Six Pitcher Postseason Theory

What Does it Take to Win in the Baseball Playoffs?

Around July 31, Major League Baseball teams start looking to swing deals to improve their teams or to rebuild for the next season. It was around this time that I started looking at teams that were eyeing the post season and looking to make a run deep into the playoffs. Many teams are built for the long haul of a regular season, but fizzle out in the first round of the playoffs. Why do these teams all of a sudden became vulnerable after winning ninety to one hundred games during the regular season? Everyone says that pitching is the key to postseason success and after looking at the teams that have succeeded so far, I think that it correct. However, I’m of the opinion that it takes a certain type of pitching staff to do well during the playoffs. A team has to have a certain mixture of starters and relievers to be successful. A shift in balance in either direction causes problems. Ideally, a team would have a ten or eleven man staff full of respectable pitchers. However, that is not always possible due to economics and injuries. I contend that a team with six reliable pitchers can have success in the playoffs.