MLB Playoffs 2011: 4 Reasons Why Joe Maddon Is Best Manager of These Playoffs

Joe Maddon just led his Tampa Bay Rays to the playoffs, commandeering a spectacular finish and capitalizing on the historic collapse of the Boston Red Sox. As historic as the collapse was, the Rays' rally was just as historic.

The Rays became the first team to come back from a 1-8 record to win at least 90 games. That belies the fact the Rays overcame a dismal start to beat a Red Sox team that went in the opposite direction with transactions in the preceding offseason.

The 2011 MLB playoffs feature four managers who have won World Series titles, however, none of them at this point is better than Maddon.

Following are four reasons why Maddon bests every other manager in the playoffs.

The Rays Play Perfect Fundamental Ball

Maddon's Rays play baseball the right way.

Fundamentals often take a backseat to home runs and other types of eye-popping plays. However, Maddon takes a more holistic approach to the game.  

The Rays are the best defensive team in the American League. They have a beautiful .988 team fielding percentage and only committed 73 errors this season. Also, the Rays are second in the AL in ERA despite being seventh in the league in strikeouts.

The Rays' Style of Play Is Perfect for Playoffs

The Rays play just the right way to be good in the playoffs.  

They can manufacture runs as well as anyone. They pitch extraordinarily well and play great defense, a combination that makes them hard to beat in the playoffs. The rarity of errors committed by the Rays defensively give them an edge.

Avoiding errors is key in the playoffs, especially with their underappreciated bullpen. The Rays have a staff that is hard to hit from front to back.  

A close series can be won on a solid bullpen and the Rays have three relievers with ERAs lower than 3.00.

The Rays were 16th in the MLB in scoring despite being 26th in the league in batting average. That demonstrates the Rays have the timely hitting to win in the playoffs.

Jim Leyland and Tony LaRussa Are Past Their Primes

Some might scroll through this article and wonder, "What about the managers who have won World Series?"

Forty years from now, history will decide who among these managers had the best career. However, Maddon beats Jim Leyland and Tony LaRussa as the best manager of these playoffs because both Leyland and LaRussa are past the prime of their careers. Leyland struggled to bring the Detroit Tigers around.  

In 2009, Leyland watched his Tigers spin out of control at the end of the season. The 2010 Tigers, which were fourth in the AL in batting average, were an underachieving bunch.  

LaRussa has become the creepy old guy of baseball, accusing opposing teams of stealing signs and throwing at his hitters. All this despite having the most prolific slugger in a generation, Albert Pujols,  

In recent years, LaRussa has had to bank on everything going well, such as being able to win the NL Central in 2006 despite winning only 83 games, having the Atlanta Braves collapse this season and having his pitching staff healthy as often as he can cross his fingers.

Whereas Leyland and LaRussa are on the backside of their careers, Maddon is just getting started.

Maddon Does More with Less

Maddon has managed to be successful in the toughest division in the MLB and with a tiny payroll.

After having his roster eviscerated in the offseason with closer Rafael Soriano, slugger Carlos Pena and Carl Crawford leave, he was still able to lead his team to the playoffs.

Maddon found a way to replace Soriano with 35-year-old journeyman Kyle Farnsworth. Farnsworth had never saved 20 games before this season.

Making up for Pena was a dirt invention.The players he already had were able to produce enough runs to carry them through.

Succeeding on the Rays' $39 million payroll might seem unthinkable, but Maddon manages.