Geography has never held more significance in a Major League Baseball season than this year.
Teams will only play clubs in their division—which are already structured based on geographical region—and those in the corresponding division of the other league. That alone gives certain teams an edge over others.
Then, there’s the travel required. The Central Division in both leagues is the least geographically spread out. Meanwhile, some teams in the West will have to play games in three different time zones. The less jet lag the better in a 60-game sprint.
We’ve already looked at the winners, losers and highlights of the 2020 schedule, which was released Monday night.