At first glance, the format appeared to be advantageous to the top teams in each league. They not only dodge the possibility of losing in the Wild Card round, but they also get an opportunity to rest their pitchers and arrange their starting lineup anyway they see fit.
Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case, outside of the Houston Astros, who seem to have this whole postseason thing figured out. In the National League, the Braves and Dodgers have earned first-round byes in each of the last two seasons, and they’ve combined to win just three games compared to 12 losses.
Some of that could be attributed to the matchups. Some of it could also be chalked up to the randomness of the game, but Braves manager Brian Snitker thinks there is something more to it, stating he doesn’t believe the time off helps the offensive players.
Snitker stated on Foul Territory, “It’s hard to hit velocity when you haven’t seen anything in five days.” That’s what matters most to me. Our squad had an offensive line that broke all kinds of records, yet we struggled mightily in the postseason. I’m not sure how it’s done, but I believe the main issue is that, to be honest, I don’t like the method. It is something we will have to deal with. We have to work things out, because we will work extremely hard to win the division and have five days off once more.
Snitker even went as far as to say he would prefer to play a three-game series in the Wild Card round rather than sit and have a first-round bye.
There are likely other avenues MLB can take to make the playoff format more favorable for the top teams. But as of now, nothing is set to change and there’s a chance nothing will change substantially in the future. Complaining isn’t going to make a difference, and as Snitker said, the Braves are going to do their best to win the division again in 2024. They’ve got a loaded team that is set to be one of baseball’s best for the next decade. If the system stays the same, they are going to be in a similar position nearly every year, so they have to figure out a way to overcome the lengthy layoff and produce at the plate, or there is going to be a lot more postseason disappointment in the future.
