MLB 1st Half/2nd Half Champions - Hmm..

[Young Drachma]

With all the talk about wild cards and stuff, what if the majors just did what the minors does (some minor leagues) with 1st half and 2nd half champions.

Given that baseball's season is twice as long as any other league, I was just thinking about it. Not that I seriously think it'd ever happen or that I think it should.

Just wanted to banter about it.

[Logan]

Originally Posted by Dark Cloud

With all the talk about wild cards and stuff, what if the majors just did what the minors does (some minor leagues) with 1st half and 2nd half champions.

Given that baseball's season is twice as long as any other league, I was just thinking about it. Not that I seriously think it'd ever happen or that I think it should.

Just wanted to banter about it.

Just a comment on the split in the minors...I'm not sure what the real reasoning is, but I always thought it might have something to do with the movement of players as they get promoted. Tough to accurately gauge who is the best AAA team when they are losing their studs come a month before playoff time. Is that the cause, or am I way off?

[Booj]

Nationals fan?

[Young Drachma]

Originally Posted by Logan

Just a comment on the split in the minors...I'm not sure what the real reasoning is, but I always thought it might have something to do with the movement of players as they get promoted. Tough to accurately gauge who is the best AAA team when they are losing their studs come a month before playoff time. Is that the cause, or am I way off?

No that's precisely the reason it's done in the minors.

My reason for suggesting it for the majors, had more to do with the fact that teams are often out of it at the start and so...more so than other sports, teams are often out of it before they get started. Of course, it might increase player movement or it might decrease it.

But since baseball's season is longer than any other sport by double (hockey and basketball being my examples here) it just seems as though there would be another way to increase ticket sales, revenue and all that if teams were "always" in the hunt or at least, had a shot to be.

Not that I think this proposal is realistic. Just more a "what if" scenario.

[Young Drachma]

Originally Posted by Booj

Nationals fan?

Haha...

No worse, I'm a Blue Jays fan.

[vtbub]

They did it in 1981, the strike year.

[Booj]

It is interesting... but it would make for interesting strategies for teams....

If a player is contemplating surgery, the team might force him into it so they have him for the 2nd half pennant run.

[JeeberD]

I dig the idea...

[21C]

The problem with this idea is that there will be teams with the best overall records that don't make the postseason because someone had a better first or second half.

This is what happened in 1981 to both St Louis and Cincinnati.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/NL_1981.shtml

First Half of Season

East Division
Team           W   L  WL%  GB
Phildlpa PHI  34  21 .618  --  
St.Louis STL  30  20 .600  --  

West Division
Team           W   L  WL%  GB
LosAngls LAD  36  21 .632  --  
Cincnnti CIN  35  21 .625  --  

Second Half of Season

East Division
Team           W   L  WL%  GB
Montreal MON  30  23 .566  --  
St.Louis STL  29  23 .558  --  

West Division
Team           W   L  WL%  GB
Houston  HOU  33  20 .623  --  
Cincnnti CIN  31  21 .596  --  

Overall Record

East Division
Team           W   L  WL%  GB
St.Louis STL  59  43 .578  --  
Montreal MON  60  48 .556  2.0
Phildlpa PHI  59  48 .551  2.5

West Division
Team           W   L  WL%  GB
Cincnnti CIN  66  42 .611  --  
LosAngls LAD  63  47 .573  4.0
Houston  HOU  61  49 .555  6.0