I've been back on the site for a few months now and, in that time, have been fortunate enough to have 7 teams make the playoffs. Unfortunately, none of them have made it out of the LCS, with most going out in the Division Series.

Obviously, that's a small sample size, but I'm wondering if there are any known keys for playoff success that I may be missing.

I generally build my teams around solid pitching with low HR/9, and above average defense. In the playoffs, I generally trim my rotation to only allow my top SPs to get starts. The other SP(s) get relegated to, at best, a Long B role.

If winning in the playoffs was easy, everybody would do it.

Just kidding of course, but you've got a solid strategy going already.  The playoffs are all about getting your best pitchers as many innings as possible.  Shortening up the rotation is a good place to start.  Spot-starting your low-IP relief starters (guys like the '88 Milacki, '07 Maddox, etc.) in important or "must-win" games is good, too.  Use all your bullets and hope for the best.  Take advantage of L/R match-ups and any other advantages you may have.  Other than that, when good teams play good teams, one of them still has to lose.  Sometimes it's you. 

Sounds like you're doing a lot of things right... getting to the LCS is tough in and of itself. One of the things I do (besides the previously mentioned items by yourself and skunk206) is pay stricter attention to my running game settings. This applies to both the managerial setting regarding base running aggressiveness but more importantly, to the opposition catcher's throwing arm. I'll look at how the other team's catcher threw out base runners during the season regardless of his arm rating. In short, I'll tone down my running in the hopes that I don't run into outs during a shorter series. Small thing, but it has helped.

That's what I assumed, hah. Just a stretch of bad luck, I guess. I have started doing the same thing with my speed guys recently, redwings, and it has probably helped. No real way to quantify if I lose either way though. I think I should probably focus more on L/R matchups. I generally try to have as many switch hitters as is reasonable, especially at lower caps, but probably could pay more attention to L/R in general. Thanks guys.

Not that I'm perfect in the playoffs, but here are a few things to add to the list:

Be sure of is to setup your best home/away lineups and pitching matchups. Make sure the players you use match up to the park settings of your opponent (don't pitch high HR/9 guys away if their park is + to HRs for example). I look at my regular season Home/Away stats to get a feel for this.

I always set my pull settings higher for all pitchers in the playoffs - each one goes 1 number higher (unless you have a weak bullpen).

Cut down your rotation...always drop your worst pitcher to Long A (unless you don't have the IP to make it work or have fatigued pitchers).

Oz - I can relate. I tend to get to the playoffs but have a hard time winning. Thanks for opening up this thread. Certainly some guys have a better track record than others and I thank the guys who responded to you. Good tips from good players.

I think also...rest your ABs prior to playoffs.  Let them go all the way down to 90% in playoffs....I have never seen anyone lose due to fatigued hitters but I have seen folks lose trying to preserve ABs.

Creeper brings up an excellent point, and one I tend to follow, although I won't go down to 90%... 93% (and don't ask me to qualify that percentage, or quantify it for that matter) is my lowest batter fatigue percentage. I also move my staff pull settings up by one when I feel it's warranted. Looks as if many of us are following the same conservative strategy. Above and beyond all else, I really try to keep my pitchers at 100%.

Call me crazy, but during the season I'll let my players go down to 90 or, for hitters when the backup I have is simply awful, 80. During the postseason It's 90 for all, though in most cases that's not an issue because of the pre-playoff rest (if I had a lead that allowed me to afford it, that is).

OK, you're crazy. It's just my institutional memory working here, but I've "felt", I guess really noticed, a drop off in fielding to a greater degree after 93%... hitting as well to a lesser degree. Once they hit blue, they hit the bench.

1) make sure all your players are at 100%
2) increase your starters pull numbers if your bullpen is better than your starters
3) rest your mop-up guy and move on of your "b" relievers in to the mop-up role
4) don't pull your starting position players from games unless maybe you are losing by an extreme margin.
5) in general review all your settings. Look at you opponents and see if you can exploit a platoon split.

It seems that in OLs no matter how good your AAA players are they stink the playoffs. I have a hard time in the playoffs...doesn't matter how many games I win in the regular season I tend to lose in the divisional series all the time.

I like all zubinsum's suggestions, and in must-win games would opt for an even more extreme approach -- rest all your pitchers who aren't your absolute best.  If you've got a starter and say 2-3 good relievers capable of getting your through 9 or 10 or 11 innings, use only those pitchers.  And start your part-time batters if they're better than your regulars.  And uncheck the boxes for "rest players if winning by/if losing by" -- no matter how much you're winning or losing by, in a must-win game you want your best players in for the entire game (I've seen a few comebacks in sudden-death games when owners who were leading by a handful of runs pulled their starters for their scrubs).

And definitely try to enter the playoffs rested, especially your best pitchers and any hitters who have less than a full-season's worth of PA (remember that you can "bank" 5% of your batters' PA and pitchers' allotted pitches).  Obviously you can't do this if you're battling for a playoff spot down the stretch, but if you see you've clinched a spot, put those valuable players on rest and leave them there for what's left of the regular season.  I know it's tempting to squeeze out as many regular season wins from your team as you can, but keep your eye on the big prize. 

in the separate league draft 1912/1952 prog i was able to do that exact strategy, i rested my players the last 30 games i did lose home field advantage for the LCS playoffs and series but smokey joe wood went 5-0 with 4 complete games in those 10 games was also able to play 2 part time position players full time for both series.  in the past i have been guilty of squeezing to get home field, if possible i will do from now on what worked this season

Either my strategy is working or I've been lucky recently. Of my last 7theme league teams, 6 made the playoffs and 4 have won the ws. For a long time most of my playoff teams were getting bumped in round 1.

Then I decided to staff my bullpen with a couple of guys that were Milacki types- starters with outstanding stats but few IPs. Rasmussen, Grabowski, Bill George for example. They are relief pitcher in the regular season (usually closer B for me). If you manage them carefully during the season so they are definitely ready to go during the playoffs, they can give you at least one start in the first round, and if you make it to the series, they can probably give you another there. I have used them primarily in elimination games. Down 2 games to 1 in Rd. 1? No problem!

Similarly, if you have a pinch hitter type who can get a start in an elimination game it can make difference.

The Pittsburgh Pirates did this to the Detroit Tigers in the 1909 Series. Rooke Babe Adams came out of the pen to make 3 starts against the Tigers and won all 3.