Home Runs per Outfield Fly

[DBAHO]

From another Hardball Times article;

 

But if we’re talking about outfield flies, the most important possible event is a home run of course. So let’s take a look at the park factors for home runs per outfield fly.

 

Team HROF

White Sox 1.26

Rockies 1.22

Blue Jays 1.19

Phillies 1.16

Cubs 1.16

---

Cardinals 0.87

Angels 0.87

Mets 0.87

Giants 0.86

Padres 0.86

How’s that for a surprise? The Cell makes more outfield flies into home runs than Coors Field. At first, I thought this might be due to the installation of the humidor, but the park factor for home runs per outfield fly at Coors has been fairly stable since 2003, so that doesn’t look to be the case. Instead, it appears that the Cell itself is just an extreme home run park, though I have to wonder how much of that is Chicago itself, given Wrigley Field’s placement as one of the top home run parks in the league.

 

There also this cool spreadsheet for with all batted ball park factors for 2003-07.

 

http://www.hardballtimes.com/images/upload...Spreadsheet.xls

[RME JICO]

Wouldn't the Flyball rate also be dependent on the type of pitchers and hitters? I thought the Sox hit about the same amount of HRs at home as they did away.

 

HR Park Factor for 2007:

 

1 Citizens Bank Park (Philly) 1.418

2 Great American (Cincinnati) 1.351

3 Camden Yards (Baltimore) 1.228

4 U.S. Cellular Field (Chicago) 1.220

5 Coors Field (Denver) 1.218

6 Rogers Centre (Toronto) 1.161

7 Yankee Stadium (New York) 1.153

8 Wrigley Field (Chicago) 1.150

9 Comerica Park (Detroit) 1.140

10 Miller Park (Milwaukee) 1.119

Edited March 22, 2008 by RME JICO

[DBAHO]

Well on your 2nd point, I think the Sox definitely home more HR's at home than on the road.

 

Thome for instance 21HR's at home compared to 14 on the road. Uribe 15HR's at home, 5HR's on the road.

 

And yeah flyball rate is dependent on the pitcher and hitter. The Sox hitters didn't hit as many outfield flies as Philliy hitters for instance, but when they did, there was a better chance of a HR occurring.

 

But obviously, if you're a hitter hitting at U.S Cell compared to PETCO, you're going to try and hit it as much in the air as possible, because if you do, as shown by the stats above, there's a decent chance it'll go out of the park.

[shipps]

I think the Cell is equal to Wrigley except for on days when the wind is blowing in at Wrigley there is close to no chance of hitting the ball out on a high fly.At the cell you can hit the ball out any day,it really makes for some exciting baseball for me.People that consider themselves baseball purists have to hate the way our modern ballparks are being constructed,but having the game evolve and be played in a diffrent way than our great grandfathers watched or played isnt a bad thing.Why should we be so convinced that there way was the better way?

[DBAHO]

It's certainly more fan friendly, with the HR ball being more common.

 

But the Sox showed in 2005 that pitching wins no matter what. They more than anyone should realize that.

 

 

[The Human Borch]

all i know is that jack parkman would probably go for about 50 HR every year if he played in the cell...

[FlaCWS]

At the cell you can hit the ball out any day,it really makes for some exciting baseball for me.People that consider themselves baseball purists have to hate the way our modern ballparks are being constructed,but having the game evolve and be played in a diffrent way than our great grandfathers watched or played isnt a bad thing.Why should we be so convinced that there way was the better way?

 

 

I really couldn't disagree more. As much as I love what's been done to the Cell in terms of the physical structure and fan experience at the game, I am tremendously disappointed in the brand of baseball we now see at home games. At the Cell any fly ball is bound to go out and it can be brutal to watch, IMO. Guys don't have to earn their HRs as much as they do in other places (any other park, in fact). I much rather watch Sox games on the road for that simple reason, and I really wish they would do something about it. I realize the renovations limit what can be done, but something has to be done. I realize I'll be in the minority on this one, and my age (mid 30s) could be the reason.