Atlanta Braves Syndrome

[Edgy MD]

I look at the challenge in front of the Mets and can't help thinking of the Braves Syndrome. The Braves had a team that dominated the regular season for something like 15 years, but walked away with only one World Series title. One theory was that, while investing in pitching depth is a great way to build a team that comes in first year after year, it's a relatively poor allocation of resources in the post-season, becoming an advantage that's neutralized in the post-season, as travel days, time off between series, and a manager's willingness to ride his stars harder with everything on the line allows the team with the lesser pitching depth to truncate their staff.

While an otherwise modestly good hitting team may need 8-9 good pitchers to get through the regular season to the playoffs, in theory, a similar team could navigate the early rounds of the playoffs with 6-7 good pitchers. And if you really wanna get tough, you can ram through the World Series with 4-5 good pitchers. The 2001 Diamondbacks rode Schilling and Johnson and sunk the Yankees ship despite their closer throwing snake eyes, which should have been poison. Two elite pitchers and a whole lot of bats may not make the Dodgers the better team � in fact, I'm certain it doesn't � but it's as good a formula as any for getting through a five-game series three days off beforehand and two travel days in the middle.

I'm not rooting for a 2-1 game. The Mets are going to have to bop their way home.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

We needed but didn't get a modest hero last night from the O, and as I feared Matz was pretty good but not good enough to hang with Kershaw.

Doodoo, we need you.

[seawolf17]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Doodoo, we need you.

This. And it's an entirely separate issue from this thread.

But on this topic, just about any team in baseball would take the Braves' run, despite "only" one WS title.

[Guest El Segundo Escupidor]

I had similar thoughts the other day. You could say the 00's Athletics had the same or similar issues. Then you need to ask is whether its simply an over-reliance on stats i.e. metrics like WAR are calculated in a vacuum and don't really address team balance or chemistry (ftr, i hate this term).

[Edgy MD]

seawolf17 wrote: John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Doodoo, we need you. This. And it's an entirely separate issue from this thread. But on this topic, just about any team in baseball would take the Braves' run, despite "only" one WS title.

Perhaps � certainly that's a good route to big money � but right now, we're shooting for the title. The idea is to find a way to win both the divisions and the championships.

I'd also invite you to read the post as a plea against travel days.