[IBL] IBL: More thoughts on a 2020 campaign

[Sean Sweda]

On Jun 23, 2020, at 12:31 PM, Patrick Gibbs <pjgibbs at gmail.com> wrote:

> It will not only lead to abnormalities in stats, but also in usage.
>
> I have been trying to figure out if there is a way to include the past  
> two or three MLB seasons into the equation to help normalize things.  
> However, this wouldn’t help those rookies picked as part of a rebuild.
>
> Also not convinced MLB gets past the coronavirus hump and plays any games.

I think MLB playing a short season presents even more difficulties for IBL  
2021 than no MLB season at all.  For example, we currently require 20 IP or  
30 AB+BB for a player to be carded.  Those cutoffs would almost certainly  
have to be lowered in order to ensure there are enough carded players to  
fill our rosters and have a reasonable FA pool.  Of course if you lower  
those cutoffs that means you end up with even more low-PT guys with wacky  
cards.  You also have to make adjustments to the requirements for regular  
season starts, playoff eligibility, etc.

One idea I've been contemplating is to embrace the randomness of the  
shortened MLB season and play a reduced IBL schedule (perhaps 80 games?)  
split into two half seasons, with an expanded playoffs where teams could  
qualify multiple ways:

1) finish with the best record in the division for either half
2) finish with the best overall record in the division
3) finish with the second best overall record in the division if another  
team wins both halves

Then the playoffs would be structured as follows:
A) a divisional round, where the division winners from each half play each  
other in a 5-game series to determine the division champ; a team that wins  
both halves gets a bye here
B) a wild card round, where any teams that qualified via #2 or #3 above are  
joined by the losers of the divisional round in a bowling-style playoff  
(worst seed vs second worst seed, winner plays the next seed, etc.) of  
3-game series until 1 team remains
C) a four team playoff for the conference title (3 divisional round winners  
plus 1 wild card), playing 7-game series
D) IBLCS as usual

I think one way we could handle playoff eligibility is to simply let every  
player be eligible but cap players at X% of their MLB PA/BF total in the  
playoffs.  So if we were to set X to 50%, a batter with 20 MLB PA would  
only be allowed 10 PA in the IBL playoffs.


Sean