Five Cuts.

2. Just how special have been the slugging performances of B.J. Upton and Evan Longoria? Among players not yet 25 years old, the Rays teammates have more home runs in one postseason than all but one player, and they're not done yet. Here are the most home runs in one postseason by players under 25:

Longoria already did have the look of a guy who will be an annual 40-home run hitter. And Pena has established himself as a slugger. But the emergence of Upton as a power threat this month has given the Rays' lineup the kind of thunder that can match up with that of the Phillies. The Rays believe that one reason for his power this month is that Upton has finally overcome a shoulder injury that nagged him for most of the year.

4. Dodgers catcher Russ Martin is 25 and also may have a bright future, but he showed in the NLCS that he has some maturing to do as a big league ballplayer. Martin was overly emotional throughout the series -- an especially bad trait for a catcher -- and made no adjustments at the plate, continuing to chase pitches with an anxious pull mentality. Martin was not equipped for the important job of hitting fourth behind Manny Ramirez. Batting behind Ramirez in four games, Martin hit with 18 runners on, including Ramirez 12 times. He went 0 for 10 and drove in only one of those 18 runners, that with a groundball out. The more cool-headed James Loney would have been the much better choice by manager Joe Torre to hit behind Ramirez.

3. Speaking of stars 25 and under, 24-year-old Cole Hamels of the Phillies is a legitimate ace already with an even brighter future. Hamels became the sixth youngest starter to pitch his team into the World Series in the LCS era.

Hamels will have lots of welcome rest when he opens the World Series -- six days -- and that's huge for a young pitcher who has thrown 249 1/3 innings this year, a dangerous 59 1/3 innings jump from his previous high set last year. Despite his youth he has plenty of experience as the opening starter of a postseason series; it already will be his fourth Game 1 start. And here's some advice for the AL champion: Don't let the Phillies give him runs with which to work. In his last 77 starts, including the postseason, Hamels is 36-2 when the Phillies give him four runs. Hamels is particularly adept at staying away from the big inning.

Here are the youngest starters to win a clinching LCS game, and take note that the ones that preceded Hamels all turned out to be among the best pitchers of their generation:

5. Good decision by Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon to use Scott Kazmir, 24, in ALCS Game 5 tonight and push James Shields, 26, to a possible Game 6. Maddon is more apt to go to his bullpen earlier with Kazmir rather than with Shields. So better to use Kazmir with an off day built in after Game 5 to let his relievers recover with rest. (There is no off day after Game 6.) Besides, there is that unexplainable 2008 trend of Shields pitching far better at home (2.59) than on the road (4.82). And if you want even more statistical niceties to make you feel better about it, Kazmir is much better at Fenway in his career (3.02 in 11 starts) than is Shields (10.32 in three starts).