I have been thinking about this recently, and I kind of think it would be better if baseball went back to the four division format and cut the playoff teams in half. The last two years an 83 win team and an 82 win team have made the playoffs, which is a joke. Combine that with the fact that the NL central winner will most likely have less than 85 wins this year. I just get the feeling that sooner or later there will be a below .500 team in the playoffs (The Rangers were about 10 games under .500 in 94 at the time of the strike and were leading the West).

 

-Since divisional play began in 1969 until MLB expanded after 1993, three teams have made the playoffs with 85 wins or less not including strike years(87 Twins, 84 Royals, 73 Mets).

 

-Since MLB expanded there have been 3 teams with 85 wins or less make the playoffs(06 Cards, 05 Padres, 97 Astros). So there have been just as many mediocre teams in the playoffs with the new format and it has been around 11 years while the old one was around for 24.

 

Granted, with the old format you had teams with great records who would miss out on the playoffs. The 93 Giants are the first team that comes to mind. It just bugs me that it's not necessarily the best team that wins it all, but the team who is hot at the right time, as evidenced by so many wild card teams in the world series recently. I'm not taking anything away from last years Cardinals, they did what they had to do to win. But it's a joke that a team that had no business in the playoffs gets hot and wins it all.

Edited August 18, 200718 yr by WhiteSoxfan1986

No. No expansion, no going back to the way things were, leave as is.

No. No expansion, no going back to the way things were, leave as is.

 

Yeah, what she said!

I think baseball needs contraction. Too many teams.

I don't want more teams, but baseball's playoffs would certainly be better if you went back to the two-division format. It would certainly make winning a "division title" a helluva lot more meaningful, and September baseball would also improve due to more inter-divisional matchups.

 

Look at this season in the terms of a four division format. I assume the Sox and Royals would be moved to the West along with one of Cleveland/Detroit/Minny. It would suck from a personal standpoint in that the Sox that we'd be playing so many more games out West, but I really wouldn't be too upset about that.

 

As you alluded to, though, it would really pay dividends in the NL where the tallest midget that is the NL Central winner wouldn't have a representative for the playoffs. Instead you'd have a great battle for four playoff spots between Atlanta, New York, Philly, San Diego, Arizona and the Dodgers. I suppose I'm discounting the Cubs, Cards and Brewers a tad bit -- they'd probably compete for that fourth and final spot.

The best thing that's happened to baseball in the last 50 years was the invention of the Wild Card. It has meant more teams have a chance and when that happens it means you still have tons of teams competing meaning fans all over baseball are excited about there clubs shot.

 

Plus, while ocassionally you have some mediocre teams getting in, you still only have 8 total teams making the playoffs (which is very few).

 

God, I'd throw up if they went back to 4 playoff teams only. It would make things so much less exciting.

 

However, I could see going to two divisions and having two wild card winners as it would mean that you are trying to prevent the mediocre team from getting in yet still having 4 playoff spots.

The only thing worse than an 82 winning team making the playoffs is a 100 win team not making the playoffs or a team like the 1990 White Sox team not going despite having the second best record in the American League.

With the possibility of a below .500 team coming out of the NL Central, I have been thinking about the possibility of one big division in each league with the top four records going to the playoffs. This year, the Mets, Phils, and Braves are light years ahead of anybody in the NL central. Yet at least one will be watching the playoffs from home. I know this format would never happen, but it makes to interesting possibilities.

The last thing we need is less teams in the playoffs.