Does anyone else think the MLB playoff format is ridiculous?

[Boom Boom]

Since the wild card expanded to the play in game/series in 2012, a whopping 4 wild card teams have made the World Series. That means 85% of World Series teams won their division since the wild card expanded.

That number will change this year, but that's because Philly was built for the playoffs and the Rangers fought injuries all year and choked in Seattle to prevent them from being the #2 seed on the last day of the regular season.

The Braves played like åss. They scored 3 runs in games 3 and 4 combined. The rust was gone, they just got beat.

I said elsewhere but should have repeated here, the playin game was better because it forced the WCs to use their #1, and gave an advantage to the division winners. You just proved my point. Changing the WC play in to a series swung the advantage back to the WCs. A WC has won the WS 7 times in 28 years, 25% of the time.

My proposal is to cut the unnecessary off days. Make the WCs travel and don't let them rest their aces and have them lined up again. Give the division winners an extra home game. What's wrong with it?

The Phillies beat Strider twice. They deserved the series. Doesn't change the long standing format issues MLB has with their playoffs.

 

[Colonel Kang]

That’s my point. The way the system is now, it hurts the teams that have been by far the best teams in the regular season. I would say this even if the Braves were winning their series. There were three teams that were far and away the best in the league this year (four if you count the Rays), and they’re all either already eliminated or on the verge because the MLB playoff format sucks. It really devalues the regular season, which I hate.

By far the best? The Rangers and Astros tied this year.

many times these Divisions are decided by who had less injuries rather than who the best teams are.

the system is fine. Not perfect but fine.

 

[Colonel Kang]

Go Rangers! Evan Carter is the Truth!

Elite strike zone awareness. On base machine

 

[PooPopsBaldHead]

My proposal is to cut the unnecessary off days. Make the WCs travel and don't let them rest their aces and have them lined up again. Give the division winners an extra home game. What's wrong with it?

You have to have the travel day. The networks will put the best game on at night everytime.

Without a travel day you end up with a team flying from a night game in San Diego and playing in an afternoon game in NY or Philly. That doesn't even happen in the regular season. Teams almost always have an off day when traveling long distances in the regular season and would never do a night/day reverse order. No different than having no travel day in the middle of the series.

As for the more home games... 4 out of 5 for the division series? What's the point. Lets just make the whole thing on the road.

Of the 4 teams left only Arizona is somewhat surprising. The Rangers, Astros, and Phillies are loaded with bats and top end arms. They just didn't win quite as many regular season games as the Braves, Rays, Dodgers, or Orioles. But top to bottom the rosters are all as good as the others.

 

[theoriginalSALTYdog]

Baseball isn’t like other sports. A long lay-off can hurt a team. These teams play a 162 game schedule for what purpose? To go into a NFL type playoff where the team that won 85 games has an advantage in a short series over the team that won 100 games because the 100 game winning team got rusty after a week off. At the very least, the Division Series needs to be seven games. I wish they would just go back to one wild card team but that cat is out of the bag.

You a Braves fan? They're all complaining. You wouldn't hear a word had they won.

 

[Perd Hapley]

One thing I never got was doing 5-game series then doing 7-game series in the next round. I say make them all 7-game series in a 2-2-1-1-1 format. High seed always gets home field advantage for starting the series. Shorten the regular season to make it happen if need be.

Playoff baseball >>>> Regular season baseball. The more, the better.

 

[Bulldog Bruce]

One thing I never got was doing 5-game series then doing 7-game series in the next round. I say make them all 7-game series in a 2-2-1-1-1 format. High seed always gets home field advantage for starting the series. Shorten the regular season to make it happen if need be.

Playoff baseball >>>> Regular season baseball. The more, the better.

If you make it 7 then the higher seed will have to wait even longer and in this discussion we found out it is a disadvantage to rest your team. The higher seeds need to play more games to give them the advantage that they earned. If they lose, then they didn't get enough of an advantage. Somehow we need to make it so the higher seeded team always wins the playoff series.

 

[beachbumdawg]

Baseball isn’t like other sports. A long lay-off can hurt a team. These teams play a 162 game schedule for what purpose? To go into a NFL type playoff where the team that won 85 games has an advantage in a short series over the team that won 100 games because the 100 game winning team got rusty after a week off. At the very least, the Division Series needs to be seven games. I wish they would just go back to one wild card team but that cat is out of the bag.

 

[HRMSU]

Elite strike zone awareness. On base machine

Indeed, has MLB CF speed and D as well. Final 2 pieces will be hitting lefties consistently and adjusting when the league adjusts to him next year but hey he's just 21 and been up a little over a month.

 

[Perd Hapley]

If you make it 7 then the higher seed will have to wait even longer and in this discussion we found out it is a disadvantage to rest your team. The higher seeds need to play more games to give them the advantage that they earned. If they lose, then they didn't get enough of an advantage. Somehow we need to make it so the higher seeded team always wins the playoff series.

Well played. I have no opinion on the current format being fair or unfair. I think its as fair as it can possibly be, given the current series length requirements. I just always thought it was weird to do a 5 game series in the beginning and then shift to 7. Do 5 for all series, or 7 for all series, but keep it consistent.

It would be like NCAA basketball going to a single elimination for the first 2 rounds, but then best 2 of 3 starting in the Sweet 16. Just dumb….and doesn’t really seem to serve any purpose beyond making sure everything can be wrapped up between the end of the regular season and early November when it starts getting really cold. Just shorten the regular season a tad to make it work. It’s already the longest season in all of sports, and way too long for anyone other than total diehards to pay attention and stay invested.

 

[Boom Boom]

You have to have the travel day. The networks will put the best game on at night everytime.

Without a travel day you end up with a team flying from a night game in San Diego and playing in an afternoon game in NY or Philly. That doesn't even happen in the regular season. Teams almost always have an off day when traveling long distances in the regular season and would never do a night/day reverse order. No different than having no travel day in the middle of the series.

As for the more home games... 4 out of 5 for the division series? What's the point. Lets just make the whole thing on the road.

Of the 4 teams left only Arizona is somewhat surprising. The Rangers, Astros, and Phillies are loaded with bats and top end arms. They just didn't win quite as many regular season games as the Braves, Rays, Dodgers, or Orioles. But top to bottom the rosters are all as good as the others.

You want a travel day, win your series early. I have no room for Nancy ball when it's ruining the playoffs. And it actually does happen in the regular season sometimes. Visiting teams usually request and are granted an afternoon game when traveling far that day and playing the next, but the home team doesn't have to grant it and sometimes doesn't.

If they were as good, they'd have won as many games.

 

[Boom Boom]

If you make it 7 then the higher seed will have to wait even longer and in this discussion we found out it is a disadvantage to rest your team. The higher seeds need to play more games to give them the advantage that they earned. If they lose, then they didn't get enough of an advantage. Somehow we need to make it so the higher seeded team always wins the playoff series.

No, just make it so they win as much as their winning percentage in the regular season suggests they should. To hear you tell it, any stupid format decision possible is just fine, no on should complain.

 

[Dawgzilla2]

Just shorten the regular season a tad to make it work. It’s already the longest season in all of sports, and way too long for anyone other than total diehards to pay attention and stay invested.

Baseball purists will clutch their pearls and tell everyone how perfect the 162 game season is.

My only problem with all these wild cards is it makes the 162 game season ridiculous. The whole point of playing that many games is to prove who the best teams are WITHOUT playoffs.
They want to generate fan interest by increasing the number of playoff spots. That's fine, but why keep the season so long? I suppose the also-rans will lose advertising revenue by playing fewer games, but they can be compensated by the expected increased revenue from the playoffs.

Just decide what is more important: increasing the number of playoff spots, maintaining the "magical" 162 game season, or avoiding November baseball.

 

[UpTheMiddlex3Punt]

Most radical idea:

Get rid of all playoffs except the World Series.
No more interleague play.
No divisions.
Expand the season to 168 games. Each team plays the other 14 teams in the league 12 times.
Most wins will win your league. If it's tied, look at head to head records (and come up with other tiebreakers too).
World Series between top teams.
Regular season matters more than anything.

 

[Bulldog Bruce]

No, just make it so they win as much as their winning percentage in the regular season suggests they should. To hear you tell it, any stupid format decision possible is just fine, no on should complain.

First of all no matter the format someone is going to complain. I have only read personal opinion as to why the current format is so horrible. You are not going to convince me that the wild card team having to start their 3rd or 4th starter against the top seeds number 1 is an advantage for the wild card team. I have played a bunch of baseball in my life and I never forgot how to hit or field after 7 to 10 days off. The advantage for the top seed is already built in in that they are a better team. I don't buy if the Dodgers, Braves or Orioles knew that they were going to play 7, they could have won after going down 3-0, 3-1 and 3-0 respectively. They all would have lost a 7 game series. The current format is perfectly reasonable.

Therefore the only conclusion to come to for someone complaining about the format is they are upset their team lost or their expectations weren't met and they want to figure out how to make sure their expectations always are what happens.

Hell today the Jets beat the Eagles and the Browns beat the Niners. We need to give each of them another set of downs after the game is over because it is unfair they threw a late interception or missed wide right.

 

[Tall Dawg]

Cut the regular season by 10-12 games,
for a start! Season is WAY too long.

 

[Boom Boom]

FYou are not going to convince me that the wild card team having to start their 3rd or 4th starter against the top seeds number 1 is an advantage for the wild card team. I

That's....not a very defensible position,even accounting for that I think you meant advantage for the top seed. I mean, getting to face an objectively lesser quality starter is pretty much the definition of advantage, so it appears the issue is that you're just not reasonable.

Therefore the only conclusion to come to for someone complaining about the format is they are upset their team lost or their expectations weren't met and they want to figure out how to make sure their expectations always are what happens.

Except that ive told you that these concerns transcend that. Easy to conclude what you want when you ignore what doesn't fit your desired conclusion.

Hell today the Jets beat the Eagles and the Browns beat the Niners. We need to give each of them another set of downs after the game is over because it is unfair they threw a late interception or missed wide right.

If this year's Jets were given a format advantage the Eagles didn't have and started beating them more than losing.....I'd have concerns. For example, if they play Thursday games after Sunday games, but one team had that Sunday off, and that team was winning 80% of the Thursday games despite season records....I'd say you need to change the format. But no, that would just be people upset their team lost, no need to worry.

 

[Bulldog Bruce]

That's....not a very defensible position,even accounting for that I think you meant advantage for the top seed. I mean, getting to face an objectively lesser quality starter is pretty much the definition of advantage, so it appears the issue is that you're just not reasonable.

Except that ive told you that these concerns transcend that. Easy to conclude what you want when you ignore what doesn't fit your desired conclusion.

If this year's Jets were given a format advantage the Eagles didn't have and started beating them more than losing.....I'd have concerns. For example, if they play Thursday games after Sunday games, but one team had that Sunday off, and that team was winning 80% of the Thursday games despite season records....I'd say you need to change the format. But no, that would just be people upset their team lost, no need to worry.

You obviously can't read. You complain the top seeds are NOT getting an advantage in the current format. That means you think throwing your 1 against the wild card teams 3 or 4 is a disadvantage. I wrote you can't convince me that it is, otherwise I would always start my 3rd best pitcher against the oppositions 1.

And you are the one complaining that the higher seeds don't have enough of an advantage because you think they should win. That is the definition of preconceived.

I am fine with the current format and let the teams that win each series win. I don't care who wins, you obviously do. The top seeds did not lose 3-0, 3-0 and 3-1 because of the format.

 

[Boom Boom]

You obviously can't read. You complain the top seeds are NOT getting an advantage in the current format. That means you think throwing your 1 against the wild card teams 3 or 4 is a disadvantage. I wrote you can't convince me that it is, otherwise I would always start my 3rd best pitcher against the oppositions 1.

And you are the one complaining that the higher seeds don't have enough of an advantage because you think they should win. That is the definition of preconceived.

I am fine with the current format and let the teams that win each series win. I don't care who wins, you obviously do.

That's not what's happening. Because the wild card series went from 1 game to 3, and with 2 off days, the wild card teams can throw their number 1 for game 1 of the LDS.

IF the top seeds were getting to go against the 3 and 4 SPs to start the LDS, that would be an advantage. And that's why my proposal was to cut off days so that that would occur (and simultaneously reduce the off time, that is deleterious to MLB performance in a way not applicable to other sports). I guess you agree with me.

 

[PooPopsBaldHead]

That's not what's happening. Because the wild card series went from 1 game to 3, and with 2 off days, the wild card teams can throw their number 1 for game 1 of the LDS.

IF the top seeds were getting to go against the 3 and 4 SPs to start the LDS, that would be an advantage. And that's why my proposal was to cut off days so that that would occur (and simultaneously reduce the off time, that is deleterious to MLB performance in a way not applicable to other sports). I guess you agree with me.

Wrong. In all of the NLDS and ALDS game one's the wild card/lowest seed started their number 2-4 pitchers. The 2 days off is only for the teams that swept 2-3.


Arizona-Zac Gallen for the Diamondbacks pitched game 2 against the Dodgers
Philly-Zack Wheeler pitched game 2 against the Braves
Texas-Jordan Montgomery pitched game 2 against the Orioles
Minnesota-Sonny Gray pitched game 3 against the Astros

The only way a wild card round team is starting a #1 in the first game of the LDS is if you pitch him on 3 days rest or don't use him at all in the WC round. Game one of all the WC rounds was on Tuesday and game one of all the LDS rounds was on Saturday.

The reality of what is happening is Philly is on fire and Texas is finally somewhat healthy on the bump and have their horses healthy in the rotation that are masking the bullpen weakness that cost them games in the regular season. You can look at regular season records all you want, but statistically the Rangers were the #1 batting and fielding team in the AL and were #6 in pitching because they dealt with tons of injuries to the pitching staff. Looking pretty dàmn clear who the best team in the AL is this year.

Texas and Philly went on the road and 17ed up Baltimore and Atlanta with what you perceive as an advantage. They did not have this advantage against Tampa, Miami, Houston, or Arizona and they have 17ed all of them up so far as well.

 

[kired]

Whether it’s fair or not… I’ve enjoyed these playoffs more than any I can remember in recent years, even the battle for the last wild card spots was great

 

[Cousin Jeffrey]

And there absolutely should be re-seeding in effect after the WCS. There is no good logical argument not to do that.

Anytime you seed your playoff teams in a way other than by record from top to bottom, you absolutely should reseed after the wild card round.

For example, this year Minnesota was the AL 3 seed because they won their division. But they had the worst record among AL playoff teams. In fact, they had the 7th best overall record in the AL.

I'm fine with awarding division winners a playoff position. I'd probably prefer seeding by record after that, though. If not that, re-seed after the wild card round.

 

[Boom Boom]

Wrong. In all of the NLDS and ALDS game one's the wild card/lowest seed started their number 2-4 pitchers. The 2 days off is only for the teams that swept 2-3.


Arizona-Zac Gallen for the Diamondbacks pitched game 2 against the Dodgers
Philly-Zack Wheeler pitched game 2 against the Braves
Texas-Jordan Montgomery pitched game 2 against the Orioles
Minnesota-Sonny Gray pitched game 3 against the Astros

The only way a wild card round team is starting a #1 in the first game of the LDS is if you pitch him on 3 days rest or don't use him at all in the WC round. Game one of all the WC rounds was on Tuesday and game one of all the LDS rounds was on Saturday.

The reality of what is happening is Philly is on fire and Texas is finally somewhat healthy on the bump and have their horses healthy in the rotation that are masking the bullpen weakness that cost them games in the regular season. You can look at regular season records all you want, but statistically the Rangers were the #1 batting and fielding team in the AL and were #6 in pitching because they dealt with tons of injuries to the pitching staff. Looking pretty dàmn clear who the best team in the AL is this year.

Texas and Philly went on the road and 17ed up Baltimore and Atlanta with what you perceive as an advantage. They did not have this advantage against Tampa, Miami, Houston, or Arizona and they have 17ed all of them up so far as well.

If you say so, I am not taking a deep dive on who is a 1 and who is a 2, but it makes little sense to me that the #1 would have 3 days rest but the #2 would have more, if 2 games were played in the WCS. Maybe teams that won the first game saved their #2 for the LDS? If so, kudos to them on smart strategery, but that only highlights the point that the format allows for that, and gives the top seed no real advantage.

What your second paragraph misses is the schooling effect. By having so many wild cards, MLB is selecting for the hottest team. At some point, that's just unavoidable and you congratulate a team for getting hot at the right time. But you shouldn't implement a format that encourages it. Winning it all from the WC should be an uphill battle, achievable but not common. We're not there.