2023 MLB Postseason Discussion

[homer]

2 minutes ago, owbc said:

My main issue is that the quality of the postseason baseball is really, really bad this year. It's little more than home run derby and most of the games have been blowouts. Phillies/Braves game 2 is the only DS game that was any good. The Brewers/D-Backs wild card were actually pretty good as well, but not a single wild card series even made it to the third game. 

I don't even think juiced baseballs are to blame -- it's just the natural response to bullpen optimization. Nobody will ever be able to string hits together, so everybody waits for the one mistake pitch that they can hit for a home run. Occasionally somebody comes in who can't pitch and you get like 4-6 runs scored in a span of like 5 minutes, then nothing for the next 2+ hours. The solution to this is to deaden the baseball, but nobody is ever going to allow that to happen. 

home runs can be flukey too though. The D backs only hit one more homer all season than the Brewers. 

[owbc]

7 minutes ago, homer said:

home runs can be flukey too though. The D backs only hit one more homer all season than the Brewers. 

I think they have changed their approach at the plate in the postseason. 

[HarryDoyle]

As much as the Dodgers are a perennial favorite to win the World Series every year, They have only won one in the last 35 years, and that was the covid season.

[torts]

6 hours ago, jerichoholicninja said:

While I guess it's "exciting" to see underdog teams do well in the playoffs it really cheapens what it means to win the world series to me. If we get a DBacks/Rangers world series, whoever wins, does anyone really feel like either of these teams are championship worthy? Neither would have been considered one of the best teams in baseball at any point during the regular season. I see so many posters lamenting that the Brewers will never win a world series in their lifetime for whatever reason but I just can't get too emotionally invested in the results of a handful of games over 3 weeks especially now when almost half the league makes the playoffs.

Call me a millennial but I like the chaos the expanded playoffs bring.  Bring on the chaos, the current format is perfect for that. 

Baseball needs to expand the playoffs more, make it a tournament like the Stanley cup (arguably the best professional league playoff tourny) that represents the grind of the season.  Play 150some games, and then play 3 rounds best of 7 to get to the world series best of 7.  If you won 100+ games that would be to your advantage. 

Until they do this, I wholely welcome our chaos overlords of this 3/5/7/7 format.  

[Robocaller]

Given how badly the top-winning teams are doing in the playoffs this year, in the future can we stop the posts that promote an "all-in or nothing" strategy instead of a "piece of the apple" philosophy?

 

[Thurston Fluff]

54 minutes ago, torts said:

Call me a millennial but I like the chaos the expanded playoffs bring.  Bring on the chaos, the current format is perfect for that. 

Baseball needs to expand the playoffs more, make it a tournament like the Stanley cup (arguably the best professional league playoff tourny) that represents the grind of the season.  Play 150some games, and then play 3 rounds best of 7 to get to the world series best of 7.  If you won 100+ games that would be to your advantage. 

Until they do this, I wholely welcome our chaos overlords of this 3/5/7/7 format.  

I also like the chaos. If the the format favored the best teams too much it would make it that much harder for small market teams to field World Series contenders. As it is teams with flaws can get on a hot streak and win.

[AKCheesehead]

49 minutes ago, Robocaller said:

Given how badly the top-winning teams are doing in the playoffs this year, in the future can we stop the posts that promote an "all-in or nothing" strategy instead of a "piece of the apple" philosophy?

 

While we're at it, how about the posts declaring the Brewers not good enough to win a postseason series, pennant, etc.  Every team that gets in is good enough to do it if they play well, or their opponents don't play well, or they get some beneficial breaks. 

[LouisEly]

1 hour ago, torts said:

Call me a millennial but I like the chaos the expanded playoffs bring.  Bring on the chaos, the current format is perfect for that. 

It's kind of like March Madness and the NCAA tournament, but I have a major issue calling a winner of a 68-team one-and-done tournament "national champions".

I'm OK with the 3/5/7/7 format but I don't want it getting any bigger.  I'd prefer five teams with the division winners getting byes and the wild card teams having a one-game playoff, but I know that baseball isn't going to go to that.

[HarryDoyle]

1 hour ago, Thurston Fluff said:

I also like the chaos. If the the format favored the best teams too much it would make it that much harder for small market teams to field World Series contenders. As it is teams with flaws can get on a hot streak and win.

Or maybe we can just contract the teams that aren't deserving out of the playoffs instead of rewarding mediocrity and watering down the postseason. Just go back to the four team in each league format.

[torts]

16 minutes ago, HarryDoyle said:

Or maybe we can just contract the teams that aren't deserving out of the playoffs instead of rewarding mediocrity and watering down the postseason. Just go back to the four team in each league format.

Nope!

[markedman5]

With all the Arcia stuff over the last 24 hours it reminded me of that situation where Machado purposely kicked Jesus Aguilar in the playoffs a few years ago……..there was an article in the Athletic (back when they cared enough to have a beat writer for the Brewers) and Yelich was in the clubhouse and was quoted as he walked through the clubhouse saying “ F#%k that motherblanker”. …you get the idea.

Anyway……it was never an issue……Yelly said it…..he wasn’t talking to a specific reporter but it was heard and it made it into a story.

I loved it. 

 

 

[homer]

1 minute ago, markedman5 said:

With all the Arcia stuff over the last 24 hours it reminded me of that situation where Machado purposely kicked Jesus Aguilar in the playoffs a few years ago……..there was an article in the Athletic (back when they cared enough to have a beat writer for the Brewers) and Yelich was in the clubhouse and was quoted as he walked through the clubhouse saying “ F#%k that motherblanker”. …you get the idea.

Anyway……it was never an issue……Yelly said it…..he wasn’t talking to a specific reporter but it was heard and it made it into a story.

I loved it. 

 

 

yeah if you say it in the clubhouse and there are reporters around it's gonna get reported. Braves are just looking for excuses. 

[markedman5]

52 minutes ago, HarryDoyle said:

Or maybe we can just contract the teams that aren't deserving out of the playoffs instead of rewarding mediocrity and watering down the postseason. Just go back to the four team in each league format.

You know baseball is a business right?
They benefit financially when more teams have a chance to make the post season…….just like the NFL and the NBA…more fan bases engaged in September……more excitement ….its also why the NCAA tournament has at large bids and not just conference champions.

[wiguy94]

Super detailed thread from Trevor May talking about how he would approach pitching to Bryce Harper. Highly recommend reading it.

 

[Brewcrew82]

I want me an Austin Riley....

[wiguy94]

6 minutes ago, Brewcrew82 said:

I want me an Austin Riley....

Hopefully Brock Wilken can be that guy for us. Also Riley has literally been the only good Braves hitter this series. Crazy how bad their offense has been so far.

[wibadgers23]

I long for the day when Am Fam is as nuts as Citizens Bank Park. I’m sure it was like that back in 2018 but I just don’t remember.

[Brewcrew82]

2 minutes ago, wibadgers23 said:

I long for the day when Am Fam is as nuts as Citizens Bank Park. I’m sure it was like that back in 2018 but I just don’t remember.

Yep. It was for Game 7 of the NLCS. Loudest I've ever heard after Yelich's HR. 

[markedman5]

The loudest I ever heard Miller Park was the walk off winner for T Plush……the place literally shook……I actually blacked out for a few seconds……

It was amazing 

[wiguy94]

13 minutes ago, wibadgers23 said:

I long for the day when Am Fam is as nuts as Citizens Bank Park. I’m sure it was like that back in 2018 but I just don’t remember.

I went to 2 games in the 2018 playoffs. One against the Rockies and one against the Dodgers (Woodruff HR game) and I totally agree. Not comparable atmosphere to Citizens Bank Park. Those fans are insanely loud. WI stadium atmosphere's kind of just lack across the board for some reason. Don't understand why.

[Bulldogboy]

Bats bats bats. I say again. Phillies just devastating the Braves with power shots. Nice Castellanos should have been a Brewers a few years ago. He was perfect fit. He's a dude.

[Brewcrew82]

I feel like the league may have figured out Strider. Tough to succeed when you rely on two pitches as heavily as he does. 

[wiguy94]

5 minutes ago, Brewcrew82 said:

I feel like the league may have figured out Strider. Tough to succeed when you rely on two pitches as heavily as he does. 

This has to be sarcasm.

[markedman5]

3 walks with 2 outs in the 7th quieted that place down in a hurry

[Brewcrew82]

16 minutes ago, wiguy94 said:

This has to be sarcasm.

No. Though, I probably should have added "a bit" to the end of my first sentence. He's still succeeding, just not at the DeGrom-esque level he was before. 

Spencer Strider ERA from debut to 2.75, 1.92 FIP, 0.54 HR/9.

Spencer Strider ERA from May 17 to present: 4.31/3.28 FIP/1.29 HR/9.