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2020 MLB Season Thread -- Rays v. Dodgers -- Small Payroll v. Large Payroll

deacon14 said:
I hate what it does to the regular season, but the expanded playoffs are going to make the next few days full of a lot of fun baseball
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I don't plan on moving from my couch over the next few days with the exceptions of getting food (meaning sandwich for lunch, pizza for dinner), getting beer out of the fridge and going to the bathroom.
 
Manfred has already said that there won't be a 16 team playoff next year, but he left open the possibility to expand the playoffs from the 10 teams total, including two Wild Card teams in each league, that had been the recent standard.

FWIW, it also sounded like the universal DH, and the runner on second to start the 10th inning may be around to stay, but the 7 inning double header was a one year thing because of the need to play so many DHs because of COVID makeups.
 
Thought I was gonna hate the runner on 2nd base, but I ended up enjoying it.
 
I say keep the Extra Innings runner on 2nd base, keep the 7in double header, keep the taxi squad, keep the expanded playoffs, or at least expand the field such that the best team
in each league still gets a bye.
 
I’m obviously biased here, but I think the expanded field has made the end of the season much more competitive and entertaining.
 
I'm OK with the expanded playoff, but some people are going to lose their mind if the Dodgers get knocked out in the first round, or if we get a Marlins v. Jays World Series.
 
The point of a 162 game MLB season is to distinguish the incredible/great teams from the good/average teams, and to primarily only include the former into the playoffs.

With a 60 game season, an expanded playoff made sense, and I have no problems with how it is playing out this year. Playing 162 games in order to let over half of the MLB into the playoffs would be way too long, and it would just be the mediocre teams that have no chance at a WS fighting to make the playoffs every year. The best teams would have nothing more substantial than home field advantage to play for for like 60 games each season.
 
For example, look at a team like the Reds. In 60 games, they barely made an expanded playoffs. However, barring injuries, it seems likely that a team of the Reds caliber would have competed for an 8 team playoff spot over 162 games even with a poor first 60 games. That's basically why an expanded playoffs makes more sense in 60 games than 162.
 
I'm somewhat a fan of the system used by some minor leagues where the season in divided in 2 parts with the first half division winners automatically making the playoffs. I'd have the extra inning rule start in the 11th rather than the 10th. As a long-time minor league watcher, the 7 inning doubleheader is something I've come to appreciate.
 
Man a Giolito perfect game would have been so cool
 
Really did not see that Bieber outing coming. Bauer v Fried should be really fun today. Also, with Lamet and Clevinger potentially out for the series, might be a chance for the Cards to upset the Padres.
 
DaDeacs said:
Really did not see that Bieber outing coming. Bauer v Fried should be really fun today. Also, with Lamet and Clevinger potentially out for the series, might be a chance for the Cards to upset the Padres.
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Baseball Tonight said the Yankees noticed he was not throwing the curve for strikes - batters were chasing it out of the zone - so the Yankees sat on the curve ball and waited for the fastball.
 
Both central division had a number of teams with garbage offenses. Bieber is a really good pitcher, but he benefited greatly from facing the Tigers and Royals multiple times (and Pirates). Same goes for Bauer - I read several articles discussing cy young candidates that he had the easiest opposing schedule of any pitcher in baseball.
 
The twins now 17 game postseason losing streak really is an amazing stat
 
deac29 said:
Both central division had a number of teams with garbage offenses. Bieber is a really good pitcher, but he benefited greatly from facing the Tigers and Royals multiple times (and Pirates). Same goes for Bauer - I read several articles discussing cy young candidates that he had the easiest opposing schedule of any pitcher in baseball.
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I thought this was interesting so I looked at it: Bauer had 11 starts and Bieber 12.

Bauer: DET x2, MIL x3, KCR, CHC x2, PIT x2, CHW
Bieber: KCR x2, MIN x3, CIN, CHW x2, DET x2, PIT, MIL

The CHW had a wRC+ of 114, good for 6th in MLB. Every other team that either of these guys faced was in the bottom half of baseball in team wRC+, with PIT at 73 (29th), MIL at 89 (24th), and DET at 89 (24th).
 
Here is the BP article:

https://www.baseballprospectus.com/...ards-in-2020-the-problem-of-opponent-quality/

“Although the NL ERA leader, Trevor Bauer, has certainly pitched well, he has faced the weakest opposition of any qualified pitcher in baseball, thanks to the geographic limitation of facing only Central divisions. Aaron Nola, on the other hand, has faced much tougher competition pitching against the AL East and NL East, and has the higher ERA to prove it. Adjusting for this massive disparity in opponent quality, Nola may be equally, if not more deserving of the award.”
 
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