If Relegation Existed in Baseball
Despite producing the same winning percentage as Colorado, Milwaukee and Oakland survive on run differential.
Carson Cistulli has published a book of aphorisms called Spirited Ejaculations of a New Enthusiast.
Despite producing the same winning percentage as Colorado, Milwaukee and Oakland survive on run differential.
Carson Cistulli has published a book of aphorisms called Spirited Ejaculations of a New Enthusiast.
lol
#KeepNotGraphs
Relegation in baseball is an interesting topic. Obviously, relegating a team out of MLB is not ideal and from a realistic standpoint should probably not be considered unless the minor league teams were independent and had the infrastructure to be viable at the top level.
A more interesting relegation system for MLB to me, is one that keeps the same 30 teams but places them in three tiers based off of previous season(s) W/L record. You could still have the same number of playoff births, with the top tier getting a higher percentage of them. The bottom tier would also get a birth in the playoffs but would do so at a disadvantage.
why would you want some awful team in the playoffs? I’d rather it not turn into more of a novelty than it already is
Because the tiers would presumably be based on the winning percentage from the year before. 2014 results determine 2015 tiers, and the top team from the 2015 tier (possibly a much improved team from 2014) would go to the playoffs.
At least, that’s what I imagine Dogersims is talking about. I’ve had the same fantasy lots of times. It gives the poor teams a faster route to the playoffs by giving them a reward for improving /relative to teams of similar caliber/ rather than MLB as a whole, which gives them an incentive to improve instead of sit back and rebuild for 4-5 years at a time.
It will never happen, but in some alternate reality, it’s a fun idea.
Yes, AC is correct. It is kind of common sense. The bottom tier is based off of the previous season records. For the current season you take their best team and probably just throw them in a WC equivalent game. It works quite well, thanks. 🙂
My wife almost got a birth in the playoffs.
If relegation existed on Fangraphs, Carson Cistulli would be the guy asking questions in the comment section below a Dave Cameron chat, two days after the chat had already ended.
Relegation is for dorks in England like me. It’s not for actual intelligent people such as on Fangraphs. Some years ago the proletariat was demanding the Royals be relegated. I’m sure the Mets and BJs would’ve liked that.
An englishman referring to football as soccer? Yeah, sure…
The username doesn’t necessarily imply UK nationality, merely fandom of English Soccer.
It CAN mean nationality. Adjectives are funny.
– Insane Clown Killer
MLB relegates to
Japanese NPB relegates to
Cuban Serie Nacional relegates to
Liga Mexicana
That’d be a hell of a road game for the Hiroshima Trout
In a weird way, relegation does exist in baseball, only it’s at the individual player level. Play well? Promoted to a higher league. Play poorly? Back down to AAA. Play really well? Get traded or signed by a team headed to the playoffs.
Mind. Blown.
Jim Crane approves this message.
if relegation existed in baseball, there wouldn’t be a playoffs, and we would have tie ballgames.
Ok, because I have entirely too much time on my hands, I went and looked back at all the previous times this was done, because there’s a fatal flaw in these posts; the relegation doesn’t carry over year to year.
So, 2013 (all teams in order of standings finish);
Promoted: Durham, OKC, Lehigh Valley, Pawtucket
Relegated: Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Miami, Houston
2014:
Promoted: Syracuse, Reno, Memphis, Columbus
Relegated: Minnesota, Texas, Colorado, Arizona
Las Vegas wasn’t promoted, as Carson’s post last year indicates, because they were already promoted the previous year. Likewise, Houston was relegated the previous year, so they couldn’t be relegated in ’14. Tough luck, Twins.
2015:
Promoted: Chicago Cubs, Fresno, Indianapolis, Scanton W/B
Relegated: Atlanta, Pawtucket, Cincinnati, Philadelphia
Man, the Phillies couldn’t even finish ahead of the Paw Sox :/
I guess that’s why their abbreviation is pronounced “Phila.phia”
CORRECTION: 2013 Promoted should say “Las Vegas”, not “Lehigh Valley”.
Dang, I was hoping to root for Glasnow, Taillon, Hanson, and Bell, but now I’m going to have to cheer against them since they replaced Cincy. Also, AAA would not be a great place for Votto’s rage.
Huh, four-twenty hurt Colorado after all.