Jose Bautista... A Brief Statistical Investigation

Blue Jays rightfielder Jose Bautista was a relative unknown just a little more than a year ago. He'd never played a full season without a batting average of better than .252. He'd never hit more than 16 homers either. That was all until last season. Bautista blasted 54 long balls and drove in 124 runs. He played in all but one game and hit .260. This season, he's already hit 19 dingers (actually on pace for about 75), and 32 RBI (on pace for about 125). Further, Bautista's contact swing has also come around and he's finding holes in the opposing team's defense as opposed to just over it. He's hitting .343 through 40 games played.

How is Jose Bautista doing it? Its an incredible change in fate that has made him a surefire MVP candidate and one of the most feared hitters in baseball. There are a few elements really to take into account on this meteoric climb to baseball proficiency, and I would like to wade through them.

For one, Bautista's batting eye has gotten better. One of the biggest aspects of hitting at the major league level, or really any level, is being a disciplined hitter, and that is something that Bautista's really become the last 2 seasons. Bautista's on base percentage last season was .378, and this season it is .492. In both cases its more than 100 points higher than his batting average, which is a strong indicator that he is taking a lot of walks and being smart at the plate. In previous seasons, Bautista's OBP was more like 70 or 80 points more than his average, and keep in mind his had a deflated batting average as well to help him proportionally with walks. However, also feeding into those walk opportunities the last 2 seasons is the fact that Bautista does not have a lot of protection around him in the lineup, meaning he will be walked in favor of facing the other options around him in key situations. However, with Adam Lind hitting .313 and now seeing the majority of the time in the spot in the lineup behind Bautista, that means Bautista will end up facing more pitches, even if Lind is not as vaunted of a power bat. Either way, the lack of options around him would just be reason to give more credit to Bautista for his numbers, while Lind's improved performance at the plate is reason to expect even better things to come.

This goes without mentioning that of Bautista's 49 hits in this young season, 55% of them have gone for extra bases. For comparison, Bautista's extra base hit percentage in 2008 was 36%. It was an incredible 62% in 2010. Which leads to the idea that Bautista is getting into good hitter's counts and then driving the baseball at his opportunities.

One could also postulate that although Bautista has left the ballpark 19 times, he's only gotten 32 RBI. This could be a statement against his team's ability to get on base around him. Really though, this may not be the case, a troubling stat is his lack of clutch hits. Bautista is hitting only .188 with runners in scoring position, while hitting .407 while leading off an inning. 13 of his 19 homers have been solo shots. He also plays on a team that is actually 9th in the league in OBP, so they are indeed on base often.

No major injury really hampered Bautista in his past to state why he would all of a sudden start hitting so well, there was no clearing of injuries to let him freely hit again, and even so, he's been banged up from time to time the past two season anyway, yet still performed so well.

Jose Bautista's growth into one of the strongest power hitters in the Major Leagues is a perplexing one for certain. Some credit must be attributed to hit improved eye at the plate, and more to his ability to put the team on his back with few strong hitters around him. At the same time, his inability to hit with men on is puzzling and recurring (.246 RISP in 2010 as well). If nothing else, Bautista is getting himself into good counts, and then either taking the walk, or driving the baseball, and that's a definite recipe for success.

What's the baseline?
Jose Bautista is an enigma. Its crazy, he kills the baseball, but more so with no one on. He takes advantage of good counts and puts a hurting on the baseball during his chances. Its hard to tell which numbers are real, and which are fool's gold, but I'm sure of one thing. Bautista is a powerful player, and I'd certainly be careful facing him.
(photo courtesy of thegoldensombrero.com)

MLB Power Rankings: May 22nd 2011

I thought seeing as we're slightly more than a quarter of the way through the MLB season and most teams are now approaching the 50 game mark it would be a good time to sort through the MLB season and provide a power rankings of all 30 teams. The list itself is pretty self explanatory as teams are ranked by how strong they appear as of today. One minor note is that this post and all the numbers provided in it are previous to tonight's Sunday night game. The teams will be provided with their record, record in their last 10 games, current streak of wins or losses, and a brief note. Without further delay...
MLB Power Rankings
1. Cleveland Indians (29-15, 6-4, W3)
Surprise, surprise! They've got the best record in baseball. I didn't see that coming whatsoever, and its been 44 games now. They can sustain this, especially if they continue to pitch.
2. Philadelphia Phillies (28-18, 4-6, L1)
Much less of a surprise, and they're doing it with that monster of a staff that they've assembled. The big 4 have combined for a 2.80 ERA. The back end of the bullpen has been solid without Brad Lidge as well.
3. San Fransisco Giants (26-19, 7-3, W4)
No World Series hangover here. Ryan Vogelsong has been a fantastic surprise and helped add depth to an already fantastic and successful rotation.
4. Florida Marlins (26-19, 5-5 L1)
Florida's done just enough to win. I'm a little skeptical that they can sustain it, but with Josh Johnson as the best ace you've possibly never heard of in the league, they give themselves ample opportunities to win.
5. St. Louis Cardinals (27-20, 6-4, W1)
They've got the best offense in baseball right now, and they've done it despite early struggles from Albert Pujols (well, struggles for him). Who knew Lance Berkman's fountain of youth would be in St. Louis?
6. New York Yankees (25-20, 5-5, W2)
They sure do use that bandbox of a park to their advantage. Looks like Curtis Granderson has finally figure out how to hit there. Russell Martin's been a solid addition thus far as well.
7. Tampa Bay Rays (26-21, 4-6, W1)
They're 24th in the Majors in on base percentage yet winning ball games. They're very formidable if they can get Jeff Niemman rolling the right way again.
8. Atlanta Braves (26-22, 6-4, W1)
The Braves strong staff picked up where they left off last season. A healthy Jair Jurrjens has been fantastic, and rookie Bandon Beachy looks like a real keeper. Craig Kimbrel's 4 blown saves make him a question mark though.
9. Boston Red Sox (24-21, 7-3, L1)
Mashing the ball is the way they've gone after last year's emphasis on pitching and defense backfired. They're second in OBP, but 24th in ERA. Health and having enough pitching will tell the tale for Boston.
10. Texas Rangers (24-23, 5-5, W1)
Texas caught the injury bug early, but they've still competed well in what could be a tough division. Its a good thing they didn't trade Michael Young after all, he's been their most consistent hitter, but what else is new?
11. Milwaukee Brewers (24-23, 8-2, W3)
A slow start for the Brewers, but it seems they're finally coming around. They got Zack Greinke back a couple of weeks ago, and that should help what's been a mediocre pitching staff. Ryan Braun leads the National League in homers.
12. Cincinnati Reds (25-22, 5-5, L5)
Dropping five straight doesn't bode well for them, putting them behind a division rival on the list that has a worse record. Their starting pitching has been very temperamental and unable to throw consistent strikes. They have one starting pitcher with over 8 games started and an ERA under 5 (Bronson Arroyo).
13. Detroit Tigers (23-23, 5-5, W1)
The middle of their order is just as dangerous as expected, and catcher Alex Avila has been a pleasant surprise, but the pitching and especially the erratic bullpen has been a significant problem. They only have 3 relievers with an ERA under 7.
14. Colorado Rockies (23-22, 4-6, L3)
They've been a very mediocre, inconsistent team. Troy Tulowitzki had a hot start, but Carlos Gonzalez didn't. Ubaldo Jimenez has been very shaky. This team could go either way yet.
15. Toronto Blue Jays (23-23, 7-3, L1)
Jose Bautista has been amazing for a season plus now. Adam Lind is quietly having a good season as well. Can they compete in such a top heavy AL East though?
16. Arizona Diamondbacks (22-23, 7-3, W5)
All of a sudden the Diamondbacks have won 5 in a row and have a commanding hold on 3rd in the NL West. Ryan Roberts's hot start might be coming to an end though, I wonder how much this team will be able to score in the long run.
17. Kansas City Royals (22-23, 4-6, L1)
A hot start quickly fizzled, most probably due to very poor pitching in key moments. The lack of a true ace on their staff is a trouble spot. The bright side is they're 7th in OBP.
18. LA Angels (23-24, 2-8, L1)
A very inconsistent team in a very strange division. They've played well statistically, but don't have the wins to show for it.
19. Seattle Mariners (21-24, 5-5, W4)
My pick of Michael Pineda for Rookie of the Year looks pretty smart 45 games in. The Mariners have pitched incredibly well, but can't hit. Chone Figgins can't steal first and they've gotten no production out of left or center field.
20. Chicago White Sox (22-26, 7-3, W2)
They just haven't been very good, there's no other way to put it. They need bullpen help, even though Sergio Santos appears to have assumed the closer's role. Jake Peavy could definitely be a step in the right direction, they've played much better since his return.
21. Baltimore Orioles (21-24, 5-5, W2)
They looked formidable for a brief period. The young arms have been very inconsistent, and its been their biggest undoing. Zach Britton being the exception to that, has been very good.
22. New York Mets (22-24, 6-4, L2)
Pitching has been at a premium. They certainly need better from Mike Pelfrey. The Mets have hit well, but can't seem to keep the leads that they get. The defense has been sloppy as well.
23. Pittsburgh Pirates (22-24, 4-6, L1)
They've pitched better than I anticipated but have also hit worse than what was expected. Andrew McCuthen finally seems to be getting it on track. Pedro Alvarez has been a grave disappointment, and Lyle Overbay at the other corner infield position has provided very little power production as well.
24. Washington Nationals (21-25, 3-7, L2)
They can't hit worth a lick, which is a shame since they've pitched fairly decently but have wasted those performances. The only team with a worse OBP is Minnesota. Adam LaRoche is off to another cold start, and they gravely need a lead off man.
25. Oakland Athletics (22-24, 3-7, L4)
Losing four in a row doesn't do them favors. They've actually got the best pitching in baseball, but also have really struggled at the plate (a common theme lately on this list). This could be a mindblowingly better team with some better hitters.
26. Chicago Cubs (20-24, 5-5, W1)
They've got the 3rd best OBP in the Majors, but the 3rd worst ERA. They only seem to have 4 starting pitchers, and only 2 are dependable at all right now. Ryan Dempster has gotten hit all over. Maybe cutting Carlos Silva wasn't such a good idea?
27. LA Dodgers (21-27, 3-7, L2)
They've been all-around unimpressive, and it starts with the organization's troubles. But at the same time, what happened to Jonathon Broxton?
28. San Diego Padres (19-27, 5-5, L2)
The beat goes on for San Diego in that they've pitched well but can't hit. To think, last year this team came within a game of the playoffs. Granted they still had Adrian Gonzalez. Makes me wonder if they could compete with him on the squad this season.
29. Houston Astros (17-30, 3-7, W1)
One of two teams with a winning percentage in the .300s. The offense has at least shown flashes. First baseman Brett Wallace is a very underrated player. Michael Bourn has 17 steals already and is hitting at a respectable .271. They need pitching desperately though.
30. Minnesota Twins (15-29, 3-7, L2)
Probably the biggest surprise of them all. They're last in various statistical categories on both sides of the ball, and losing Joe Mauer for an extended period certainly didn't help. This is a case of all 25 guys just struggling all together.

What's the baseline?
The Indians are the tops, the Twins are the bottom. Who saw that coming? The AL East is tough, and the National League really seems to be able to pitch the baseball. I'll be very interested to see what a mid season power rankings would look like in comparison.

Remembering the Late Harmon Killebrew

I have the unfortunate duty of passing along, or at the very least admitting that today is a very sad day for the game of baseball. Former power-hitting Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins star player, Harmon Killebrew passed away today after a long battle with esophageal cancer.
Killebrew was just 18 in 1954 when he made his debut for the Senators and went on to play for 21 seasons for the franchise that later moved to Minnesota. He played his final season as a Kansas City Royal. Killebrew led the majors in home runs 6 times in his career, led in RBI 3 times, and was considered one of the most feared hitters of his era. He won league MVP in 1969 with 49 homers, and 140 RBI, both league bests, and also a league best on base percentage of .427. Killebrew was an 11 time All-Star, at 3 different positions in 1B, 3B and LF. He was a weak fielder with a big bat when he first entered the majors, but developed into a solid first baseman. He's 11th all-time in homers (including roiders), 15th in walks, 8th in at bats per home run, and 57th all-time in adjusted OPS. He was the first of four hitters to ever hit the roof in left field of old Tiger Stadium, as he often set off tape measure shot only rivaled by guys like Mickey Mantle. Killebrew's only trip to the World Series was in 1965, where his Twins lost to the LA Dodgers in 7 games. He hit .286 in the Series with 1 homer and 2 RBI.
What attributes most to "the Killer"'s legacy was his longevity. Players like Billy Williams, Frank Howard, and Johnny Callison were some of his contemporaries and also power hitters, but they couldn't sustain the power over the years the way that Killebrew did. He was the quintessential throwback power hitter , and his best year's came in an era dominated by pitching.
Off the field Killebrew was a quiet, calmly-spoken man, which was much unexpected by the way he was able to attack a baseball. He was very much not one for the partying lifestyle of many of his peers. After retirement, he became chairman of a charity and golf tournament that has raised nearly $9 million for leukemia research.
Harmon Killebrew was 74 years old.
(photo courtesy of tchuddle.com)

Grizzlies vs. Thunder Game 7: Who Wins?

In a matter of a few hours we will have the first Game 7 of this year's NBA playoffs as the Memphis Grizzlies and Oklahoma City Thunder try to settle their score and see who will move on to the Eastern Conference Finals. The series has been hard fought and each team has won on the opponents home floor, so pretty much anything is possible tonight in Game 7. The Grizzlies are an interesting team in that they are an 8 seed. They beat the heavily favored San Antonio Spurs in the first round and have grabbed the bull by the horns against a very formidable and talented Thunder team. That Thunder team has Kevin Durant, who most know as the premiere scorer in the NBA, while doing it without a "me-first" attitude. The series has also included a triple overtime marathon that in my opinion was more than likely the best game of the playoffs so far. Unfortunately, the late 10:30 start of the game hampered most of public from seeing any or all of such a dramatic experience that the game was. They are two compelling teams, playing one game, with the chance to move on and play the Dallas Mavericks for a chance at the NBA Finals. I have come up with a few keys to victory for each team, then I will state who I think will ultimately win this Game 7.

Memphis
1. This is Zach Randolph's time to shine. Coming into the playoffs this season, the NBA public didn't give Randolph much of a second look. Over the last month or so, he's legitimized himself as a potential star as he's been unconscious shooting from the field and been a menace on the block rebounding the basketball. Randolph's averaging 20 pts and 12 reb in the series. He's averaged 28 and 15 in wins and 19 and 11 in the losses (12 and 8 if you take out the stat-padding triple overtime game). Randolph needs to get off and propel he's team forward.
2. They need to do whatever it is they did to Kevin Durant in Game 6 again. Durant only scored 11 points. He shot 21%. A big heaping helping of both Tony Allen and Shane Battier hounding Durant all day is in order I suspect. Memphis has done a great job of ball denial on Durant the whole series, and it needs to really continue as well.
3. Memphis needs to guard the 3 point line. The Grizzlies won Game 6 in large part due to Oklahoma City's cold shooting from the 3 line. The Thunder shot 16% from 3 in the game. Putting hands up on James Harden and Daquaen Cook will be a large part of Memphis stealing this game away. Players like OJ Mayo that are more offensively minded need to come out and have the mentality of running their counterparts off the 3 line. The Thunder will knock the shots down otherwise, I don't expect two incredibly poor shooting nights in a row.

Oklahoma City
1. Speaking of poor shooting nights, clearly the most obvious key is Kevin Durant. They need to get him scoring, and really taking more shots. I hope Coach Scott Brooks has tried to develop new ways to work the ball into Durant's hands, with how poorly point guard Russell Westbrook has played at times in this series, I would even consider having Durant bring the ball up the floor in the half court set, LeBron James style. At the same time, Durant is a guy who really depends on his role players, so he's not alone in being who this game is dependent on for the Thunder.
2. Take out his double-double in Game 1, and Serge Ibaka is averaging 9 points and 5 rebounds in the series. He's lost minutes in the series as its progressed to Nick Collison. Ibaka needs a big game on the offensive end, but especially on the boards and defending Randolph. I've been disappointed with Ibaka, his length and athleticism should pose more of a problem to Randolph than it has, instead Brooks has opted more to Collison when in need of a stopper on Randolph. If Ibaka comes up big, say with 15 points and 10 rebounds and solid defense, he really helps Oklahoma City's chances.
3. Russell Westbrook has to play like a true point guard, and that means he has to make smart decisions. A lot has been made of Westbrook taking more shots in this series than Durant, and to be honest, I think that's unacceptable. Even if Westbrook is shooting more because of the stringent defense on Durant, that doesn't give him free reign to put up all the lousy shots he has. Westbrook is a point guard, he's supposed to distribute the ball, hit the open player. They need to get the ball to Ibaka, Harden, and Cook. They can score the ball, and they're going to get open looks. Westbrook needs to turn off the tunnel vision and get everyone else involved, that is his job.

I think the Thunder will win the game and therefore the series. Memphis won't make it easy, I expect a close game, but Durant is too good of a player to be kept down for much longer. I expect one shooter on the Thunder to get open looks he will knock down as well. I also think the Thunder will play inspired defense on their home floor, leaving Memphis looking for a solution outside of Randolph. I go with the Thunder. My guess at the final score... 104-98.

What's the baseline?
Its been a great series, and it should be a great Game 7. Ultimately I give it to the Oklahoma City Thunder. We will really see in a couple of hours.

Can the Lakers Do the Unthinkable?

Let's not mince words here, no team has ever come from behind and won a series in NBA history after being down 3-0. Phil Jackson has never coached a team that was down in a series 3-0 either. That's the scenario to be played out in the coming days as the LA Lakers trail an upstart Dallas Mavericks team that has really hit their stride entering this Western Conference Semifinal series. Following Friday night's loss of Game 3 of the series by the Lakers, star player Kobe Bryant still appeared upbeat about their chances to win the series despite the fact the Lakers blew a 16 point lead in the process of the defeat. Kobe thinks they can still come back and win it, and I can understand his line of thinking beyond his own explanation of him just being "crazy".

Kobe is a fierce competitor, one of the best in the league. He's incredibly confident in himself, as proven by all the last second shots he's taken and made in his career. He's incredibly confident in himself and his ability to win basketball games, and with great reason. Kobe Bryant is a great player. This isn't his time though.

Let's cut through the formalities and how Kobe sees the scenario, because honestly I think they way he's portraying it is way out of touch, and I think even a part of him knows it. The Lakers are down 3-0, and blew a 16 point lead in Game 3. Phil Jackson doesn't know how to manage the long term and short term of being down 3-0, he's never worked in such a scenario before. And the Lakers outside of Kobe has reason to not be as confident. They haven't played well, and their not players of Bryant's arrogance, caliber, or instinct. Pau Gasol looks tired and weak. He's taking lots more jump shots and straying away from the block a lot more than in last year's playoffs where he was near dominant. Gasol's played a lot of minutes the last 2 years, his legs are probably gone and his game has suffered. Andrew Bynum is a mental case right now, spouting off about trust issues, and I genuinely think trust issues are an issue in that locker room right now. Kobe may be a leader, but he's not a uniter, and when things go bad for the Lakers they start pointing their figures at each other, with Kobe being the untouchable. It just so happens that the finger pointing is finally happening at the least opportune time, during the NBA playoffs against a very worthy opponent. In that same vein, Dallas looks really strong. Simply put, they're playing really good basketball right now . Dallas's guard play has been exceptional especially and I'm afraid the Lakers just can't hang. Further, LA's bench hasn't contributed much outside of Game 1, and most of that was from essential starter Lamar Odom.

I will give the Lakers at least this much though, if they win tomorrow, their comeback at least becomes plausible. A win tomorrow drums up confidence, especially being on the road. If the Lakers play sound basketball, some of the inner workings of that team calm down and trust starts to come back. They go back to LA then and could then easily win Game 5. At this point, Dallas, who has a history of losing playoff series after being comfortably ahead (2006 Finals for instance) becomes panicked and Game 6 in Dallas is essentially a must win that holds the key to the series. Games 4 and 5 hold the chance for a swing of confidence and for the Lakers to ultimately come back.

The first task though is winning Game 4, and that's the most doubtful. Its going to take an effort from at least one Laker player that is above and beyond the norm. Kobe's got to drop 50 or Bynum's got to get 25 and 15. Someone has to play out of their mind. Someone's got to be the brunt of the offense and instill the fact that Dallas will not creep back into the game like they did in Game 3. I say no team other than the Lakers has a chance at this kind of thing, but the Lake Show can do it. I doubt it, but stranger things have happened.

What's the baseline?
Kobe thinks the Lakers can come back from 3-0, and I understand his confidence, I even concede that LA has a chance. Lots of things have to fall into place though for this comeback to be successful, and I'm afraid its just a thing or two too many.

Why Expansion of the MLB Playoffs is a Bad Idea

We've already introduced the idea of Major League Baseball expanding the playoffs to 10 teams, 5 in each league. We've talked about the players' reaction to the potential change here, particularly with the response of one outspoken ace pitcher. The reason for why Bud Selig, the MLB, and the owners want to expand the postseason is obvious. Having more games means selling more tickets, and generating bigger tv contracts for all-around more revenue. This seems to be the sole reasoning for such a change to the playoff system. The only other suggested positive that comes from it is that an extra team in each league enhances the chances of a small market team making the playoffs in a league that favors big markets so strongly. Much like a hot goalie in hockey can carry a team through the playoffs, a hot pitching staff can carry a team in baseball when it comes to October. This means you could see a major run by a wildcard team, potentially a small market, and a better chance for a smaller market to win it all. That strategy has a flaw in my opinion though, and I'll get to that in a minute. I have to start at the beginning of the flaws of a proposed expanded MLB playoff system first.

With that said, having a 10 team playoff system does major damage to specific qualities the MLB season has. The most major damage that I can find is that adding teams to the playoffs diminishes the importance of the 162 game regular season. Baseball's played over the course of 6 months. Its a long arduous process, but there's a reason for that. 162 games is a large sample size. What that means is that the chances of fluke teams overachieving or underachieving is significantly decreased because it would be incredibly hard to over/underachieve for such a long time period. The main point is baseball doesn't need a playoff system to tell who the elite teams are. Baseball has a 162 game season that already does that leg work. The only thing that could come out of an expanded playoffs is to have an undeserving 5 seed team get hot and make it deep into the playoffs. That pennant winning, 1 seed that was best in the league is no longer afforded their deserved chance at the World Series because they got beat in a fluke 3 game, 5 game, or 7 game series by a team that threw a couple good games together. For instance, say the team that wins the league season pennant with 95 wins. The 5 seed (85 regular season wins) beats the 4 seed in a 3 game play-in and then goes on to beat the pennant winner in a 5 game series. According to this system, the 5 wins the 5 seed got trump not only the 95 wins of the pennant winner of 6 months, but the 10 win difference between the two teams. Not only that is the case, but the 5 seeds wasn't even good enough in the regular season to win their division, or even be the best team not to win their division. I just don't find that just. Why bother with a 162 game season if its rendered meaningless by the playoffs?

The proposed expanded postseason has a practical fault as well. If there's a play-in 3 game series like has been proposed for the wildcard between 4 and 5 seeds, then its going to take at least 5 days to play those games. What are the other, already set teams going to do for those 5 days? Remember in 2007 when the Colorado Rockies went on a rampage, won 20+ straight games including playoff the NLDS and NLCS and then had to wait a week for their World Series opponent? The Rockies came out cold because they hadn't played in a week and the hottest team in the game got swept in the World Series because of it. This isn't the NFL, there should not be bye weeks. Too many days off would put the teams that did better in that all-important regular season at a disadvantage, when they should be put at an advantage. It simply doesn't make sense or do justice.

Also, an expanded playoffs means the playoffs will go deeper into the fall, which is ridiculous. We're a year removed from playing World Series games in November. The regular season schedule was tweaked this offseason to prevent such an occurrence this year. The last thing we need is another round of playoffs so that we have November World Series baseball in New York, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, or Cleveland (I can dream can't I?). We'd have snow outs. Its impractical and not necessary.

Further, there are other ways to get more small market teams incorporated in the playoffs and with a better chance to compete. The most obvious is a salary cap, which is long overdue, but almost certainly not going to happen. Other options include restructuring divisions, particularly the AL East, or even doing away with divisional play entirely (an idea I really support). Any of these ideas wouldn't create any of the impracticalities that an extended playoffs would.

The problem is these ideas don't make more money, and that's what the MLB is all about, which it should be since it is a business, but not to the point it ruins the sanctity of the sport or the quality of it. That's what this expansion idea borders on. Maybe its the traditionalist in me, many people had similar arguments when Selig decided to incorporate one wildcard after 1994. I think the system as is though is successful and of particular quality. 8 teams is just enough. Unfortunately, my say doesn't really count.

What's the baseline?
Outside of more money generated for the league, MLB playoff expansion serves no purpose. It ruins the importance of the MLB's long regular season and creates impractical elements in its use. Unfortunately money talks and rules, and so does Bud Selig. I'd be interested to see how watered down a longer MLB playoffs would end up being, but not enough interested to actually want to see the change. I might see it anyway.