MLB Playoff Predictions: 10 Bold Predictions For The Divison Series
The Major League Baseball regular season is over and the Division Series are here. That means, for eight teams, the real season starts this week.
With the first week of October comes the first round of the playoffs: the Division Series. Every team is 11 wins from a title, but to even think about the next eight wins, they must first win three.
There are favorites and underdogs, but those designations are made on paper only. The game must be played on the field between the top competitors in baseball. Stars are born, legacies are cemented, and for the unfortunate losers, League Championship aspirations are dashed.
The results of the Division Series are among the toughest to foresee in all of sports. The five-game format means anything can happen, and it usually does.
Professional prognosticators and bar room banterers alike all try to predict what will happen, usually with little success. Here are my four series winners, mixed in among 10 other bold predictions.
Roy Halladay Will Lose Game 1 Against The Cincinnati Reds
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Roy Halladay has been one of the most dominant pitchers in Major League Baseball for the past 10 years; there's no disputing that. Unfortunately, he has toiled in relative anonymity in Toronto for nearly all of his career.
Tomorrow, he takes the ball in Philadelphia as his Phillies take on the Cincinnati Reds. Needless to say, this will be a much different atmosphere than say, a Blue Jays-Royals game in late May.
Despite his success this season, Roy Halladay will be beaten by the Reds tomorrow in Game 1. The Reds are in the playoffs for the first time in 15 years, and with Joey Votto leading the way, they will come out hungry for a victory.
The Dusty Baker-led squad has already beaten Halladay once this year, racking up a season-high 13 hits in the process.
Halladay has gone over 100 pitches 27 times this season. In years past, Halladay's season was over by the end of September. Will his arm be ready in this, his first postseason experience?
I say no. Look for the Reds to batter Halladay in his first postseason start.
The Cincinnati Reds Will Ride Their Crowd and Their Talent to a Series Win
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The Cincinnati Reds, and their fans, are ready to win.
For the past 15 years, baseball in Cincinnati has ended when September did. This year, it's a whole new ballgame at Great American Ballpark.
It's a shame because the Reds play in such a great baseball town in front of fans that are passionate and knowledgable. They will pack the stands for every game and be loud in support of their team.
This Cincinnati team is as talented a squad as there is in baseball, and they are ready to let the Phillies know that it's not 2008 anymore.
An overconfident Phillies team will no doubt be looking ahead to the NLCS, while the Reds will be focused and determined to make it through this series.
The Reds may not have been to the playoffs in over a decade, but they have experience all over the field. Scott Rolen, Arthur Rhodes, Orlando Cabrera, and Bronson Arroyo all know what the postseason is all about.
On the backs of their hungry fans and overwhelming talent, the Reds will advance to the NLCS.
Jason Heyward Will Look Like a Rookie Against The San Francisco Giants
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Jason Heyward has been one of the best rookies in all of baseball this season. However, in his first playoff action against the best pitching staff in baseball, he will be exposed.
It's tough to imagine this guy struggling, but at only 20 years old, Heyward is not ready to face the likes of Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, and Jonathan Sanchez on the biggest stage in baseball in October.
Three of the best pitchers in baseball will be going up against a great young talent in Heyward, but expect the pressures of the postseason, coupled with the San Francisco Giants' pitching staff, to shut him down.
Though Bobby Cox has compared the young slugger to Hank Aaron, that comparison will seem wholly unwarranted after this series.
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Buster Posey Will Be a Household Name by The End Of This Series
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Perhaps the only young hitter who has looked better than Jason Heyward this season is San Francisco's rookie catcher, Buster Posey.
With the added benefit of not having to face his teammates Lincecum, Cain, and Sanchez, look for Buster Posey to mash his team into the NLCS.
Since being called up on in late May, all Posey has done is put up a stat line of .305/18/67 as one of the best hitters in his lineup.
The Braves will be unable to stop this young star, and Posey will carry his team to a series victory in four games. In the process, Posey will become a name known not just by die-hard fans, but casual viewers as well.
The Cries For Expanded Instant Replay Will Be Louder Than Ever
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Every year, the good people at FOX and TBS find new places for even more cameras to capture all of the angles and all of the plays. Good for the viewers, not so good for the umpire's reputation.
It's not that the umpires have gotten worse recently, it's that a game once covered by three cameras is now covered by dozens.
There will be a play this Division Series that will make instant replay the hottest topic before the ALCS starts. In games of this magnitude, with national TV audiences watching, every play is scrutinized.
It could be a fair/foul call on a ball down the line. It could be a missed tag on a swipe of second. It could be a trapped line drive in a key situation. Whatever it is, it will bring on a wave of support for for expanded instant replay.
Josh Hamilton Will Make You Forget He Was Injured
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Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers has been through more in his 29 years than most people could experience in 70. He has seen the highest highs of being a No.1 draft pick, and the lowest lows of drug and alcohol dependence.
I refuse to believe that a rib injury will slow him down in his first postseason experience.
The only real issue is the pain—if he can play through the pain, he will be the player he was all season. This is a man who used to stick himself with needles voluntarily; this is a man who went through the pain of recovery and rehab.
Hamilton, maybe more than anyone, is equipped to handle the pain and perform in October. The Rangers will need him playing at his highest level if they want to have any chance against the Tampa Bay Rays.
James Shields, Not David Price, Will Be The Most Important Pitcher For The Rays
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"Big Game" James Shields is the most important pitcher for the Rays in their Division Series matchup with the Rangers.
Cliff Lee will be matched up against David Price; expect Lee to dominate as he always does in October, negating Price's value.
The Rays need Shields to show up and live up to his 2.88 career postseason ERA if they want to beat the Texas Rangers.
I expect them to do just that in five games. The two games they will lose will be the games started by Cliff Lee. The Tampa lineup is too deep and too great to be stopped by the rest of the Texas pitching staff.
Derek Jeter Will Find His Swing
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Derek Jeter hit only .270 this year, the worst average of his career. It was a tough year for one of the most decorated players in baseball history, but that was the regular season.
Jeter was born to perform in October.
He is one of the best postseason performers of all time, and has a World Series ring for five different fingers to prove it. His career .313 postseason average is just one point below his career average; this guy simply does not feel the pressure of the postseason.
Look for Jeter to be up to his old tricks again, getting on base with regularity and starting rallies every night.
A.J. Burnett Will Win a Game...Out Of The Bullpen
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It's no secret that A.J. Burnett was downright awful this season. He went 10-15 with a 5.26 ERA this season, certainly not the numbers one would expect from a man with a five-year, $82.5 million contract to his name.
While there are whisperings that indicate he will be left off the postseason roster entirely, they are not to be believed. A guy with stuff like his and a contract of that size will not be left home while the Yankees do battle with the Minnesota Twins.
He's not going to start a game this series; that much is clear. However, look for Burnett to come out of the bullpen and make key outs on the way to a Yankee win. He has such a good fastball and a great put away pitch in his curve ball—and the nasty demeanor needed to be a power reliever, even if it's just for one inning.
The Minnesota Twins Will Be Swept
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In 2003, 2004, and 2009, the Yankees knocked the Twins out of the playoffs in the Division Series.
Expect more of the same in 2010.
The Yankees simply own the Twins in the playoffs, and this year they will show why they are the defending champs. Though the Twins are the team with homefield advantage, the Yankees will have no problem winning in Minnesota.
The Yankees went 4-2 against the Twins this season, and have shown every year that Minnesota and their $90 million payroll will be no match for the Yankees and their $206 million winning machine.
Former Yankee Carl Pavano and other starters, like Francisco Liriano and Nick Blackburn, will be battered by the playoff-experienced Yankees on the way to an easy sweep.
Mike Osterberg is a student at Penn State University and a writing intern at BleacherReport.com. Follow him on twitter @Mike_Osterberg.
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