MLB Playoffs 2011: Power Ranking the Managers of All 8 Postseason Teams

We are one day away from the 2011 MLB playoffs, and I'm friggin' psyched.  All eight teams that made it this far looked great when it came down to the wire and each manager deserves some consideration for their league's Manager of the Year Award.

Now, however, is what's going to separate the manager men from the manager boys.  In the postseason, it does not matter how good your team was during the regular season.  This time, there are no guarantees and anything can happen.  Some managers are deserving of credit, and others kind of got lucky.

That being said, let's take a look at each of the eight MLB postseason managers and see where they rank on this year's list.

No. 8: Jim Leyland, Detroit Tigers

For those who have been waiting to start writing me hate mail, you may begin now.  Jim Leyland's Detroit Tigers are so lucky to be in the playoffs that it's not even funny.  I could go on and say how Justin Verlander is the reason the team made the playoffs, or maybe I could say how they play in one of the easiest divisions in baseball because, let's be honest, half the teams in the AL Central could be beaten by a college squad.

The Detroit Tigers are no exception because save for Justin Verlander and Miguel Cabrera, this team does not impress me at all.  I'm of the opinion that if this team does in fact go all the way and win the World Series, all of the bonus checks should be given to Verlander.

Don't get me wrong.  Leyland is a great baseball mind.  His team this year just isn't all it's cracked up to be.

No. 7: Ron Roenicke, Milwaukee Brewers

As happy as I am for the Milwaukee Brewers, I can't give manager Ron Roenicke much credit for the team's success.  A lot of the talent he had this season was already there when he arrived, save for new pitcher Zack Greinke.  Throughout the season, even Greinke was not at his best.

Still, the team responded well enough to the longtime Los Angeles Angels coach as they set a franchise record with 96 wins and clinched the NL Central Division crown.  The Brew Crew has a great young core in Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder and hopefully they can take their manager beyond the NLDS.

Roenicke's true test will come next season, when the Brewers are almost definitely going to have to replace Fielder's bat.  Thus, as he has yet been untested, Roenicke is ranked this low.

No. 6: Charlie Manuel, Philadelphia Phillies

I know I'm going to sound like a hater right now, since I do hate the Phillies and all Philadelphia teams with a passion, but hear me out on this one.  Charlie Manuel is not a bad manager by any means, having turned the Phillies into perennial contenders and his 2008 World Series Championship is one that should definitely not go unnoticed.

Yet, take a look at the Phillies roster.  Starting in January, did we really expect anything less of them?  If a team that has a pitching rotation featuring Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels doesn't blow the competition out of the water, then there's something wrong with the world.

On top of that, this is a Phillies core that has been playing together for a long time and knows how to win.  Were it Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and a random assortment of players, I'd be ranking Manuel much higher.  Yet, his team is what it is and while he knows what he's doing, he's not the best manager in the playoffs now.

No. 5: Tony La Russa, St. Louis Cardinals

Ever since I've been watching baseball, I've always admired Tony La Russa.  The man has been a manager for some team every season since 1979 and has done a great job, making the playoffs semi-regularly and winning the World Series twice (1989 with Oakland, 2006 with St. Louis).

This year, La Russa had a tough task ahead of him starting in spring training when regular No. 2 starter Adam Wainwright went down with Tommy John surgery.  The team was not at its best for most of the season and just barely got into the playoffs as the NL Wild Card.  Still, the team performed well down the stretch and deserves its spot.

Throw in the fact that La Russa has been battling shingles all season long, and the Cardinals are easily one of the tougher teams competing.  If Albert Pujols should depart this offseason, then La Russa will have a tougher task ahead of him next year, should he return.

No. 4: Ron Washington, Texas Rangers

Say what you want about Cliff Lee being the reason the Texas Rangers made it to the World Series last year.  Ron Washington has done a great job with the Rangers and has brought them back into contention, thus deserving some due credit.

He manages one of the better offenses in all of baseball and his pitching staff is just freakishly good.  While most managers are adhering to keeping their pitchers on a certain pitch count, one that usually tops out around 100, the Rangers have completely thrown that out the window.  Guys like C.J. Wilson and Derek Holland use their sneaky pitches to throw hitters off and make the Rangers a serious threat.

It's no secret that the team wants to get back to the World Series this year and emerge as a winner.  Even without Cliff Lee, beating Ron Washington's squad will prove to be tough.

No. 3: Joe Girardi, New York Yankees

Say what you want about Joe Girardi managing a team that anybody could, how the team is stacked and how a monkey could manage it and still win the World Series.  The man has a great knowledge of the game and deserves just as much credit as some of the other people on this list.

This year proved to be a tough one for Girardi, as the Yankees were considered underdogs from the first game of the season.  After missing out on Cliff Lee during the offseason, GM Brian Cashman went out and signed aging veterans Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia to minor league contracts.  Sure enough, they made the team and earned spots in the rotation along with AL Rookie of the Year candidate Ivan Nova.

The team silenced its critics earlier this month when they clinched the AL Eastern Division crown and moved onto the playoffs for the 16th time in 17 seasons.  It's time for Girardi and his boys to continue their march and prove that Cliff Lee is not the key when it comes to making a World Series.

No. 2: Kirk Gibson, Arizona Diamondbacks

I'll be honest with you.  The Arizona Diamondbacks were the last team I expected to make the playoffs this year, let alone win their division.  First-year manager Kirk Gibson, a playoff legend in his own right, took a team so young and so inexperienced to the top of the NL West.

I mean, come on.  Who would have thought that picher Ian Kennedy would win 21 games and that four of the five regular starting pitchers would post ERAs under four?

The team's offense may not be much to write home about, but the fact that such good pitching could do so well despite low run support is just incredible.  They have a tough task in the Milwaukee Brewers during the NLDS, so here's hoping that Gibson can work his magic and bring the team within reach of another World Series ring.

No. 1: Joe Maddon, Tampa Bay Rays

Had you told me three months ago that the Tampa Bay Rays would win the AL Wild Card, I would have laughed in your face.  Here was a team that had decent pitching, but had also lost the face of the franchise to Boston Red Sox during the offseason.  As a result, the first few months of the season were rough.

Yet, Rays manager Joe Maddon has a bulldog mentality and just refuses to give up without a fight.  He instilled this philosophy in his team during every game, no matter how insignificant.  Over the last month or so of the season, the Rays played each game as though it were Game 7 of the World Series and as a result, find themselves back in the playoffs for the third time in four years.

Don't let the artsy glasses and the long hair fool you.  Joe Maddon knows how to inspire his team and were I a member of the Baseball Writers Association of America (someday), I would pick him as this year's AL Manager of the Year.

He has a rematch with the Texas Rangers in the ALDS, so good luck to him and his team.

As for all of you readers out there, enjoy the playoffs!