And some of the fields have big ass walls (The big green monster? Wrigley?*). So if my home field is an easy one to hit home runs in compared to another, what does it mean if I hit 10 more homeruns than some guy in a park where it’s really hard to knock it out?
*IANABaseball fan
It means you hit 10 more home runs.
The records for home runs are just that; who hit the most home runs? It’s just a question of who had the highest number.
In any event, none of the major home run records were achieved in easy home run parks; Henry Aaron spent half his career in a pitcher’s park and half in a hitter’s park, which basically evened out, and Barry Bonds set hsi record in a pitcher’s park (contrary to popular belief.) So it’s never really come up.
Very few players have had their home run totals really warped by the parks they played in. There are a few - Mel Ott and Chuck Klein hit many more homers than they would have in a neutral park, and Joe DiMaggio was murdered by his park. But generally speaking it’s not that dramatic a difference.
What about Griffey and the Kingdome, Rick? Although, it’s looking like more and more of a non-issue.
And the Green Monster is in Fenway, Bruce_Daddy.
For one thing, all baseball players play half their schedule away from their home field, so a lot of the differences between stadiums tend to even out to some extent.
Colorado, for example, has a notorious reputation as a “home run” stadium. But if you were asked to name three recent home run champions, you’d probably come up with Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire – none of whom played for Colorado.
I just googled some stats for Barry Bonds. From 2001 through the season so far, he’s hit a total of 75 home runs while playing at home vs. 83 while playing away games.
Baseball stadiums have to meet a minimum requirement for distance to the fences (except for very old stadiums like Fenway and Wrigley), so it’s not quite like the days of the Polo Grounds, where you could literally hit a ball 275 feet and have it go over a wall. There are still some places where a hitter can get a cheap home run, but not like in the past.
Besides, baseball keeps statistics on home runs because it has ALWAYS kept statistics on home runs. Baseball keeps statistics on everything because it always has. That’s the beauty of baseball.
If you are going to question the usefulness of tracking homers due to varying ballpark conditions, you would have to then question nearly every other statistical record of importance. A deeper outfield wall means more outfield area resulting in a favorable bent towards slap hitters.
Narrow foul territory might harm pitchers turning what is essentially a pop out into a second chance for the batter since the ball landed in the stands.
Stadium near a river? How do the prevailing winds blow?
Grass length, dirt composition, glare? All things that vary from stadium to stadium.
Taking into consideration the vagaries of stadium design in relation to statistical prowess is relatively pointless simply because there are so many variables. Due to travel, a lot of it evens out.
That being said, there are plenty of adjusted statistical measures that take into account such things as a hitters park or a pitcher’s park.
I think it’s kind of cool that there is some inconsistency in baeball. They can keep all the stats they want, but it still doesn’t sum up the game completely.
Baseball’s just wierd, man. Going to local games is a good excuse to drink beer and help out the local economy though.
kunilou, The Polo Grounds was 275 down the line, but it was also like 475 to center, so…
I think the 81 (or whatever for whatever era) away games make the difference. Also, while there are hitter’s parks and pitcher’s parks, the REAL HR threats can hit it out anywhere. That’s why they have records and the cream rises to the top.
I think is6was9 is right. Things in baseball have a way of evening out in any case: you’d think the Rockies players would challenge for the home run record, or at least the title, every year with the thin air up there. But for the 81 road games, those hitters are at a big disadvantage because conditions are so different. Pitches break more once you’re closer to sea level, visiting players don’t tire as easily, etc. In fact, historically, the Rockies always play horribly on the road. So there’s that aspect to it. Also, even though the fields aren’t the same size, everybody (home teams and visiting teams) get to play in all of them. The Yankees get the short right field at home, but so do their opponents.
I should also point out in the OP’s favor that because the dimensions of the outfield are only minimum standards, and the walls are largely portable, baseball fields are constantly renovated to adjust for the strengths and weaknesses of the staff (and of the staff’s division rivals). The Green Monster is in left field at Fenway, where it is 310 down the left field line, 370 at the end of the wall. Along the right field line it begins around 320 or so and quickly balloons out to 380 in the power alley.
You’ll note that the four hitters in Boston with the most at-bats at Fenway try to play to the wall’s strengths. Garciaparra is a right-handed singles and doubles hitter with some power; everything is pulled left toward, off of, or over the wall. Damon hits spray singles and avoids the wall altogether. Todd Walker bats left and sprays singles past the infield, mostly singles the other way to left or up the middle, with some pop to right; Manny Ramierez bats right and, like right-handed Garciaparra, plays his doubles off the wall. These strategies will obviously not work at Yankee Stadium, which is a booming 399 in the power alley to left, and only 385 to the right field power alley – and the Yankees cannot come to Fenway and drive balls deep to left for doubles, because they’ll bounce off of the Monster and turn into singles.
Remember all the Hit It Here Junior signs when Ken Griffey Jr actually knew how to play good baseball and smile? That turned into the Hit It Here Cafe in the second deck in right field at Safeco, the Mariners’ new park. Safeco’s relatively short left-field porch favors lefties like Griffey and now Ichiro, but the cold Seattle air keeps the ball from traveling well and makes the place a pitcher’s park more than anything. Therefore, Seattle hires singles hitters, contact hitters, speed, pitching, defense, and Jeff Cirillo.
I guess it’s like asking why all golf courses aren’t the same. You have to learn how to play well there, grow accustomed to its quirks. Baseball keeps track of hits away, at home; batting average against righties and lefties; day and night games; first game of a series; first game of a homestand; and every combination you can think of. The question for me isn’t why baseball tracks home runs, given the varying conditions. The question is why more teams aren’t successful at finding players that capitalize on the strengths of their ballparks.
FISH
Now that is about the funniest thing I’ve read in a long time 