MLB postseason format kinda sucks

[Garrett67]

Why play so many regular season games if you are going to be allowing the 11th and 12th best teams in the league (Tigers & Cards) to compete in the postseason? And if you allow teams like the Tigers and Cards to compete in the postseason, why make it so easy for them to advance?.

They are the division winners though (I'm talking Tigers). . Its not their fault that teams in other divisions, with better records mind you, couldn't beat them in a best of 5 or 7 series.

I really don't think its any different than the Giants winning the Superbowl with an 9-7 record (or whatever it was). They got hot at the right time, just like the Tigers did.

 

[MVPete]

They are the division winners though (I'm talking Tigers). . Its not their fault that teams in other divisions, with better records mind you, couldn't beat them in a best of 5 or 7 series.

I really don't think its any different than the Giants winning the Superbowl with an 9-7 record (or whatever it was). They got hot at the right time, just like the Tigers did.

 

[FedEx227]

They are the division winners though (I'm talking Tigers). . Its not their fault that teams in other divisions, with better records mind you, couldn't beat them in a best of 5 or 7 series.

I really don't think its any different than the Giants winning the Superbowl with an 9-7 record (or whatever it was). They got hot at the right time, just like the Tigers did.

The NFL model is pretty awful though. It also rarely rewards the best team with the league's championship.

 

[Garrett67]

I get the story, he is just mad that his team isn't in the playoffs.

The only way to solve it really is to go back to the way they used to do it and have the best AL team play the best NL team. But, that doesn't make them enough money, so you will never see it go back to that.

Like I said in the other thread, just like every other thing in the world, its all about money.

 

[FirstTimer]

I always found this interesting in relation to CFB. On one hand you have a tradition rich sport like baseball and fans have no issue with after having a 162 games of shoving more teams into a playoff even though you have a huge sample size of games for each team to judge them based on and a ton of H2H matchups.

Flip the coin and these same baseball fans are more than willing to swallow down and defend a tradition rich sport like CFB that has 120 teams playing only 12 games a piece with few crossover H2H matchups amongst those 120 team having a 2 or 4 team "playoff".

One would think it should be the opposite mindset...but it isn't.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

If you want to be hardcore about it, cut it to 2 leagues and no divisons. The pennant winners play a best of 7 and be done with it.

And people would go back to complaining when teams went 40 years in between playoff berths.

The new format worked exactly like they wanted it to. It led to more teams than ever being in the mix later into the season, and fans were very much into the one and done Wild Card scenario.

There is no question that there is a huge advantage to winning the division now that did not exist under the previous format, regardless of the bitter smarm emanating from NAHSTE. Nobody is content with the WC anymore because nobody wants to play in that single game. The Cardinals may be one game from the World Series, but they overcame the disadvantage, so what can you do?

People may think they want a "pure" postseason like the good 'ol days, but they don't. And any short series format in a sport like baseball is going to have a crap shoot element to it no matter what the format anyway.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

I always found this interesting in relation to CFB. On one hand you have a tradition rich sport like baseball and fans have no issue with after having a 162 games of shoving more teams into a playoff even though you have a huge sample size of games for each team to judge them based on and a ton of H2H matchups.

Flip the coin and these same baseball fans are more than willing to swallow down and defend a tradition rich sport like CFB that has 120 teams playing only 12 games a piece with few crossover H2H matchups amongst those 120 team having a 2 or 4 team "playoff".

One would think it should be the opposite mindset...but it isn't.

If baseball went back to the pre division setup of two leagues with the winners playing in the World Series, we'd all be bored out of our minds because there would be seasons where nothing past the end of August meant anything.

Same for CFB. Under the BCS setup, its a sport of diminishing returns where with each passing week, less & less games mean anything, and by the end of the regular season, you usually have two or three games with any real meaning. That's where CFB loses a fan like me who has no rooting interest. It's boring.

There has to be a balance. You have to be able to include enough teams in the playoff mix to keep things interesting, while also not corrupting the value of making the playoffs. In my opinion, baseball is right at the cusp of that balance. So is the NFL (awful division setup aside). NBA & NHL tilt one way, CFB the other.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

And while we all sit here and feel bad for Atlanta, please remember that the Braves would not have even made the postseason in something like 90% of all baseball seasons with that record.

So tell me again how they got screwed? I mean jeez, MLB puts these postseason spots on a platter for these teams now. I don't want to hear about being screwed. If you have a top three record in either league, you are guaranteed a playoff spot. If you are a good club, you are making the playoffs, unlike those "good 'ol days" when teams would win 90, 95, 99, 100+ games and go home after 162. So you can't tell me out of one side of your mouth things aren't fair, while out of the other pine for tradition.

 

[NAHSTE]

There is no question that there is a huge advantage to winning the division now that did not exist under the previous format,

There is no question that that advantage does exist. The question is, should it?

To quote Senser...

There should be no emphasis on winning your division when the divisions are so unequal.

If we must include 10 teams, at least include the best 10. Scrap divisions, and seed each league 1-5.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

There is no question that that advantage does exist. The question is, should it?

To quote Senser...



If we must include 10 teams, at least include the best 10. Scrap divisions, and seed each league 1-5.

I have no beef with that. Where we differ is I believe it's a minor gripe.

I don't have an issue with divisions or unbalanced schedules (in any sport), never have, never will, I think it's part of the game and at the end of the day you have to beat who you play. You will never hear me complain about a schedule or division/league strength or anything along those lines. At the same time I totally get the other side of that argument.

I think that baseball will eventually go to a 3-game wild card round, once the novelty of the one and done wears off. I don't think baseball will ever go back to eliminating divisions or even balanced schedules, because things like this never move backwards and MLB likes the rivalry aspect, both for fans and for the networks who want 18 Yankees/Reds Sox games.

Personally as a Reds fan I would rather see them play STL or PIT a bunch of times because I hate them, even if it breaks "unfairly" either way certain years due to team strength, rather than play ARZ or WSH who I don't give a shit about.

 

[Slateman]

If you want to be hardcore about it, cut it to 2 leagues and no divisons. The pennant winners play a best of 7 and be done with it.

Better idea

Cut it to one league with 8 teams. Everyone plays everyone else 20 times. 4 five game series. Best two teams play a best of 21 for the championship.

 

[killgod]

Since we're kind of on the topic, I think the MLB should change their whole idea of a regular season. 5 game series, with the series wins/losses as your team record. Sweeps would be factorerd in as a tie break to ensure games without meaning, although could prove to being games to get prospects game time in the bigs.

The better team doesn't always win a single game, but the better team wins a series more often. A truer representation of who the best teams are.

From a fan persepective, you'd get amped crowds for series clinching matches, more drama and excitement to build upon. You face a whole team's rotation, or perhaps an Ace twice if the series is critical to making the post season.


I'd love to see a league, personally I think baseball is the one that should, turn it's format on it's head like that.


This could render the postseason less exciting however by taking away how it was different. The concept of eliminating teams could be changed. I think the MLB season process could be a lot more appealing in a more dramatic setting, under a different format.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

Let's not get too crazy, here.

Fundamentally, baseball is structured just fine aside from what really amounts to minor discrepancies over playoff format.

 

[EmpireWF]

It's almost impossible to get little things like replay in action and KG wants to change the fundamentals of the sport. lol

 

[Glenbino]

2 leagues...

4 best records from each league regardless of division, seeding based on record. Best of 7 throughout.

Baseball fixed.

 

[Glenbino]

Also, end interleague play.

 

[EmpireWF]

Also, end interleague play.

Booooooo!

 

[Glenbino]

Booooooo!

It was fun for awhile but all it has really done was make a schedule that was already imbalanced much worse.

 

[NAHSTE]

It was fun for awhile but all it has really done was make a schedule that was already imbalanced much worse.

Interleague is here to stay with 15/15. We get it every day now! YAY!

Next up, universal DH!

 

[ThomasTomasz]

The whole idea was to get fans, and also keep their interest up. You can't tell me that didn't work. Hardcore fans like us will always watch. Granted, over the past 10 years I've boycotted the Orioles as far as merch and attending games, but I've always watched and followed the team. We aren't who they are trying to please and attract to watch and attend games.