This year’s major league playoff, even given the result last night in Boston, demonstrate nicely that baseball is in an age of parity. The two World Series teams, Boston and Colorado, make for an interesting contrast, one with a payroll in the bottom third of teams, the other the second highest in the majors. The Rockies are in it for the first time, the Red Sox for the second time in four years, but only after coming back from being one game from elimination by another low payroll team. If you look at the results for this decade (which, to be precise, started in 2001, not 2000), it’s really amazing how many teams have gotten in on the excitement.
World Series participants: Yankees (2), Cardinals (2), Red Sox (2), Diamondbacks, Giants, Angels, Marlins, White Sox, Astros, Tigers, Rockies–11 teams for 14 spots.
LCS participants who didn’t get to World Series: Mets, Braves, Cubs, Twins, Mariners, A’s, Indians.
So a majority of MLB teams–18 of 30– have played for their league championship in this decade.
Playoff participants who didn’t win a series: Phillies, Dodgers, Padres.
Twenty-one out of the thirty teams (70%!) have made the playoffs in the last seven years. The ones who haven’t–Expos/Nationals, Pirates, Reds, Brewers, Blue Jays, Orioles, Devil Rays, Royals, Rangers–mostly make up a list of the worst run, most resource-poor, or worst talent-evaluation clubs. And of these, the Brewers are definitely headed in the right direction, and the Jays have the misfortune of playing in the same division as Boston and the Evil Empire (the Orioles and Rays would be bad whatever division they played in).
I feel sorry for the fans of these teams, especially those, like the Pirates and Rays, that really seem to have no reason to hope for better days in the forseeable future. But for most fans, this is a kind of golden age, when hope is not just for April, but for September and October as well.
Oh, and by the way, my World Series prediction: Red Sox in 6. But I’ll be rooting for the Rocks.
January 24, 2008 at 5:23 pm
Bill James would be most proud.
David, I must ask why no posting about the current steroid scandals? As a once devoted, nearly obsesive, fan of the great game, I am reeling with disappointment and sadness. The cancelation of the series in ’94 put my fandom on life support. This current mess has pulled the plug.
January 24, 2008 at 5:36 pm
Sadness over the whole situation, mostly, and a feeling that even at this point it’s really hard to sort the whole mess out. One thing I will say, and that’s that I’ve long been a fan of some players who have come out of this smelling like a rose, including Chipper Jones, Greg Maddux, and Tom Glavine. Because of Clemens’ use, I think Maddux will be known as the premier pitcher of the last two decades, while Chipper’s stock will soar as people realize how good his accomplishments have been without the juice.
October 27, 2010 at 5:29 pm
[...] let’s see: in 2007, I picked the Red Sox in six (they won in four over the Rockies). In 2008, I picked the Rays in 6 [...]