Major League Baseball hasn’t been afraid recently to change things up in order to make the game more appealing for fans.
That’s unusual to see in a sport that prides itself on protecting and projecting its history. It’s also necessary as the sports landscape gets more and more crowded. Beyond that, our attention is as divided as ever with the multitude of multimedia outlets at our disposal.
So what does any of that have to do with baseball?
Well, there’s another change that could have a dramatic impact on the game, maintain interest, and also reflect baseball’s past.
In 1969, expansion resulted in the creation of Eastern and Western divisions in each league and the invention of the League Championship Series. Since then the wild card (1994), the divisional series (1995), the wild card game (2012), have brought us to where we are today…a system that works, but could be better.
The Proposal
It’s time to go back to the future.
Let’s keep the two-league format. There’s no need to get rid of that. It works. There’s no discussion about realignment.
What baseball needs to do is get rid of divisions. And shorten the season. Slightly.
The divisional format and the unbalanced schedule are both no longer needed and don’t help determine the best teams in either league.
If baseball decided to go to a format where the teams in each league played eight games against intraleague opponents (112 total games) and three games against all 15 interleague opponents (45 total games) which would create a 157-game regular season schedule.
Baseball could still maintain the one-game tiebreaker, if necessary.
Intraleague games would be broken into two, four-game, home and away series. The interleague opponents would alternate hosting their home series each year.
The top six teams from each league would then make the playoffs, allowing for the top two teams to receive a bye.
There would be a four-team, three-game, wild card round. That would be followed by a seven-game divisional series, a seven-game championship series, and ultimately the World Series.
The Reasoning
This modest proposal improves baseball’s regular season by protecting it from the fluctuations within divisions.
Teams wouldn’t fatten themselves up against weaker divisional opponents or have to face losing out on a playoff spot simply because a division champion has to go to the postseason.
It’s more fair. It’s impossible to completely level the playing field in sports, but making the schedule more uniform is one way of doing that (It could also make assessing award winners a bit easier, but that’s a side benefit).
The six best teams from each making the playoffs. No debate. No discussion.
We live in a world where divisional banners don’t mean anything at all. Coaches don’t keep their jobs for winning the division. Fans don’t buy tickets in the hopes of winning the division. The storied franchises in sports don’t even hang division banners.
The culture of American sport is centered on championships. For better or for worse. Embracing that would allow baseball to continue its connection to the past while improving the sport for the future.
Since coming to the National League in 2020, Mookie Betts’ impact has been undeniable. He’s a three-time All-Star, Golden Glove, and Silver Slugger award winner. It’s time we give credit where credit is due. Betts’ performance this season has been nothing short of remarkable, making a strong case for him to be named the National League MVP.
That would make him just the second player in Major League Baseball history to accomplish that feat, joining the late Frank Robinson in that exclusive club.
With him in the lineup, the Los Angeles Dodgers are 82-51 (.617). Without him just 5-4 (.555). Betts has brought his play to a new level of excitement and skill this season. His offensive dominance, stellar defensive skills, and base-running prowess have all contributed to the Dodgers holding a comfortable 13-game lead in the National League West.
It’s not just his individual statistics that set him apart; it’s the way he elevates the game for everyone around him.
Betts’ batting average and on-base percentage speak for themselves. He consistently finds ways to get on base, putting pressure on opposing teams and creating opportunities for his teammates. His ability to hit for average and get on base sets him apart from his peers as a weapon at the top of L.A.’s lineup.
Betts’ power at the plate cannot be overlooked either. He has delivered a career-high 38 home runs and is approaching 80 total extra-base hits and 100 RBI, showing his ability to both produce runs and drive in his teammates. His power combined with his ability to get on base makes him a force to be reckoned with in the batter’s box.
He ranks in the top five in the NL in batting average, on base percentage, slugging percentage, and OPS and runs scored.
So, not only does Betts excel at getting on base and hitting for power, but he’s also really, really good at driving in runs and scoring them himself. He can quite literally do any and everything with the bat in his hands or on the basepaths.
His versatility extends to the defensive side of the field too. He’s played 8 games at shortstop, 26 games at second base, 63 in right field, and 36 with some combination of the three.
Betts’ defensive skills in the outfield are unparalleled. He consistently makes highlight-reel catches, diving to make crucial plays and robbing opponents of hits.
He covers ground effortlessly, making difficult plays look routine. Additionally, his arm discourages opponents from taking extra bases and can make the throws from the warning track or deep in the hole.
Whatever the stats, Mookie is going to be near the top or standing alone at the summit.
Mookie Betts is the total package, and one of the most recognizable faces in the game today.
His work ethic and dedication to the game set the tone for his teammates. Betts’ relentless pursuit of perfection inspires others to push themselves harder and strive for greatness.
Yes, there are other players having their own great seasons. But when you combine the statistical dominance with his overall impact on a first place team, it becomes clear that he should be the 2023 National League Most Valuable Player.
The biggest change for the Houston Astros has been the return of their offense.
Since the All-Star break, Houston has been sending balls into orbit with regularity and sending runners around the basepaths. They lead the AL in runs and RBI, are second in home runs and walks, and rank third in batting average and OPS.
Guiding the team through all of this has been Dusty Baker.
On May 1st, the Houston Astros were just 16-13, with the sixth-best record in the American League. One month later the Astros were 10 games above .500 but had fallen further behind the Texas Rangers in the American League West standings, trailing by 2.5 games.
June was brutal, as Houston suffered four-game and five-game losing skids, but they closed that month by winning four of their last five.
Houston Astros 5th In Standings On July 1
The defending American League champs were still sitting fifth in the standings on July 1st. The World Series let down talk was rampant.
However, since then, the Astros are 23-12. Over their last 20 games prior to Sunday’s loss to the Angels, Houston had been tied with the Baltimore Orioles for the best record in the AL with 13 wins during that stretch.
And yet, there are consistent calls and even petitions to have Baker fired. Those who would like to see Dusty go, can point to the team’s lackluster records in close games and overall losing mark against winning teams.
Houston’s pitching staff has been mediocre at best, carried by the offense.
Baker Has Achieved Unprecedented Success Since Joining Astros
Still, since Baker took over as manager prior to the start of the 2020 season the Astros have been to the American League Championship Series three times, advanced to the World Series twice, and won it all last year.
They’ve experienced only two months with a losing record under Baker, and have won almost 61 percent of their regular season games in August, September, and October since the start of the 2021 season.
In the postseason the Astros are 28-14 with Baker in the dugout, posting an impressive .667 winning percentage. Both marks outpace his overall regular season (.591) standards and surpass his overall postseason percentage as well (.526).
Let’s not forget how Dusty single-handedly navigated the Astros through the aftereffects of the “cheating scandal” under former manager AJ Hinch. Dusty’s presence at the helm softened the venom from opposing fans and media because of the respect and reverence he’s acquired since he was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 26th round of the 1967 MLB Draft.
Dusty Baker Has Houston Sitting Pretty
A baseball season is a marathon. It is a battle of endurance. As the cliche’ says, “you want to be playing your best baseball at the end of the year.”
Looking at the American League landscape, Houston is where it wants to be. The schedule down the stretch isn’t easy, but the Astros only face four teams with winning records away from Minute Maid Park the rest of the way.
Perhaps the Astros haven’t reached their peak this season. But based on Baker’s record, any panic at this stage is unwarranted.
Come late October, you have the expect that the Houston Astros will be in the mix for another world championship.
Win or lose, Baker’s legacy is cemented. If he is leaving the launching pad in Houston, he’ll be touching down for a landing in Cooperstown very soon.
The 2023 Major League Baseball season officially reaches its point of no return on Tuesday, August 1, at 6:00 pm ET with the trade deadline. Roughly 22 of 30 teams are still in contention for the playoffs. Several players are having historic seasons once again.
And yet, there isn’t much excitement or buzz nationally about another highly competitive year of major league baseball.
Baseball occupies an incredibly unusual place among the major American sports leagues. MLB has been very profitable, breaking revenue records year-in and year-out for 17 straight years, that is, until the streak ended during the pandemic. After that blip on the screen, baseball has gotten back to making money.
Still, problems continue to loom for a sport that should be as healthy as it has ever been. MLB promotes numbers that imply that MLB is thriving, and the fans are coming in abundance. In some major markets that’s the case, but the daily conversation from sports fans and in empty stadiums across the league shows a thirst for a breakthrough MLB star that the entire culture can identify with.
Last week produced the highest average attendance that @MLB has seen in more than a decade.
In addition, the current year-over-year growth in average attendance is the best since the game expanded to 30 Clubs a quarter-century ago. pic.twitter.com/reQUHWnaYG
MLB still doesn’t have a mainstream star. No one has crossed over from the diamond and into the collective consciousness the way that Ken Griffey Jr., Barry Bonds, or Derek Jeter did. Whomever you consider the face of baseball–Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, Ronald Acuna Jr., Mike Trout–none of them are selling sneakers or cereal or jerseys.
Of the top 45 jerseys sold across all sports during 2022, only five were of MLB players (Fernando Tatis Jr., Mookie Betts, Ronald Acuna Jr., Corey Seager, Freddie Freeman).
The Players Union and MLB have a tenuous five-year agreement in place as a result of the 2022 lockout. That negotiation was bitter and both sides still have leftover resentment. Baseball needs to start preparing now for a very different environment instead of waiting to deal with it in 2026.
Load management has affected baseball as much as it has the NBA, with preserving players for the long haul impacting the day-to-day level of play on the field. A quality start used to mean going seven innings while allowing three runs or less. Now, it seems like the criteria is five innings and 100 pitches.
Where’s The Consistency?
In a sport that spans nearly 200 games and eight months, there has to be some consistency for fans to fall in love. The starting pitcher and the four-man rotation used to be a big part of that. Not anymore.
There aren’t any “iron men” in the mold of Cal Ripken. Calculated rest is one thing, but injuries are plaguing franchise-type players. Though we know more about the human body than ever before, stars aren’t taking the field for 140 or 150 games.
Some of the recent rule changes implemented by MLB have worked. Games are faster while runs are still being scored. The utilization of the stolen base is back to levels we haven’t seen in more than a decade.
Still, judging by the headlines and social media traffic, more sports fans were talking about the start of NFL training camp than the MLB trade deadline this past weekend.
What’s In Baseball’s Future?
Gaming and highlight culture have made individual plays bigger than the game. Cord-cutting and streaming are going to dramatically impact the broadcasting and economic models of the sport.
With all of the parity in the standings, if the playoffs started today, the Boston, New York, and Los Angeles markets would be missing from the American League. Chicago and New York, once again, would be out in the National League.
How many “casual” fans can name a starter for the Tampa Bay Rays? Or know who’s batting cleanup for the Milwaukee Brewers?
The talent pool in the game is deeper than it’s ever been. So is the competition for eyeballs. Baseball has a compelling product and plenty of storylines to sell. So why aren’t they resonating?
Why aren’t fans nationally responding the way they do locally?
Clearly, the game isn’t enough. Major League Baseball had better find a way to be heard a little more clearly in the onslaught of noise in the sports marketplace.
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