MLB 2023 Season

[Le Grande Orange]

Originally Posted by pilight

I can't imagine why that matters anymore. They move teams back and forth already. The rules are the same now. They're just arbitrary groupings.

It's actually easy to rearrange clubs within the existing leagues to achieve 8-team divisions — use the divisional arrangements of 1993 as the starting point:

    NL          AL
East West   East West
 CHN  ARI    BAL  ANA
 MIA  ATL    BOS  CHA
 NYN  CIN    CLE  KCA
 PHI  COL    DET  HOU
 PIT  LAN    NYA  MIN
 SLN  MIL    TBA  OAK
 WAS  SDN    TOR  SEA
*exp* SFN   *exp* TEX

The main difference is that MIL and HOU have swapped leagues compared to 1993.

If you prefer a bit more geography for the NL, then do the move that Commissioner Vincent wanted to do for 1993 but wasn't able to: send CHN and SLN to the West Division and ATL and CIN to the East Division:

    NL          AL
East West   East West
 ATL  ARI    BAL  ANA
 CIN  CHN    BOS  CHA
 MIA  COL    CLE  KCA
 NYN  LAN    DET  HOU
 PHI  MIL    NYA  MIN
 PIT  SDN    TBA  OAK
 WAS  SLN    TOR  SEA
*exp* SFN   *exp* TEX

As for scheduling, assuming one wants to retain the current format in which a club plays an interleague series against every club in the other league:

• 10 games against three teams and 9 games against four teams in the same division (66 games)
• 06 games against the eight teams in the other division of the same league (48 games)
• 03 games against the sixteen teams in the other league (48 games)

If you prefer the previous more limited interleague play:

• 12 games against the seven teams in the same division (84 games)
• 07 games against six teams and 6 games against two teams in the other division of the same league (54 games)
• 03 games against eight teams in the other league (24 games)

If you don't want any interleague games:

• 13 games against six teams and 12 games against one team in the same division (90 games)
• 09 games against the eight teams in the other division (72 games)

The 90-72 ratio of division to interdivisional games is the same ratio that was used in the NL from 1969–1992 and the AL from 1977–1978.

[Le Grande Orange]

Following on from the above, if you send HOU back to the NL where it belongs and return MIL to the AL:

    NL          AL
East West   East West
 CHN  ARI    BAL  ANA
 MIA  ATL    BOS  CHA
 NYN  CIN    CLE  KCA
 PHI  COL    DET  MIN
 PIT  HOU    MIL  OAK
 SLN  LAN    NYA  SEA
 WAS  SDN    TBA  TEX
*exp* SFN    TOR *exp*

As before, if you want you can have ATL and CIN swap divisions with CHN and SLN in the NL. The AL East is now the same as it was in 1993 but with the addition of TBA. Alternatively, you could put MIL in the AL West and the expansion team in the East.

If you want to have HOU back in the NL while keeping MIL in the league, that is trickier. If you go with historical precedent, MIL goes into the NL East (reflecting how the team was in the AL East from 1972–1993) and HOU into the NL West. The AL would get one expansion team in each division.

    NL          AL
East West   East West
 ATL  ARI    BAL  ANA
 CIN  CHN    BOS  CHA
 MIA  COL    CLE  KCA
 MIL  HOU    DET  MIN
 NYN  LAN    NYA  OAK
 PHI  SDN    TBA  SEA
 PIT  SLN    TOR  TEX
 WAS  SFN   *exp**exp*

ATL and CIN can swap divisions with CHN and SLN in the NL if you want.

[Cap]

Let's do away with the whole leagues concept and just have an East and West division in baseball. To cut down on travel time have teams in the East only compete with other teams in that division and likewise for the West division. Then when the regular season ends have the best ten or twelve teams from each division compete in the Playoffs. Or have the most profitable teams in each division play in the World Series.

I hear next year all but the two worst teams will make the playoffs.

Cap

[Le Grande Orange]

Another follow-up:

Assuming 12 teams in the post-season is desired, the four 8-team division arrangement has the benefit of a streamlined playoff system: the top three teams in each division makes the playoffs, with the 3rd place team playing the 2nd place team in the first round, the winner of that then facing the first place team. The winners of those play in the LCS.

This division-based qualification makes the divisions more important, and division rivalries more meaningful since clubs are competing directly against those division opponents for a post-season berth. The simpler tie scenarios means tie-breaking playoff games can be reinstated — if two clubs are tied for third place, a tie-breaking game determines which team advances to the post-season; if two teams are tied for first place, a tie-breaking game decides which team goes directly to the second round and which will have to play the third place team in the first round (this is similar to what happened in MLB in 2018).

Division-based playoffs also means reduced travel since contesting teams are closer together with fewer time zones to traverse, meaning a travel day could be eliminated from the post-season schedules thus shortening the overall length by a couple of days.

[thehef]

Borrowing this from the other thread...

Originally Posted by mytreds

From https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.co...%20last%20year).

“MLB saw viewership for the League Divisional Series round drop 8% from 2022, as two series were sweeps, there was no Game 5 and the Yankees were no in this year's round.

...

The decline for the LDS round comes after the Wild Card round dropped 18% with four series sweeps.”

I'd like to see a few more years of the above in order to prompt something like this:

Originally Posted by Le Grande Orange

Assuming 12 teams in the post-season is desired, the four 8-team division arrangement has the benefit of a streamlined playoff system: the top three teams in each division makes the playoffs, with the 3rd place team playing the 2nd place team in the first round, the winner of that then facing the first place team. The winners of those play in the LCS.

This division-based qualification makes the divisions more important, and division rivalries more meaningful since clubs are competing directly against those division opponents for a post-season berth. The simpler tie scenarios means tie-breaking playoff games can be reinstated — if two clubs are tied for third place, a tie-breaking game determines which team advances to the post-season; if two teams are tied for first place, a tie-breaking game decides which team goes directly to the second round and which will have to play the third place team in the first round (this is similar to what happened in MLB in 2018).

Division-based playoffs also means reduced travel since contesting teams are closer together with fewer time zones to traverse, meaning a travel day could be eliminated from the post-season schedules thus shortening the overall length by a couple of days.

It makes too much sense, though, meaning the idiot commissioner would never do it.

[Le Grande Orange]

Originally Posted by thehef

It makes too much sense, though, meaning the idiot commissioner would never do it.

Originally, I was not a fan of the four 8-team division arrangement idea, as 8-team divisions seemed too large to me.

But the more I think about it, the more I think it works well, making regular season scheduling easier, and resembles baseball's traditions more than the current six 5-team divisions which requires constant interleague play. (With an even number of teams in each league, interleague play can go back to being scheduled for specific parts of the season, and allows the last two weeks or so of the season to be devoted solely to divisional play.)

One small disadvantage is that it looks like the NHL's current alignment.

[MathBandit]

Originally Posted by Le Grande Orange

Another follow-up:

Assuming 12 teams in the post-season is desired, the four 8-team division arrangement has the benefit of a streamlined playoff system: the top three teams in each division makes the playoffs, with the 3rd place team playing the 2nd place team in the first round, the winner of that then facing the first place team. The winners of those play in the LCS.

This division-based qualification makes the divisions more important, and division rivalries more meaningful since clubs are competing directly against those division opponents for a post-season berth. The simpler tie scenarios means tie-breaking playoff games can be reinstated — if two clubs are tied for third place, a tie-breaking game determines which team advances to the post-season; if two teams are tied for first place, a tie-breaking game decides which team goes directly to the second round and which will have to play the third place team in the first round (this is similar to what happened in MLB in 2018).

Division-based playoffs also means reduced travel since contesting teams are closer together with fewer time zones to traverse, meaning a travel day could be eliminated from the post-season schedules thus shortening the overall length by a couple of days.

This is what I do in OOTP as well.

2 hosts 3 in a 'Bo2' series (2-seed is home for both, only needs to win one). Winner goes to the winner of the other division for a 7-game LCS.

I like it since I find that bye, home Bo2, road Bo2 hits the right balance of staggered seeding for me to ensure that every seed matters.

Let's say you're a team with one good Ace (say top5 in MLB) starter, and then 3 solid 2b/3a starters. If you're tied for the 2-seed going into 162, do you throw your ace to try and get the 2-seed? Or take your chances and risk having to win both WC games on the road, but with your ace for one of them?

[Westheim]

Tom "I bought this suit in 1978" Verducci!

[Westheim]

Well, 'stros are down 2-0. But my heart is with the Snakes anyway

[Cobra Mgr]

Trevor May's way of saying "Take this job & shove it".

[GeoWar]

This season has been boring --- and the post season has been just an expansion of the season ---- For me mostly due to the Balanced Schedule and so many interleague games and fewer Divisional games to decide champs .

And the roster changes ..... really between each series ?

The pitch clock helped speed up the on field game -- but between each half inning breaks really slow it down ...... Umpires stopping action to allow commercials to finish . Replays should have a 30 second clock.

What will next season bring ?

[Syd Thrift]

Are half inning breaks any longer than they used to be? I don't think they are. Perhaps with the rest of the game sped up so much, the minute-ten they take between sides of an inning (think it goes out to a minute 40 in the playoffs; maybe that's televised games and then it's 2 minutes 10 seconds for the playoffs) feels longer, I don't know. It reeeeeeeeally looks to me like the attendance and viewership figures seem to be based on shorter series so far coupled with the fact that the Tampa Bay Rays played in one of the rounds.

Also, haven't roster changes between series been a thing for like at least a decade now? I know it's not new to OOTP.

[GeoWar]

Originally Posted by Syd Thrift

Are half inning breaks any longer than they used to be? I don't think they are. Perhaps with the rest of the game sped up so much, the minute-ten they take between sides of an inning (think it goes out to a minute 40 in the playoffs; maybe that's televised games and then it's 2 minutes 10 seconds for the playoffs) feels longer, I don't know. It reeeeeeeeally looks to me like the attendance and viewership figures seem to be based on shorter series so far coupled with the fact that the Tampa Bay Rays played in one of the rounds.

Also, haven't roster changes between series been a thing for like at least a decade now? I know it's not new to OOTP.

Aren't all games "televised" ?
I only went to two MLB games this year in person -- it is about 150 miles in one direction (round trip 300 ) -- my son watches on his phone at the game -- And it is normal for the home plate umpire to hold up play till the commercials have finished .

When the Braves and Cubs had the Super Stations telecast -- the annoucers did the commercials live on air mostly ...... Harry and his Bud.

The roster changes I thought were only if someone was injured ..... not to make mutiple changes -------- it may just seem worse this year ( mostly Texas )

[Westheim]

Teams I am favoring in the LCSes: 0-4

Maybe it's me. Maybe I bring bad luck. Maybe I should start rooting for the obnoxious team in Rudel's avatar. They'd be in the Munich County League within five years.

[rudel.dietrich]

After a pretty fun season, these playoffs have been a dud. Blowout games and uncompetitive series with almost no stakes.

[MathBandit]

Originally Posted by rudel.dietrich

After a pretty fun season, these playoffs have been a dud. Blowout games and uncompetitive series with almost no stakes.

My concern would be that it seems unlikely to change. I am guessing that if Texas and Philly both win their series, Phillies will absolutely roll the Rangers in the WS.

[Syd Thrift]

Originally Posted by MathBandit

My concern would be that it seems unlikely to change. I am guessing that if Texas and Philly both win their series, Phillies will absolutely roll the Rangers in the WS.

I'll be honest, this is my hope. Screw the Astros and NOBODY IN THE AL WEST GETS A TITLE BEFORE THE MARINERS

[Westheim]

Originally Posted by Syd Thrift

I'll be honest, this is my hope. Screw the Astros and NOBODY IN THE AL WEST GETS A TITLE BEFORE THE MARINERS

Heh, embrace the pain. At the rate things are going at, all NL East teams but the miserly Mets might make merry memories in the World Series in a 6-year span if the Fish get there next year.

[Amazin69]

Even if you only give the Phightin's credit for 2008, it still doesn't feel so great looking at history through Metropolitan eyes.

Braves…2021
Gnats…2019
Phils…2008
Fish…2003
.
Mets? 1986. Lovely Mets Memories, but…1986. Sigh.

[Westheim]

Pfaadt: 5.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 9 K

But here comes Schwarber again, who has totally destroyed him today, so we must pull the plug right now!

Kidding, Schwarber was 0-2 with 2 K, looking.

I ******* hate that baseball is run by nerds.