Ballpark "Power Rankings"
Don't take that word "power" literally; this simply borrows the idea of our "Power Rankings" for other sports, which ranks the teams (or individuals, if appropriate, such as in golf or NASCAR). Listed below are all major league ballparks except the aforementioned Target Field, which has yet to host a game, ranked from the most hitter-friendly (No. 1) to the most pitcher-friendly (No. 29).
Again, "power" is only part of the equation. This isn't a straight list of the most and least homer-friendly ballparks. Rather, it takes into account each park's total package, with write-ups for each detailing whether the venue has a specific advantage to a particular type of statistic or player.
1. Coors Field (Colorado Rockies): Still the hitters' park to define all hitters' parks, humidor or not, Coors topped all ballparks in terms of runs and hits last season, as well as in 2005-09 combined. Though its dimensions are more spacious than most big league ballparks, Coors is a hitter's heaven because of its high altitude. The team's official Web site notes that a batted ball "travels nine percent farther at 5,280 feet than at sea level. It is estimated that a home run hit 400 feet in sea-level Yankee Stadium would travel … as far as 440 feet in the Mile High City."
Though the split is fairly balanced, right-handed sluggers do experience a slight advantage over left-handers in the power department, probably due to a left-field fence 6 feet shorter than in right field. According to the Bill James Handbook, which generates a ballpark "index" where 100 is a neutral park, anything significantly higher is hitter-friendly and significantly lower pitcher-friendly, righties had a home run index of 122 compared with 109 for lefties from 2007 to 2009.
2. Rangers Ballpark in Arlington (Texas Rangers): The American League's most hitting-friendly venue, Rangers Ballpark ranked among the top seven from 2005 to 2009 in terms of runs, hits, home runs and BABIP, the only park other than Coors to do so. It has long been speculated that the high temperatures, low humidity and short fences have a lot to do with the ballpark's lofty offensive totals, and the advantage for right- and left-handed hitters is fairly balanced.
3. Chase Field (Arizona Diamondbacks): Surprised to see this ballpark at No. 3? You shouldn't be. Chase Field ranked No. 2 in the majors in terms of runs last season, and it has been in the top five in that department every year since 2006. Left-handed sluggers surprisingly get a slight advantage over right-handers in terms of power (homer indexes of 115 and 102 from 2007 to '09), despite the dimensions down the right-field line being 4 feet deeper than in left field. It seems Adam LaRoche might have picked a smart place to call home in 2010.
4. Great American Ball Park (Cincinnati Reds): Homers, homers, homers. During the past five seasons combined, there have been more home runs hit at Great American (1,119) than at any other ballpark. That doesn't necessarily mean it ranked first in the category when using Park Factor calculations -- it was third (1.257) from 2005 to '09 -- but considering the two parks that topped it were AL venues, Great American is the clear homer heaven of the Senior Circuit. It's also above average in terms of total offense, which partly explains why no qualified Reds pitcher has registered an ERA better than 3.21 since the park opened in 2003.
5. Citizens Bank Park (Philadelphia Phillies): Many fantasy owners believe the Phillies' home ballpark is more hitting-friendly than either of the two ahead of it, and perhaps even more so than Rangers Ballpark. Here's the scary reality: Citizens Bank ranked 12th in runs and 16th in home runs using Park Factor calculations last season, meaning it was about as neutral as they come ... in 2009 alone. That hardly changes the park's five-year statistical findings (2005-09), however, which say it was still top-10 in both categories. Strangely enough, the Bill James Handbook index numbers for right-handers last season (106 batting average, 114 home runs) were right in line with those from 2007-09 (101 and 117), but left-handers struggled mightily (99/90 in 2009, 104/111 in 2007-09).
6. Wrigley Field (Chicago Cubs): Take your pick between the two ballparks from the Windy City, but Wrigley gets the nod here because in addition to boosting run and home run totals, it's also a good venue for doubles and triples and had a modest, league-average .300 BABIP from 2005 to '09. The problem with Wrigley, of course, is that predicting wind currents is about as easy a task as predicting Carlos Silva's lone 2010 quality start ... and that's no joke, as he had precisely one in 2009. Wrigley has had its years when it was utterly neutral. It has also had years where it ranked among the game's most homer-friendly parks, like 2004, when it ranked second. It's apparently tremendous for power-hitting lefties, with a 126 home run index from 2007 to '09, highest in the majors.
7. U.S. Cellular Field (Chicago White Sox): If you're looking for homer heaven, look no further. Since the White Sox's decision to bring in their outfield fences following the 2000 season, most notably shrinking the distance to the left-field foul pole from 347 to 330 feet and the right-field foul pole from 347 to 335 feet, U.S. Cellular has ranked no lower than 11th in Park Factor calculations in home runs, or registered a number beneath 1.193, which happened in 2009 yet still ranked the ballpark fourth in the category. If there's any knock on this park, it's that it tends to curtail doubles and triples and has a BABIP of .288 the past five seasons combined, the third-lowest mark in baseball.
8. Fenway Park (Boston Red Sox): Here's a ballpark that greatly enhances hitters' doubles and triples totals, yet reins in home runs as much as the best of them. Not that that's surprising, considering Fenway Park's Green Monster stands a scant 310 feet from home plate, yet is a massive 37 feet tall. That's the shortest distance down the left-field line in baseball, but it's also the tallest fence in the game. Left-handers have their deep fly balls gobbled up by Fenway's spacious center- and right-field alleys, while right-handers do experience a slight power advantage (95 homer index to lefties' 85 from 2007 to '09). But if you're targeting offense in Fenway, understand that it is typically not coming in the form of homers.
Gary Mattews
Jamie Squire/Getty ImagesCamden Yards' left-center fence doesn't hold back too many long fly balls.
9. Oriole Park at Camden Yards (Baltimore Orioles): Upon its opening in 1992, Camden Yards was hailed as a hitter-friendly ballpark, but if you check the numbers over the years, it hasn't always leaned significantly that way. It sometimes borders upon neutral to slightly hitter-friendly, but the numbers the past five seasons combined do classify it as a definite hitters' park. If there's any advantage to be had, it's for right-handed power hitters, who need only a 364-foot drive to clear the fence in left-center field. Sure enough, it had the AL's top homer index for righties (129) from 2007 to '09, at least among parks open all three years.
10. Yankee Stadium (New York Yankees): It's an appropriate ranking for this ballpark, because each of the top 10 on the list can be classified as "hitter-friendly" to some degree, and it seems likely that Yankee Stadium will always be homer-friendly. But without more data, ranking it among the top five seems foolish.
11. Kauffman Stadium (Kansas City Royals): This is where we drop into more neutral territory, and unlike Yankee Stadium, which was great for homers but average at best for everything else, Kauffman was the exact opposite, great for any hit within the ballpark but a weak venue for power hitters. Expansive power alleys are presumably responsible, but that does help boost doubles and triples totals.
12. Rogers Centre (Toronto Blue Jays): This was one of the better home run ballparks in baseball from 2002 to '07, but in the two years since it has actually leaned more pitcher- than hitter-friendly. As a symmetrical ballpark with a retractable roof, it provides little discernable advantage to righties or lefties.
13. Minute Maid Park (Houston Astros): Remember when the Astros' home ballpark once earned the nickname "Ten-Run Field"? Today it's almost entirely a neutral ballpark, with its lone advantage provided to right-handed power hitters (112 homer index from 2007 to '09). It makes sense, as the "Crawford Boxes" stand 315 feet down the left-field line, a perfect target for righty sluggers.
14. Comerica Park (Detroit Tigers): Like Minute Maid, Comerica was once known for being something it is not today; it was actually hailed as a pitchers' park in its early days of existence. That changed following the 2002 season, when the Tigers installed a temporary fence to cut down the field dimensions, most notably dropping the distance in left-center from 395 to 370 feet. Sure enough, right-handed power hitters have capitalized, with a homer index of 118 from 2007 to '09.
15. AT&T Park (San Francisco Giants): To think there was a time when Comerica and AT&T were extreme pitchers' parks that suppressed home run totals. AT&T Park still reins in home runs with the best of them, especially those hit by left-handers (88 homer index from 2007 to '09), but for the most part it's a neutral venue.
16. PNC Park (Pittsburgh Pirates): Left-handed power hitters evidently get a significant advantage at PNC, despite the 21-foot-high wall in right field. Their homer index from 2007 to '09 was 107, while right-handers had an NL-worst 77.
17. Nationals Park (Washington Nationals): As middle-of-the-road as ballparks come, albeit with only two seasons' worth of data so far.
18. Sun Life Stadium (Florida Marlins): Fantasy owners often consider this a pitching-friendly venue, but recent statistics haven't backed it up. It's neutral.
19. Angel Stadium of Anaheim (Los Angeles Angels): Right-handed hitters get a slight boost in the power department -- a 107 homer index to lefties' 94 from 2007 to '09 -- but outside of that this is another neutral venue.
20. Turner Field (Atlanta Braves): This was much more of a pitchers' park in 2009 than the year before, with Park Factors that ranked 26th in runs (0.895) and homers (0.861), but typically speaking it belongs in the middle of the pack.
21. Miller Park (Milwaukee Brewers): Left-handed sluggers slightly benefit at Miller Park, as their homer index the past three years was 116, and it's not all a product of Prince Fielder's power. He has actually hit only two more homers at Miller Park than on the road during his career.
22. Tropicana Field (Tampa Bay Rays): "The Trop" is not quite a pitchers' park, but it's not quite a neutral venue, either. Something to think about: Rays pitchers have registered an ERA more than a run lower at Tropicana Field than on the road in each of the past three seasons.
23. Progressive Field (Cleveland Indians): Now we're into the clear pitching-friendly ballparks, and the one thing that keeps Progressive higher in the rankings than the venues beneath it is its ballpark BABIP -- a seventh-ranked .308 the past five years combined. It's especially poor for home runs, with a 0.857 Park Factor during that span, ranking it 26th.
Dodger Stadium
Paul Spinelli/MLB Photos/Getty ImagesDodger Stadium has long been a favorable place for a pitcher to call home.
24. Dodger Stadium (Los Angeles Dodgers): It's not impossible to hit a home run at Dodger Stadium, especially if you're a left-handed hitter. During the past three seasons their homer index was 111, which helps explain why Andre Ethier had such an impressive power output last season. But outside of that, everything about Dodger Stadium leans toward the pitchers. It's actually one of the worst venues for doubles and triples (0.895 Park Factor from 2005 to '09, 28th).
25. Citi Field (New York Mets): This is a low enough ranking for a ballpark that by all rights should be a pitching-friendly venue for years to come, and it's possible it might drop as low as 28th depending on how future seasons play out.
26. Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum (Oakland Athletics): Taking a look at this ballpark's outfield dimensions, it might not seem like the Coliseum should be all that much of a pitchers' park. But what makes this venue lean in that direction is its expansive foul territory, reported by numerous sources as the largest in terms of area in the majors. That helps hurt hitters' batting averages, since pop-ups that typically might have snuck into the seats will comfortably land in fielders' gloves for outs. If anyone has enjoyed a small degree of success here the past three years, it's lefties in the power department (106 homer index).
27. Safeco Field (Seattle Mariners): It's the AL's most pitching-friendly venue, and it has been since its opening midway through the 1999 season. It doesn't matter what statistic or what split -- runs, hits, doubles, triples, homers, BABIP, righties or lefties -- Safeco routinely makes its way into the bottom 10 consistently, a stark contrast to the hitter-friendly former home of the Mariners, the Kingdome.
28. Busch Stadium (St. Louis Cardinals): The Cardinals' new ballpark now has four years' worth of data, enough to make judgments about its leaning, and in none of those seasons did it shape up as anything short of an extreme pitchers' park. Overall its Park Factor the past five seasons combined was 0.937 in terms of runs, 28th in the majors, and 0.816 in home runs (29th), and that's in spite of the Cardinals boasting arguably the game's most lethal offensive force, Albert Pujols. Interestingly enough, right-handed hitters are the ones most hurt in the power department, with a 78 homer index from 2007 to '09, third-lowest in the game.
29. Petco Park (San Diego Padres): It's as much of a pitchers' park as Coors Field is a hitters' venue, and probably more so. To put Petco's Park Factor numbers into perspective, Petco had a 0.789 number in runs and 0.775 in home runs the past five seasons combined, and the next-worst numbers in those categories were 0.935 in runs (Safeco Field) and 0.816 in homers (Busch Stadium). Perhaps Petco's architects took their inspiration from the Grand Canyon, only about 500 miles northeast? Left-handed hitters would believe it; they had a miserable 61 home run index the past three seasons combined. In other words, if you're an Adrian Gonzalez owner, you're obviously rooting for him to get traded, because almost any other venue in the game would help his power stroke.
Citi Field: 2009's other new park
Like Yankee Stadium, Citi Field has but one year's worth of data from which to draw conclusions, and going by Park Factor calculations it actually looked like a neutral to slightly homer-friendly venue in 2009. On that often-misleading page, Citi Field ranked 22nd in runs (0.943), 12th in home runs (1.057), 25th in hits (0.955) and 17th in the aforementioned doubles plus triples (0.980).
But be careful -- Citi Field allowed the sixth-fewest homers in baseball last season (130), and high, distant fences in the alleys probably won't help in that department in the future. The New York Mets' injury-depleted offense might have had a lot to do with the low total, yes, but the ballpark certainly didn't help matters. Ask David Wright a little about what it was like to hit at Citi Field; he hit only five home runs in 70 games at the Mets' new home in 2009.
The Mets can claim that lowering their center-field fence from 16 to 8 feet will help improve offense; it's just not going to change things much. Citi Field seems likely to rank among the top five pitchers' parks again in 2009, and while talk that it compares to Petco Park might be premature, in the worst-case (or best-case, depending upon your perspective) scenario it could pose a challenge to the holder of the crown of most pitching-friendly venue in baseball.
Target Field: 2010's new park
The Twins move from the Metrodome to open-air Target Field this season, and we know just what you're thinking: A team from Minnesota thought it a good idea to sign up for outdoor baseball in the month of April?!
No question the cold temperatures might have a profound impact on the Twins from this point forward, with snow-outs a definite possibility in some of the rougher years. Wind will also become a factor, if only because it wasn't in the past due to the domed stadium the Twins are leaving. Though the right-field fence at Target Field will remain 23 feet high, as it was at the Metrodome, and with comparable distance to home plate (331 feet, compared with 327 at the Metrodome), the ballpark has an opening to a boardwalk area behind it that could conceivably create a jet-stream effect. Of course, we'll have no way of knowing if that's true until games get under way, so it'd be foolish for fantasy owners to prepare expecting significant shifts in stats due to that.
What does appear different, however, are the dimensions of Target Field in left and left-center field compared with those at the Metrodome. Listed below are the field dimensions for both parks, from the team's official Web site, which might hint at it being a little easier a ballpark for a right-handed hitter. The Metrodome did shape up as a bit of a pitchers' park this past decade, though, so it might only mean Target Field will be more neutral for righties.
Don't take that word "power" literally; this simply borrows the idea of our "Power Rankings" for other sports, which ranks the teams (or individuals, if appropriate, such as in golf or NASCAR). Listed below are all major league ballparks except the aforementioned Target Field, which has yet to host a game, ranked from the most hitter-friendly (No. 1) to the most pitcher-friendly (No. 29).
Again, "power" is only part of the equation. This isn't a straight list of the most and least homer-friendly ballparks. Rather, it takes into account each park's total package, with write-ups for each detailing whether the venue has a specific advantage to a particular type of statistic or player.
1. Coors Field (Colorado Rockies): Still the hitters' park to define all hitters' parks, humidor or not, Coors topped all ballparks in terms of runs and hits last season, as well as in 2005-09 combined. Though its dimensions are more spacious than most big league ballparks, Coors is a hitter's heaven because of its high altitude. The team's official Web site notes that a batted ball "travels nine percent farther at 5,280 feet than at sea level. It is estimated that a home run hit 400 feet in sea-level Yankee Stadium would travel … as far as 440 feet in the Mile High City."
Though the split is fairly balanced, right-handed sluggers do experience a slight advantage over left-handers in the power department, probably due to a left-field fence 6 feet shorter than in right field. According to the Bill James Handbook, which generates a ballpark "index" where 100 is a neutral park, anything significantly higher is hitter-friendly and significantly lower pitcher-friendly, righties had a home run index of 122 compared with 109 for lefties from 2007 to 2009.
2. Rangers Ballpark in Arlington (Texas Rangers): The American League's most hitting-friendly venue, Rangers Ballpark ranked among the top seven from 2005 to 2009 in terms of runs, hits, home runs and BABIP, the only park other than Coors to do so. It has long been speculated that the high temperatures, low humidity and short fences have a lot to do with the ballpark's lofty offensive totals, and the advantage for right- and left-handed hitters is fairly balanced.
3. Chase Field (Arizona Diamondbacks): Surprised to see this ballpark at No. 3? You shouldn't be. Chase Field ranked No. 2 in the majors in terms of runs last season, and it has been in the top five in that department every year since 2006. Left-handed sluggers surprisingly get a slight advantage over right-handers in terms of power (homer indexes of 115 and 102 from 2007 to '09), despite the dimensions down the right-field line being 4 feet deeper than in left field. It seems Adam LaRoche might have picked a smart place to call home in 2010.
4. Great American Ball Park (Cincinnati Reds): Homers, homers, homers. During the past five seasons combined, there have been more home runs hit at Great American (1,119) than at any other ballpark. That doesn't necessarily mean it ranked first in the category when using Park Factor calculations -- it was third (1.257) from 2005 to '09 -- but considering the two parks that topped it were AL venues, Great American is the clear homer heaven of the Senior Circuit. It's also above average in terms of total offense, which partly explains why no qualified Reds pitcher has registered an ERA better than 3.21 since the park opened in 2003.
5. Citizens Bank Park (Philadelphia Phillies): Many fantasy owners believe the Phillies' home ballpark is more hitting-friendly than either of the two ahead of it, and perhaps even more so than Rangers Ballpark. Here's the scary reality: Citizens Bank ranked 12th in runs and 16th in home runs using Park Factor calculations last season, meaning it was about as neutral as they come ... in 2009 alone. That hardly changes the park's five-year statistical findings (2005-09), however, which say it was still top-10 in both categories. Strangely enough, the Bill James Handbook index numbers for right-handers last season (106 batting average, 114 home runs) were right in line with those from 2007-09 (101 and 117), but left-handers struggled mightily (99/90 in 2009, 104/111 in 2007-09).
6. Wrigley Field (Chicago Cubs): Take your pick between the two ballparks from the Windy City, but Wrigley gets the nod here because in addition to boosting run and home run totals, it's also a good venue for doubles and triples and had a modest, league-average .300 BABIP from 2005 to '09. The problem with Wrigley, of course, is that predicting wind currents is about as easy a task as predicting Carlos Silva's lone 2010 quality start ... and that's no joke, as he had precisely one in 2009. Wrigley has had its years when it was utterly neutral. It has also had years where it ranked among the game's most homer-friendly parks, like 2004, when it ranked second. It's apparently tremendous for power-hitting lefties, with a 126 home run index from 2007 to '09, highest in the majors.
7. U.S. Cellular Field (Chicago White Sox): If you're looking for homer heaven, look no further. Since the White Sox's decision to bring in their outfield fences following the 2000 season, most notably shrinking the distance to the left-field foul pole from 347 to 330 feet and the right-field foul pole from 347 to 335 feet, U.S. Cellular has ranked no lower than 11th in Park Factor calculations in home runs, or registered a number beneath 1.193, which happened in 2009 yet still ranked the ballpark fourth in the category. If there's any knock on this park, it's that it tends to curtail doubles and triples and has a BABIP of .288 the past five seasons combined, the third-lowest mark in baseball.
8. Fenway Park (Boston Red Sox): Here's a ballpark that greatly enhances hitters' doubles and triples totals, yet reins in home runs as much as the best of them. Not that that's surprising, considering Fenway Park's Green Monster stands a scant 310 feet from home plate, yet is a massive 37 feet tall. That's the shortest distance down the left-field line in baseball, but it's also the tallest fence in the game. Left-handers have their deep fly balls gobbled up by Fenway's spacious center- and right-field alleys, while right-handers do experience a slight power advantage (95 homer index to lefties' 85 from 2007 to '09). But if you're targeting offense in Fenway, understand that it is typically not coming in the form of homers.
Gary Mattews
Jamie Squire/Getty ImagesCamden Yards' left-center fence doesn't hold back too many long fly balls.
9. Oriole Park at Camden Yards (Baltimore Orioles): Upon its opening in 1992, Camden Yards was hailed as a hitter-friendly ballpark, but if you check the numbers over the years, it hasn't always leaned significantly that way. It sometimes borders upon neutral to slightly hitter-friendly, but the numbers the past five seasons combined do classify it as a definite hitters' park. If there's any advantage to be had, it's for right-handed power hitters, who need only a 364-foot drive to clear the fence in left-center field. Sure enough, it had the AL's top homer index for righties (129) from 2007 to '09, at least among parks open all three years.
10. Yankee Stadium (New York Yankees): It's an appropriate ranking for this ballpark, because each of the top 10 on the list can be classified as "hitter-friendly" to some degree, and it seems likely that Yankee Stadium will always be homer-friendly. But without more data, ranking it among the top five seems foolish.
11. Kauffman Stadium (Kansas City Royals): This is where we drop into more neutral territory, and unlike Yankee Stadium, which was great for homers but average at best for everything else, Kauffman was the exact opposite, great for any hit within the ballpark but a weak venue for power hitters. Expansive power alleys are presumably responsible, but that does help boost doubles and triples totals.
12. Rogers Centre (Toronto Blue Jays): This was one of the better home run ballparks in baseball from 2002 to '07, but in the two years since it has actually leaned more pitcher- than hitter-friendly. As a symmetrical ballpark with a retractable roof, it provides little discernable advantage to righties or lefties.
13. Minute Maid Park (Houston Astros): Remember when the Astros' home ballpark once earned the nickname "Ten-Run Field"? Today it's almost entirely a neutral ballpark, with its lone advantage provided to right-handed power hitters (112 homer index from 2007 to '09). It makes sense, as the "Crawford Boxes" stand 315 feet down the left-field line, a perfect target for righty sluggers.
14. Comerica Park (Detroit Tigers): Like Minute Maid, Comerica was once known for being something it is not today; it was actually hailed as a pitchers' park in its early days of existence. That changed following the 2002 season, when the Tigers installed a temporary fence to cut down the field dimensions, most notably dropping the distance in left-center from 395 to 370 feet. Sure enough, right-handed power hitters have capitalized, with a homer index of 118 from 2007 to '09.
15. AT&T Park (San Francisco Giants): To think there was a time when Comerica and AT&T were extreme pitchers' parks that suppressed home run totals. AT&T Park still reins in home runs with the best of them, especially those hit by left-handers (88 homer index from 2007 to '09), but for the most part it's a neutral venue.
16. PNC Park (Pittsburgh Pirates): Left-handed power hitters evidently get a significant advantage at PNC, despite the 21-foot-high wall in right field. Their homer index from 2007 to '09 was 107, while right-handers had an NL-worst 77.
17. Nationals Park (Washington Nationals): As middle-of-the-road as ballparks come, albeit with only two seasons' worth of data so far.
18. Sun Life Stadium (Florida Marlins): Fantasy owners often consider this a pitching-friendly venue, but recent statistics haven't backed it up. It's neutral.
19. Angel Stadium of Anaheim (Los Angeles Angels): Right-handed hitters get a slight boost in the power department -- a 107 homer index to lefties' 94 from 2007 to '09 -- but outside of that this is another neutral venue.
20. Turner Field (Atlanta Braves): This was much more of a pitchers' park in 2009 than the year before, with Park Factors that ranked 26th in runs (0.895) and homers (0.861), but typically speaking it belongs in the middle of the pack.
21. Miller Park (Milwaukee Brewers): Left-handed sluggers slightly benefit at Miller Park, as their homer index the past three years was 116, and it's not all a product of Prince Fielder's power. He has actually hit only two more homers at Miller Park than on the road during his career.
22. Tropicana Field (Tampa Bay Rays): "The Trop" is not quite a pitchers' park, but it's not quite a neutral venue, either. Something to think about: Rays pitchers have registered an ERA more than a run lower at Tropicana Field than on the road in each of the past three seasons.
23. Progressive Field (Cleveland Indians): Now we're into the clear pitching-friendly ballparks, and the one thing that keeps Progressive higher in the rankings than the venues beneath it is its ballpark BABIP -- a seventh-ranked .308 the past five years combined. It's especially poor for home runs, with a 0.857 Park Factor during that span, ranking it 26th.
Dodger Stadium
Paul Spinelli/MLB Photos/Getty ImagesDodger Stadium has long been a favorable place for a pitcher to call home.
24. Dodger Stadium (Los Angeles Dodgers): It's not impossible to hit a home run at Dodger Stadium, especially if you're a left-handed hitter. During the past three seasons their homer index was 111, which helps explain why Andre Ethier had such an impressive power output last season. But outside of that, everything about Dodger Stadium leans toward the pitchers. It's actually one of the worst venues for doubles and triples (0.895 Park Factor from 2005 to '09, 28th).
25. Citi Field (New York Mets): This is a low enough ranking for a ballpark that by all rights should be a pitching-friendly venue for years to come, and it's possible it might drop as low as 28th depending on how future seasons play out.
26. Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum (Oakland Athletics): Taking a look at this ballpark's outfield dimensions, it might not seem like the Coliseum should be all that much of a pitchers' park. But what makes this venue lean in that direction is its expansive foul territory, reported by numerous sources as the largest in terms of area in the majors. That helps hurt hitters' batting averages, since pop-ups that typically might have snuck into the seats will comfortably land in fielders' gloves for outs. If anyone has enjoyed a small degree of success here the past three years, it's lefties in the power department (106 homer index).
27. Safeco Field (Seattle Mariners): It's the AL's most pitching-friendly venue, and it has been since its opening midway through the 1999 season. It doesn't matter what statistic or what split -- runs, hits, doubles, triples, homers, BABIP, righties or lefties -- Safeco routinely makes its way into the bottom 10 consistently, a stark contrast to the hitter-friendly former home of the Mariners, the Kingdome.
28. Busch Stadium (St. Louis Cardinals): The Cardinals' new ballpark now has four years' worth of data, enough to make judgments about its leaning, and in none of those seasons did it shape up as anything short of an extreme pitchers' park. Overall its Park Factor the past five seasons combined was 0.937 in terms of runs, 28th in the majors, and 0.816 in home runs (29th), and that's in spite of the Cardinals boasting arguably the game's most lethal offensive force, Albert Pujols. Interestingly enough, right-handed hitters are the ones most hurt in the power department, with a 78 homer index from 2007 to '09, third-lowest in the game.
29. Petco Park (San Diego Padres): It's as much of a pitchers' park as Coors Field is a hitters' venue, and probably more so. To put Petco's Park Factor numbers into perspective, Petco had a 0.789 number in runs and 0.775 in home runs the past five seasons combined, and the next-worst numbers in those categories were 0.935 in runs (Safeco Field) and 0.816 in homers (Busch Stadium). Perhaps Petco's architects took their inspiration from the Grand Canyon, only about 500 miles northeast? Left-handed hitters would believe it; they had a miserable 61 home run index the past three seasons combined. In other words, if you're an Adrian Gonzalez owner, you're obviously rooting for him to get traded, because almost any other venue in the game would help his power stroke.
Citi Field: 2009's other new park
Like Yankee Stadium, Citi Field has but one year's worth of data from which to draw conclusions, and going by Park Factor calculations it actually looked like a neutral to slightly homer-friendly venue in 2009. On that often-misleading page, Citi Field ranked 22nd in runs (0.943), 12th in home runs (1.057), 25th in hits (0.955) and 17th in the aforementioned doubles plus triples (0.980).
But be careful -- Citi Field allowed the sixth-fewest homers in baseball last season (130), and high, distant fences in the alleys probably won't help in that department in the future. The New York Mets' injury-depleted offense might have had a lot to do with the low total, yes, but the ballpark certainly didn't help matters. Ask David Wright a little about what it was like to hit at Citi Field; he hit only five home runs in 70 games at the Mets' new home in 2009.
The Mets can claim that lowering their center-field fence from 16 to 8 feet will help improve offense; it's just not going to change things much. Citi Field seems likely to rank among the top five pitchers' parks again in 2009, and while talk that it compares to Petco Park might be premature, in the worst-case (or best-case, depending upon your perspective) scenario it could pose a challenge to the holder of the crown of most pitching-friendly venue in baseball.
Target Field: 2010's new park
The Twins move from the Metrodome to open-air Target Field this season, and we know just what you're thinking: A team from Minnesota thought it a good idea to sign up for outdoor baseball in the month of April?!
No question the cold temperatures might have a profound impact on the Twins from this point forward, with snow-outs a definite possibility in some of the rougher years. Wind will also become a factor, if only because it wasn't in the past due to the domed stadium the Twins are leaving. Though the right-field fence at Target Field will remain 23 feet high, as it was at the Metrodome, and with comparable distance to home plate (331 feet, compared with 327 at the Metrodome), the ballpark has an opening to a boardwalk area behind it that could conceivably create a jet-stream effect. Of course, we'll have no way of knowing if that's true until games get under way, so it'd be foolish for fantasy owners to prepare expecting significant shifts in stats due to that.
What does appear different, however, are the dimensions of Target Field in left and left-center field compared with those at the Metrodome. Listed below are the field dimensions for both parks, from the team's official Web site, which might hint at it being a little easier a ballpark for a right-handed hitter. The Metrodome did shape up as a bit of a pitchers' park this past decade, though, so it might only mean Target Field will be more neutral for righties.
Reset my counter on the master from last year. Looking at how opening line categories did during the month of April. No guarantees one gets a repeat but I can tell you this held for 08 and 09 season. Look for the sweet spot and play home dogs.
<TABLE style="WIDTH: 162pt; BORDER-COLLAPSE: collapse" border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=216><COLGROUP><COL style="WIDTH: 82pt; mso-width-source: userset; mso-width-alt: 3986" width=109><COL style="WIDTH: 80pt; mso-width-source: userset; mso-width-alt: 3913" width=107><TBODY><TR style="HEIGHT: 26.25pt" height=35><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; WIDTH: 82pt; HEIGHT: 26.25pt; BORDER-TOP: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 0.5pt solid" class=xl4086 height=35 width=109>HF1 17-12</TD><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; WIDTH: 80pt; BORDER-TOP: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 0.5pt solid" class=xl4086 width=107>HD1 13-15</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 45.75pt" height=61><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; WIDTH: 82pt; HEIGHT: 45.75pt; BORDER-TOP: windowtext; BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 0.5pt solid" class=xl4086 height=61 width=109>HF2 24-19</TD><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; WIDTH: 80pt; BORDER-TOP: windowtext; BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 0.5pt solid" class=xl4086 width=107>HD2 16-7</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 26.25pt; mso-height-source: userset" height=35><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; WIDTH: 82pt; HEIGHT: 26.25pt; BORDER-TOP: windowtext; BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 0.5pt solid" class=xl4086 height=35 width=109>HF3 22-33</TD><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; WIDTH: 80pt; BORDER-TOP: windowtext; BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 0.5pt solid" class=xl4086 width=107>HD3 9-7</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 26.25pt" height=35><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; WIDTH: 82pt; HEIGHT: 26.25pt; BORDER-TOP: windowtext; BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 0.5pt solid" class=xl4086 height=35 width=109>HF4 30-24</TD><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; WIDTH: 80pt; BORDER-TOP: windowtext; BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 0.5pt solid" class=xl4086 width=107>HD4 4-8</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15.75pt" height=21><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; WIDTH: 82pt; HEIGHT: 15.75pt; BORDER-TOP: windowtext; BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 0.5pt solid" class=xl4086 height=21 width=109>HF5 19-10</TD><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; WIDTH: 80pt; BORDER-TOP: windowtext; BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 0.5pt solid" class=xl4086 width=107>HD5 0-2</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15.75pt" height=21><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; WIDTH: 82pt; HEIGHT: 15.75pt; BORDER-TOP: windowtext; BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 0.5pt solid" class=xl4086 height=21 width=109>HF6 11-9</TD><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; WIDTH: 80pt; BORDER-TOP: windowtext; BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 0.5pt solid" class=xl4086 width=107>HD6 2-1</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 26.25pt" height=35><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; WIDTH: 82pt; HEIGHT: 26.25pt; BORDER-TOP: windowtext; BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 0.5pt solid" class=xl4086 height=35 width=109>HF7 8-1</TD><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; WIDTH: 80pt; BORDER-TOP: windowtext; BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 0.5pt solid" class=xl4086 width=107>HD7 0-0</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
So with that playing home dogs in the HD2 and HD3 cats was profitable. Hope it is again this year.
<TABLE style="WIDTH: 162pt; BORDER-COLLAPSE: collapse" border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=216><COLGROUP><COL style="WIDTH: 82pt; mso-width-source: userset; mso-width-alt: 3986" width=109><COL style="WIDTH: 80pt; mso-width-source: userset; mso-width-alt: 3913" width=107><TBODY><TR style="HEIGHT: 26.25pt" height=35><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; WIDTH: 82pt; HEIGHT: 26.25pt; BORDER-TOP: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 0.5pt solid" class=xl4086 height=35 width=109>HF1 17-12</TD><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; WIDTH: 80pt; BORDER-TOP: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 0.5pt solid" class=xl4086 width=107>HD1 13-15</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 45.75pt" height=61><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; WIDTH: 82pt; HEIGHT: 45.75pt; BORDER-TOP: windowtext; BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 0.5pt solid" class=xl4086 height=61 width=109>HF2 24-19</TD><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; WIDTH: 80pt; BORDER-TOP: windowtext; BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 0.5pt solid" class=xl4086 width=107>HD2 16-7</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 26.25pt; mso-height-source: userset" height=35><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; WIDTH: 82pt; HEIGHT: 26.25pt; BORDER-TOP: windowtext; BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 0.5pt solid" class=xl4086 height=35 width=109>HF3 22-33</TD><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; WIDTH: 80pt; BORDER-TOP: windowtext; BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 0.5pt solid" class=xl4086 width=107>HD3 9-7</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 26.25pt" height=35><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; WIDTH: 82pt; HEIGHT: 26.25pt; BORDER-TOP: windowtext; BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 0.5pt solid" class=xl4086 height=35 width=109>HF4 30-24</TD><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; WIDTH: 80pt; BORDER-TOP: windowtext; BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 0.5pt solid" class=xl4086 width=107>HD4 4-8</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15.75pt" height=21><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; WIDTH: 82pt; HEIGHT: 15.75pt; BORDER-TOP: windowtext; BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 0.5pt solid" class=xl4086 height=21 width=109>HF5 19-10</TD><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; WIDTH: 80pt; BORDER-TOP: windowtext; BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 0.5pt solid" class=xl4086 width=107>HD5 0-2</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15.75pt" height=21><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; WIDTH: 82pt; HEIGHT: 15.75pt; BORDER-TOP: windowtext; BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 0.5pt solid" class=xl4086 height=21 width=109>HF6 11-9</TD><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; WIDTH: 80pt; BORDER-TOP: windowtext; BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 0.5pt solid" class=xl4086 width=107>HD6 2-1</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 26.25pt" height=35><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; WIDTH: 82pt; HEIGHT: 26.25pt; BORDER-TOP: windowtext; BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 0.5pt solid" class=xl4086 height=35 width=109>HF7 8-1</TD><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; WIDTH: 80pt; BORDER-TOP: windowtext; BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 0.5pt solid" class=xl4086 width=107>HD7 0-0</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
So with that playing home dogs in the HD2 and HD3 cats was profitable. Hope it is again this year.
Tuesday April 6th
morning all
PDWS for todays games below:
other the the copy paste from the master pdws to this file everything was automatic. dam took almost a min to put it all together. got to love it when a plan comes together. let me know if you find any errors.
quick check of old business
morning all
PDWS for todays games below:
other the the copy paste from the master pdws to this file everything was automatic. dam took almost a min to put it all together. got to love it when a plan comes together. let me know if you find any errors.
quick check of old business
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