Call to the pen
Fansided

2 extreme MLB postseason format ideas to shake up the league

By Colton Stewart

People line up for a photo with the 2021 Braves baseball World Series Championship Trophy at the Anderson University Softball Complex Wednesday July 27, 2022. The trophy is scheduled for 151 stops in the Southeast, commemorating 151 years of Braves baseball. The World Champions Trophy Tour Presented by Truist will travel throughout Braves Country, featuring locations in Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi, South Carolina, and North Carolina, according to Braves officials.Braves Championship Trophy Tour Stops In Anderson
People line up for a photo with the 2021 Braves baseball World Series Championship Trophy at the Anderson University Softball Complex Wednesday July 27, 2022. The trophy is scheduled for 151 stops in the Southeast, commemorating 151 years of Braves baseball. The World Champions Trophy Tour Presented by Truist will travel throughout Braves Country, featuring locations in Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi, South Carolina, and North Carolina, according to Braves officials.Braves Championship Trophy Tour Stops In Anderson /
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Mar 26, 2022; San Francisco, CA, USA; The March Madness logo is displayed along the scorerÕs table before the game between the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Duke Blue Devils in the finals of the West regional of the men’s college basketball NCAA Tournament at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 26, 2022; San Francisco, CA, USA; The March Madness logo is displayed along the scorerÕs table before the game between the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Duke Blue Devils in the finals of the West regional of the men’s college basketball NCAA Tournament at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

The second idea, as I mentioned, is entirely in the opposite direction. Think March Madness, but in baseball.

Now I don’t think we should do that many teams as then the whole league would be in the playoffs. But a 24-team, single-elimination tournament would be so exciting and play into baseball’s unpredictable nature that comes with every game.

This format would have 12 teams from each side, leaving out the few bottom feeders that aren’t as close in strength. It would give the top two teams in each league a bye in the first round, but would be absolutely insanity afterwards. From there, I think you have a team play once every two or three days. This way, each team would have to rotate starters more often. They could even hold it as a big tournament event at a few central locations like March Madness.

The “anything can happen” part of the game’s beauty at times makes this idea fascinating because if things fall their way on any given day, a team could pull out an upset victory.

It would not be easy to figure out team flights, game times, and make sure they use more than their number one starter every game. It could also affect how owners look to spend because of the increased chances of winning and unpredictability. Teams might think they can get away on a decent roster and luck alone to win a World Series … or every team might try to get that one last piece to give them the best odds of pushing through to the finals.

Going with this idea would bring down the total potential amount of playoff games from 40, if all go to a full series, to 23. But because of how exciting one-game elimination can be, I think baseball fans would get more invested because of the storylines that come into play and because of the unpredictability.

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I believe that this idea would be a great way to bring more fans into baseball because this type of format has natural excitement for the playoffs. I think people could gamble on it the same way they do March Madness, and there could be just as many potential bracket-breaking games that interest people to pay attention.

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