MLB: The Coors Field Effect

MathTrek released an article called "The Coors Field Effect" in May 2006. The articles purpose was to prove that Coors Field (Colorodo Rockies playing grounds) is a hitters park by nature. It states that the team's home field is at a significantly higher elevation, making the air thin. This causes the ball to carry further so it is easier for players to hit home runs. Also, because the ball carries further, outfielders have to play further back and it is therefore easier to get a single into the shallow outfield.

Overall, it was calculated that the average initial velocity for a ball to clear the fence was lower at Coors Field than at any other stadium. Also, with help of the shallow outfield, the Rockies had 4 players combine to win 6 batting titles over the past decade.

[It is] estimated that, because of elevation, a baseball travels about 10 percent farther at Coors Field than it does elsewhere.

I won't go into the effect that this ballpark has on a player's statistics but if you would like to read the article you can find it here. It was found that this ballpark in particular does help a players statistics.

Much of this information in this article was taken from a Science News article called "Home Runs and Ballparks." In this article it was found that "When baseball slugger Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals hit his record-breaking, 62nd home run on Sept. 8, 1998, the ball barely passed over the left field fence at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. The same hit would not have been a home run at, say, Fenway Park in Boston."

Why does this pertain to my interests? It is interesting to note that all-star players could have their statistics slightly skewed by natural factors in their team's home ballpark. Also, Todd Helton is a member of the Colorado Rockies and is involved in recent trade talks with the Red Sox.