MLB Central Division teams as of today: only two have winning records

[Auggie]

Last edited Fri Jun 9, 2023, 01:16 PM - Edit history (1)

Milwaukee and Pittsburgh in the N.L. have records of 34-29 and 32-29, while the best Minnesota can muster in the A.L. is 31-32.

Is this an anomaly? Or is it because for the first year every team in baseball will play every other team in baseball at least once.

That's 24 fewer games against their divisional opponents than they did previously, 52 rather than 76.

Before, teams played more games against their divisional opponents (76) than they did the rest of their league (66). That's why Cleveland, Kansas City, Detroit, Pittsburgh, et al gravitated to the Central Division during the last realignment -- to help ensure a fair shot at postseason.

Now they’ll play 64 against the rest of the league and 52 against their division.

MLB lauds the new schedule but it's not fair to small market teams whose media contracts and payrolls pale in comparison to those of the Dodgers, Yankees, Mets, Padres, Phillies, etc. (in both central divisions, the Cubs and White Sox rank highest in payroll at #13 and #14, followed by #16 Cardinals, #17 Twins, #19 Tigers, #20 Brewers, #23 Royals, #25 Reds, #26 Guardians, and #28 Pirates.

I'd be willing to bet that in the near future Manfred merges divisions into one National League and One American League, thus ensuring teams with the highest payrolls, best media contracts, and biggest stars can perennially face each other in the playoffs. It's pretty obvious he doesn't give a damn about the small markets.

I hated this new schedule from the beginning

[WestMichRad]

1. It's not simple.

Ahh, I don’t think it’s so clear-cut. For instance, the Brewers (the team I follow most closely) has fared pretty well so far against big-market teams, winning series against the Mets, Yankees, Astros, Padres, Angels, Orioles and Mariners. They’ve had a tougher time against teams with mediocre records.

I see some merits in the so-called “balanced schedule.” For example, fans of any team in the NL will get to see Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani play their favorite team one series a year, and at their home stadium every other year.

The fact that currently most teams in the central divisions have sub-par records might be a statistical aberration, just as it is that all 5 AL East teams are above .500. Or it’s an indication that the ranking of team salaries has some correlation with on-field records.

In any event, we can be sure statisticians will pore through the data at season’s end to see what conclusions can be drawn.

[Auggie]

2. During one of the last realignments ...

Cleveland was given the option of staying in the A.L. East or moving to the Central. They chose the Central specifically because of the budget issue.

Statistical aberration? Perhaps. There are still many games to play.