POLL MLB Playoff Format

[Cyder]

I’m one of the few that love the one game playoff. It makes winning your division crucial. Wild card teams should be at an extreme disadvantage.

I agree. Don't want to be in the wild card win your division.

 

[DirtDirtDirt]

I agree. Don't want to be in the wild card win your division.

Dis-agree

The division you play in is out of your control

 

[Clayton]

I like the current system. It rewards the division winner because they dont have a 50/50 chance of just losing one game and losing their season. Nothing is fair for the Wild Card teams but who cares? Its the wild card. Win your division.

The old way is good, too. The new system puts more teams into play and keeps the regular season more interesting, though.

Three game wild cards would be a mess. I'd be very against that.

 

[DirtDirtDirt]

I like the current system. It rewards the division winner because they dont have a 50/50 chance of just losing one game and losing their season. Nothing is fair for the Wild Card teams but who cares? Its the wild card. Win your division.

The old way is good, too. The new system puts more teams into play and keeps the regular season more interesting, though.

Three game wild cards would be a mess. I'd be very against that.

Dis-agree, and of course my team is the victim this season, but I've really always felt this way

Sox win 115 games
Yankees win 108
Indians win 88 and are the beneficiaries of a bad division

I'm sorry, I have a really hard time further penalizing that 108 win team

 

[Clayton]

Dis-agree, and of course my team is the victim this season, but I've really always felt this way

Sox win 115 games
Yankees win 108
Indians win 88 and are the beneficiaries of a bad division

I'm sorry, I have a really hard time further penalizing that 108 win team

In that case, the old way is the best way to solve that.

Do you really want the Wild Card team blowing 2 pitchers before they even make the real playoffs?

 

[DirtDirtDirt]

In that case, the old way is the best way to solve that.

Do you really want the Wild Card team blowing 2 pitchers before they even make the real playoffs?

In a round about way, that's the big disadvantage you're creating for the WC team

I just can't wrap my head around one game, the worst team in all of baseball can win vs the best on that one given night

 

[Clayton]

In a round about way, that's the big disadvantage you're creating for the WC team

I just can't wrap my head around one game, the worst team in all of baseball can win vs the best on that one given night

Any playoff format you come up with is going to stink when you're in the same division as an historically good regular season team. In any other scenario, you'd have the really awesome 2nd place team in a heated divisional battle which makes the regular season games matter.

 

[Cyder]

Dis-agree

The division you play in is out of your control

Even more than that, I don't want to blow 2 or 3 starters and my pen on a wild card series and go into the next round with my 3rd or 4th starter.

 

[The Q]

In that case, the old way is the best way to solve that.

Do you really want the Wild Card team blowing 2 pitchers before they even make the real playoffs?

The flip side is you don’t want teams having more than 2-3 days off or it becomes a huge disadvantage.

 

[molsaniceman]

In a round about way, that's the big disadvantage you're creating for the WC team

I just can't wrap my head around one game, the worst team in all of baseball can win vs the best on that one given night

Well it wont be the Os so yanks stand a chance

 

[PhilSimms11]

Dis-agree

The division you play in is out of your control

This is why I'm in favor of the 3 division winners and the 2 best records qualifying with the teams being seeded 1-5 by W-L record; 4th vs 5th in the wildcard. I favor number of wins.

 

[DirtDirtDirt]

This is why I'm in favor of the 3 division winners and the 2 best records qualifying with the teams being seeded 1-5 by W-L record; 4th vs 5th in the wildcard. I favor number of wins.

I agree, I was thinking one division in each league, but I like your idea better

Again, as a Yankee fan, I know it sounds like sour grapes this season, but Ive vented against this system since its inception

 

[Clayton]

This is why I'm in favor of the 3 division winners and the 2 best records qualifying with the teams being seeded 1-5 by W-L record; 4th vs 5th in the wildcard. I favor number of wins.

Might as well get rid of divisions at that point.

I think in 2018 there is an argument that divisions aren't super important but if you're knocking division winners into a wild card then you're definitely saying that they aren't important.

 

[DirtDirtDirt]

Might as well get rid of divisions at that point.

I think in 2018 there is an argument that divisions aren't super important but if you're knocking division winners into a wild card then you're definitely saying that they aren't important.

Tough call there. Theoretically it is and should be important. But I think the level playing field thingy becomes a little sketchy. Almost as in football, the Pats have their ticket punched to the playoffs before kickoff every single season. Partially because they are very good, but hugely because their division is just always awful

Tough fix

 

[molsaniceman]

Might as well get rid of divisions at that point.

I think in 2018 there is an argument that divisions aren't super important but if you're knocking division winners into a wild card then you're definitely saying that they aren't important.

Quit making sense You will confuse everybody

 

[PhilSimms11]

Might as well get rid of divisions at that point.

I think in 2018 there is an argument that divisions aren't super important but if you're knocking division winners into a wild card then you're definitely saying that they aren't important.

I knew it was a matter of time before we heard the proverbial "then you might as well get rid of divisions" reply. If they were to do that it could be perfect scheduling. Two leagues of 15, play each league opponent 11 times each (154 games), and 8 interleague games for a total of 162. As far as I'm concerned they could just do away with the 8 interleague games and stay at 154. However, critics of this idea would say that not having divisions would dissolve a lot of the drama toward the end of the regular season. That's a valid point. Currently, 4 of the 6 divisions are wide open. I'm not sure why a guaranteed playoff spot isn't enough for winning your division. They have to have a home playoff game or don't have to play in the wildcard game, etc. Number of wins matters more to me than winning a division.

 

[Clayton]

I knew it was a matter of time before we heard the proverbial "then you might as well get rid of divisions" reply.

Its an inevitable response to 'wins are what matters to me'

Heck, look at the NL right now. Only 4 wins separates 8 teams. Statistically speaking, however you divide those teams up is going to have someone upset because its such a small margin.

 

[PhilSimms11]

Hell of a year in the AL. Here's how I would seed it.
Wildcard
(5)CLE (91-71) @ (4)OAK (97-65)

ALDS
OAK/CLE vs (1)BOS (108-54)
(3)NYY (100-62) vs (2)HOU (103-59)

NL
Wildcard
(5)ATL (90-72) @ (4)COL (91-71) or LAD (91-71)

NLDS
ATL/COL/LAD vs (1)CHC (95-67) or MIL (95-67)
(3)COL or LAD vs (2)CHC or MIL

 

[ElTexan]

Current system, but intra-divisional teams can’t meet in LDS (as previosly prohibited).

 

[steveringo]

One game playoff series makes no sense.... I like the wildcards... I wouldn't mind one more... Have a three game series - Tues, Wed, Thur.... Division series starts Friday....