Which current ballparks have hitters or pitchers an advantage?

I'm trying to find out how people feel. I've heard of "park adjusted" stats, especially for homefields, low fences, short distances to OF. Can someone explain to me how they affect a hitter's or pitcher's performance? The obvious about the distance to OF aren't what I was looking for. Just anything what may qualify as "significant" to kind of put an "asterisk*" next to a player's stats.

Let's hear it.

[Skipper Steve]

Parks that really favor hitters:
Coors Field
Enron Field

Parks that really favor pitchers:
Turner Field
Camden Yards
Fenway Park
Wrigley Field
Comerica Park
Pro Player Stadium
Dodger Stadium
Shea Stadium
Network Assoc. Coliseum
Veterans Stadium
Qualcomm Stadium
Pac Bell Park
Safeco Field

Why? The "STATS" back it up. When I see lists like this, I wonder about all those that claim today's stats are inflated because of ballparks.

[sweaver]

Notice that two of the parks on your "favor pitchers" list, Fenway and Wrigley, used to be the best HITTERS parks in their respective leagues. That is the biggest influence on the offensive explosion, not the ball, conditioning, or expansion. When hitters' parks become pitchers' parks, offense explodes.

Skip, are you saying that since batters usually have a higher BA at Coors or Enron, this favors them? Or that there's something about the parks themselves (altitude, distance to OF fences)? Sorry for not knowing something many others here know easily but I had to ask.

If yourself or someone else could also answer, why do they say YS favors lefty hitters?

[SmedIndy]

Originally posted by Yogi#8Fan
Skip, are you saying that since batters usually have a higher BA at Coors or Enron, this favors them? Or that there's something about the parks themselves (altitude, distance to OF fences)? Sorry for not knowing something many others here know easily but I had to ask.

If yourself or someone else could also answer, why do they say YS favors lefty hitters?

Well, park effects work by comparing the offensive performance of both teams at a park and comparing it to the league average.

So each park has specific effects. Coors' altitude causes the ball to carry and curves not to break as much, thus increasing home runs. To compensate, they built it with larger dimensions. Outfielders still play back, so it seems to also allow more balls to fall in which increases BA.

Enron is just a small park. Jose Cruz should sue because he could have potentially put up HOF numbers if he played there.

YS favors lefties because the RF fence and alley are shorter than they are in LF.

Park effects are not consistent, because that damn weather can interfere. Also, with the retractable roof stadiums, the park has different effects with the roof open or closed.

This adds greatly to the character of the game, but you must read, and reading tremble, when comparing hitting stats. You can't compare, say, the Dodgers of 1966 to the Astros of 2001 and say who's better or worse on offense without really taking park effects and the overall offensive era of baseball into account.

Smed, more good stuff for me to digest. At least someone has taken the time to honestly answer a big question on my (shallow) mind for awhile. Silly ?: the alley is CF, right?

[SmedIndy]

Originally posted by Yogi#8Fan
Smed, more good stuff for me to digest. At least someone has taken the time to honestly answer a big question on my (shallow) mind for awhile. Silly ?: the alley is CF, right?

The alleys are LCF and RCF.

[sweaver]

One of the best places to find park effect data is the Stats Major League Handbook, which list indices comparing each park to average in batting average, homers, runs scored and the like. There is probably another source but that is the best one I know. Lee might have it in his encyclopedia, as well. Keep in mind that weather is a factor as well, as hitting tends to increase with temperature and also humidity (the air is actually lighter when it is humid, because water vapor is lighter than nitrogen and oxygen, so the ball can travel farther). Park effects can disappear or even reverse for a year or two, and the retractable roof parks can play differently depending on whether the roof is open or closed, because of the change in winds.

It's complicated.

[Skipper Steve]

Originally posted by sweaver
One of the best places to find park effect data is the Stats Major League Handbook, which list indices comparing each park to average in batting average, homers, runs scored and the like.

That was the source for my list in this thread.

[Skipper Steve]

Originally posted by sweaver
Notice that two of the parks on your "favor pitchers" list, Fenway and Wrigley, used to be the best HITTERS parks in their respective leagues. That is the biggest influence on the offensive explosion, not the ball, conditioning, or expansion. When hitters' parks become pitchers' parks, offense explodes.

sweaver - it's early and I'm still somewhat sleepy, so, it's probably just me - - but, I'm having a hard time following you on this one, can you expand?

Originally posted by SmedIndy
The alleys are LCF and RCF.

Thanks. Every now & then I get something which I should easily know but don't so it shows I should've followed the game much more closely back then.

sweaver, I'll probably buy this the Stats book soon, but that's just one store listed, not any "endorsement" of the store on my part.

[hmrsf]

this will make the 3rd baseball book I have ordered since joining Netshrine. I always thought I was a big fan.....but I now realize that I am not a good student of the game. Total Baseball, Historical Baseball, and now the STAT book should help me get started.

Since joining this place, I've realized I don't know squat about the game so I'm always playing catchup. Humbling.

[hmrsf]

Originally posted by Yogi#8Fan
Since joining this place, I've realized I don't know squat about the game so I'm always playing catchup. Humbling.

Back on topic...since 88-89 when the 600 club replaced the old press box, Fenway has changed from a hitters park to pitchers park.

[Skipper Steve]

Originally posted by hmrsf

Back on topic...since 88-89 when the 600 club replaced the old press box, Fenway has changed from a hitters park to pitchers park.

No more wind blown pops into the screen. I'm sure Mike Torrez thinks it was a decade-something too late.