2011 MLB Playoff Predictions: 30 Bold Predictions for the Postseason

After seven long months, including spring training, we are now at the brink of MLB’s second season, and eight teams will be competing for the right to be called World Series champions.

While some teams were expected to be included in this year’s postseason play (Philadelphia and New York), others put together improbable runs to get to this point (Arizona).

The month of October will certainly be packed with pressure-packed play right through to the last week of the month, and with the National League winning the “now it counts” All-Star Game, they will enjoy the home-field advantage.

So, what can we expect to see this year during MLB’s second season? Who knows. But, I will try to give some predictions as to what could, or could not, be seen.

Here are 30 bold predictions for the postseason.

1. Roy Halladay Will NOT Throw Another Postseason No-Hitter

I know, I’m totally going out on a limb here. But considering that only no-hitter had even been thrown in postseason history before the gem that Roy Halladay threw last October, I’m fairly confident with this particular prediction.

Could a no-hitter be thrown? Yes, but not by Halladay. Lightning just doesn’t strike twice.

Unless of course your name happens to be Lee Trevino.

However, just in case lightning does strike twice…

2. Justin Verlander COULD Throw Another Postseason No-Hitter

Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander could very well be the man to throw the next postseason no-hitter.

Hey, why not? Halladay threw a perfect game in the regular season last year, and followed up with a no-hit masterpiece in the postseason. Maybe Verlander can follow suit.

3. Alex Rodriguez Will NOT Ruin Another World Series with Contract Option Talk

I feel fairly certain that New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez won’t be discussing anything about his contract during this offseason, like his agent, Scott Boras, did in the middle of the 2007 World Series.

A-Rod is four years into his 10-year, $275 million contract, and unless there is some unknown language discovered in the fine print of his deal, we shouldn’t be hearing that kind of nonsense again.

However…

4. CC Sabathia WILL Rattle the Postseason with Contract Option Talk

We certainly have the option of more option talk, pardon the pun. Or opt-out talk, if you really want to get technical about it.

New York Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia has a clause in his contract which allows him to walk away from his deal with the New York Yankees at the end of the 2011 season.

There are certainly indications that Sabathia could exercise the clause. Why not do it after the Yankees have been eliminated and steal the thunder of another American League team again?

Oh, wait…Sabathia does not use Scott Boras as his agent. Never mind.

5. Francisco Rodriguez Will NOT Open His Mouth During Playoffs About His Bullpen

Early last month, Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Francisco Rodriguez made some noise, whining about not getting save opportunities after he had reportedly been told by Brewers’ management that he would after being traded from the New York Mets.

K-Rod’s comments came in the middle of a losing streak for the Brewers, and clearly ruffled more than a few feathers.

However, we’ll go out on a limb here and say that K-Rod will keep his mouth shut throughout the postseason.

But…

6. Neftali Feliz COULD Talk About His Role Next Season

Texas Rangers closer Neftali Feliz and Rangers’ management toyed with the idea of moving Feliz to the starting rotation in spring training, even going so far as to stretch Feliz out a bit before deciding to use Alexi Ogando as a starter instead.

Feliz, who wasn’t quite as dominant in the closer’s role this season than in 2010, very well could be the one to discuss his role during the postseason. While I’m not necessarily saying he’ll be complaining about his current role, the issue could certainly be brought up.

Don’t you just love a good controversy?

7. The Playoffs WILL Be Inundated with Talk About Prince Fielder’s Next Home

No matter which network will be televising Milwaukee Brewers games this postseason, there should be absolutely no doubt in anyone’s mind that the big issue that will constantly be discussed is the fact that this could be Prince Fielder’s last season in a Brewers uniform.

To say it will be discussed ad nauseum, so either buy earplugs or get some antacid. I really don’t want to throw up a little in my mouth when I’m watching postseason baseball.

8. The Playoffs Will NOT Be Inundated with Discussion of Derek Jeter’s Decline

Okay, can we now stop talking about New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter and his declining skills?

I know, most of the deterioration talk stopped after Jeter collected his 3,000^th hit on July 9, but you just KNOW it’s going to referenced more than once by some “astute” broadcaster probably named Joe Buck.

9. FOX Sports WILL Shamelessly Plug Anything to Do with FOX

Let’s hearken back in time, over the past several seasons in fact, when the FOX network went out of its way to promote just about any of their programming during the World Series.

While it hasn’t gotten as bad as doing it between every single pitch, the constant self-promotion is enough to want me to call my cable company repeatedly and lodge complaints.

But FOX is not alone…

10. TBS WILL Be Doing the Same

TBS is certainly not immune to self-promotion. They will certainly be playing the marketing game ad nauseum as well during their postseason broadcasts.

Well, thankfully cable has those pause and fast forward features. Thanks, modern technology.

11. Everyone WILL Be Touting the Managerial Skills of Joe Maddon

Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon has been working his magic for six seasons now, and this year just might have been his most powerful magic act yet.

For a team that had a 0.4 percent chance of making the postseason on Sept. 3, according to Baseball Prospectus, Maddon never stopped believing, and refused to allow his team to stop believing, either.

And let there be no doubt whatsoever that however long the Rays are in the playoffs, whatever announcer happens to be calling their games will not ever let the viewers forget that.

But one thing you probably won’t hear...

12. No One Will Be Touting the Managerial Skills of Joe Girardi

Joe Girardi is a manager who has won a World Series championship with the New York Yankees, but rarely does anyone tout the job he has done in the Bronx.

This is a man who led a team with a $14 million payroll (2006 Florida Marlins), which was less than the salary of quite a few individual players, and led them into wild-card contention for a good portion of the season, only to be dumped after being named NL Manager of the Year.

Girardi is now working with a team that has over 15 times the payroll of his former team, so he doesn’t get nearly the amount of credit received while with the Marlins. But managing a team of high-priced stars with egos really doesn’t sound like the easiest thing in the world to do.

13. David Robertson WILL Continue His Mastery as a Set-Up Man

If you want to talk about a money pitcher, David Robertson would be that guy for the 2011 season.

Robertson put up a miniscule ERA of 1.08 in 70 appearances, striking out 100 batters in 66.2 innings. In addition, Robertson held opposing batters to a .170 batting average, just slightly higher than what Adam Dunn hit for the entire year.

However, as much as Robertson’s mastery will be discussed…

14. The Boston Red Sox Bullpen Mastery Will NOT Be Discussed at All

And why is that? Because they BLEW the biggest lead of anyone leading a playoff spot as late as Sept. 1!

Sorry, Red Sox fans, I just couldn’t resist.

15. Justin Upton WILL Show Viewers How Good He Can Be

Arizona Diamondbacks 23-year-old right fielder Justin Upton showed everyone in the Southwest just how talented he is this season. With a .289 average, 31 HR and 88 RBI, Upton was the offensive force that drove the D-Backs to the NL West title this season, and he may have only scratched the surface of his tremendous potential.

However, as good as Justin Upton is…

16. B.J. Upton Will ONLY Show Viewers How Good He Could Have Been

It’s a good thing that Tampa Bay Rays center fielder B.J. Upton had such a good September (.333 average, five HR, 20 RBI), he really needed it just to lift his average to the final .243 mark.

The Rays have been waiting patiently for Upton to show the talent that led them to draft him with the second overall pick in the 2002 MLB Draft. Their patience may just run out if he throws out a clunker in the postseason.

17. Philadelphia Phillies Front Three Starters WILL Dominate in NLDS

The St. Louis Cardinals won 23 of their last 31 games just to get into the playoffs on the last day of the regular season, and while that will certainly be a hot topic of conversation leading into their matchup with the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLDS, the Phillies’ front three starters will overtake that story soon enough, just by their actions on the field.

Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels have certainly come as advertised this season, and each of them have shown dominance in the postseason as well. There should be no doubt they will be a major topic of discussion.

However, as much as the Phillies’ Big Three will be discussed…

18. Red Sox Front Three Starters Will NOT Dominate Anyone in ALDS

And why is that? Oh, that’s right, because they BLEW a golden opportunity!

Oh, sorry Red Sox fans, I already mentioned that at least once, didn’t I…

Photo courtesy NBCSports.com

19. Jorge Posada WILL Go out with a Bang in New York

New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi has already announced that Jorge Posada will be his DH in the Divisional League Series against the Detroit Tigers.

Posada, who was hitting as low as .165 at one point in May, was in the news when he was told by Girardi that he was being dropped to ninth in the batting order, at which point Posada requested out of the lineup.

The two eventually smoothed things over, and Posada did raise his average to .235 with 14 HR and 44 RBI.

This could very well be Posada’s last season in the Bronx, so he will be pumped heading into the postseason. At some point, Posada’s bat will make a difference.

While Posada may be going out with a bang…

20. J.D. Drew WILL Go out with a Whimper in Boston

Oh, wait…J.D. Drew won’t even be in the playoffs. And why? Well, we won’t get into that again.

At least Boston fans will be cheering about something, as in no more Drew.

21. Miguel Cabrera WILL Have a Fabulous Postseason

Detroit Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera was a fresh-faced 20-year-old rookie the last time he played in the postseason with the 2003 Florida Marlins. He certainly made his presence felt in the NLCS against the Cubs, hitting .333 with three HR and six RBI, also hitting a home run off Roger Clemens in Game 4 of the World Series.

Eight years later, Cabrera is back, and he will be bringing his American League-leading .344 batting average and 30 home runs along with him. Expect Cabrera to be making some noise in these playoffs.

However, one teammate may not be so lucky…

22. Brandon Inge Will NOT Have a Fabulous Postseason

Detroit Tigers third baseman Brandon Inge can never be confused with Miggy Cabrera when it comes to hitting for average and plate discipline, for sure. His .197 average was the lowest of his career, and earned him a demotion to Triple-A.

Don Kelly will likely start at third base for the Tigers, and while Inge could see some time, it likely won’t be memorable.

23. Ozzie Guillen WILL Tweet Heavily Throughout the Postseason

While Ozzie Guillen is likely to be busy during the next few months with his new job as manager of the Florida Marlins, I would be shocked if he weren’t a tweeting fool during the postseason.

Ozzie has gained 5,000 more Twitter followers just since he was named Marlins’ manager, and his throng of followers will no doubt be waiting with baited breath to read Ozzie’s take on the 2011 postseason, not to mention all things Marlins.

However, not to be outdone…

24. Logan Morrison WILL Try to out-Tweet His New Manager

Florida Marlins left fielder Logan Morrison found himself in a bit of trouble earlier this season and got spanked for it. His outspoken nature, along with his rants on Twitter, proved to be the downfall in Morrison’s demotion to Triple-A in August.

While he is filing grievances against the Marlins for their actions, he now has a manager who just be more Twitter-savvy than Lo-Mo himself, and he can do it in two languages.

25. Joe Buck WILL Continue to Be a Complete Bore During Broadcasts

For the first time, I am actually going to be rooting for Joe Buck.

I’m going to be rooting for FOX to just keep him on NFL broadcasts with Troy Aiken, rather than pulling double duty with the World Series.

Of course, that won’t happen, and I’ll be forced to mute my TV once again.

But alongside Buck…

Photo courtesy LAIst.com

26. Tim McCarver WILL Be Rolling His Eyes at Joe Buck in the Background

Can anyone honestly tell me that McCarver actually ENJOYS doing games with Buck?

I listened to McCarver a couple of times when he did national FOX telecasts along with Matt Vasgersian, and he actually sounded much more comfortable and had a nice back-and-forth with Vasgersian to boot.

Photo courtesy thecubsbrickyard.com

27. Ryan Howard WILL Do His Best to Support the Phillies’ Big Three Rotation

Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard quietly put together a pretty impressive 2011 season. While his average slipped to .253, Ryan hit 33 HR and 116 RBI, surpassing his 2010 numbers.

I say quietly, because all of the talk concerning the Phillies was about their starting rotation. However, Howard can NEVER be overlooked.

As much as Howard’s great numbers will be discussed during the postseason…

28. J.D. Drew Will NOT Make Anyone Remember Anything Good

And why is that, Red Sox fans?

Oh, that’s right. Because the Red Sox won’t be there. No need to even talk about Drew anymore.

I know, it’s a broken record. But you’re certainly hearing it from the writers in Boston, might as well hear it here as well.

29. Mariano Rivera WILL Continue Postseason Dominance

Playing in his 16^th postseason in 17 years, New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera has already had a magical season. Becoming the all-time saves leader, pitching in his 1,000^th game, Rivera has once again dominated, with 44 saves and a 1.91 ERA at the tender age of 41.

There doesn’t appear to be any reason whatsoever that Rivera can’t continue his postseason dominance as well. Unless of course the Detroit Tigers have something to say about it.

30. The Philadelphia Phillies WILL Win the 2011 World Series

When all is said and done, the Philadelphia Phillies will win their second World Series championship in four years. As far as I’m concerned, the old adage “good pitching beats good hitting” will apply once again this postseason.

Whatever the outcome happens to be, if the postseason can top what we saw on Wednesday night, in what can only be considered one of the greatest days in regular season history, then we are in for an amazing October.

Doug Mead is a featured columnist with Bleacher Report. His work has been featured on the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, SF Gate, CBS Sports, the Los Angeles Times and the Houston Chronicle. Follow Doug on Twitter, @Sports_A_Holic.