Fast Start During 60 Game MLB Season is Critical

By Guest
Updated: July 17, 2020

The time is nearly here. After a four month delay to the start of the MLB season due to the COVID19 pandemic, it looks like players are ready to get back to work. Without any further delays, the start of the MLB 2020 is scheduled to begin on July 23, 2020. Of course, that’s the same day MLB sports betting enthusiasts will also be looking to get back to work. Not only them, but also fantasy baseball players! If you want an easy advantage on your league, why not take advantage of MLB lineup optimizers?

While sports bettors will be focusing on baseball betting, MLB players and coaches will be focusing on getting off to a fast start. Unlike other seasons, the teams with the best records after 30 games will likely be the same teams headed into the playoffs on the way to the World Series. Why the first 30 games? Due to the pandemic, the MLB regular season has been shortened to 60 games. Any team that has fallen behind after 30 games is going to have difficulty climbing back into the race for a playoff spot with just 30 more games to right their wrongs.

A look at the Data

It is one thing to state that the first 30 games will be critical to the playoff hopes of any team in Major League Baseball. It is quite another thing to support such a statement with data.

Last year, the Milwaukee Brewers made the playoffs with a record of 89-73. That’s a winning percentage of .549. Going back five more years, that win percentage is pretty representative of the lowest record to make the playoffs each year.

Over a 60 game season, the team to make the playoffs with the worst record would need to win somewhere around 33 games.

If a team gets off to a 22-8 record over the first 30 games, they will only need to win 11 more games over the second half of the season to earn a playoff sport. If a team gets off to an 8-22 start, they will have to win 25 of their last 30 games to get a spot, near impossible. Realistically, any team that fails to win at least 13 games from their first 30 will be face certain elimination short of playing some of the best baseball in history over the rest of the season.

The Challenges Ahead

To state that playing baseball under the current conditions is historic would be the understatement of a lifetime. There is simply nothing to which this can be compared.

Each team will be facing the same challenges. With COVID19 still lingering, key players might miss time due to virus issues. That is going to make it difficult for managers to establish steady lineups. If a star player gets a minor injury and ends up on the 10 day IL list, they will miss a minimum of 16.67 of the entire 2020 baseball season. That won’t bode well for their respective teams.

As for sports bettors, they will face handicapping challenges. It will be near impossible to anticipate any team day to day lineup up until game time. It will also be near to impossible to anticipate which teams and players are best prepared to begin the season without a normal preseason.

With so much up in the air, this is the year to just be grateful they are playing baseball at all.