Comments on: They play in parks

By: erik

erik — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 22:59:46 +0000

Thanks for your input Dan. I’ve been needing to get to these reader questions but have been pretty consumed with other stuff at the moment, so I appreciate you stopping by and explaining.

By: southeast redbird

southeast redbird — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 22:31:58 +0000

I think that the humidity and heat in Jupiter can be a huge factor and different for each individual, for or against you. Humidity affects how the ball moves or doesn’t move or sink and the grass is even different. Lots of factors.
A Florida born player (any position) may feel more comfortable in FL summer weather where an outsider doesn’t do well due to humidity and heat. I have a friend whose son plays for another team and raised in FL, sent to AA in the cold and couldn’t hit, sent him back to Florida and he performed like a maniac.

By: Hugo

Hugo — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 15:10:39 +0000

Also, going further into the 3yr data vs 1yr data how did Springfield’s HR rate jump .10 points? Other then that they are near their averages:
2006-2008 1.06 1.01 1.06 1.22 1.00 1.04

2008 only 1.10 1.01 1.05 1.32 1.03 1.06

By: Hugo

Hugo — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 15:08:26 +0000

If you look at the 3 yr data for PB and Jupiter they are almost the same, one stat is off by 3, one by 2 and the rest are either even or off by 1. I think the variation in the 2008 data is just he inherent inaccuracies of park factors.

By: Dan Szymborski

Dan Szymborski — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 13:31:08 +0000

There are a lot of things that can cause a difference in the same stadium. You have simple error from things such as the roster mixes not being the same on the home/road and the like, and just random dumb luck. The factors are close enough and the expected error large enough that those park factors for Jupiter and Palm Beach are essentially the same.

There are also real things that *can* be different, such as weather conditions, though I would think, with absolutely nothing to back me up, that Florida would have smaller swings in weather than some other places.

By: Lou Schuler

Lou Schuler — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 12:07:33 +0000

I’m surprised that Batavia isn’t more extreme — IIRC, in past years the numbers favored pitchers even more. But according to BA there was more talent in the NY-P than usual, and certainly the Cards had a better team there than we typically do.

So maybe we just had better hitters there, and that brought the park factor up closer to normal.

By: haltz

haltz — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 10:18:06 +0000

It’s probably worth noting that these numbers only compare teams to the other teams in that specific league.

CC, there is a lot of variability or inaccuracy in park factors, so you’ll see different results for different teams playing in the same stadium.

By: HL is not dirty

HL is not dirty — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 06:01:12 +0000

Maybe Springfield is such a hitter friendly park because the Cardinals are pitching there?

I jest.

By: cariocacardinal

cariocacardinal — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 04:04:50 +0000

Maybe I don’t totally understand how this works but since Palm Beach and Jupiter are actually the same facility (I believe) used by different teams in the same league, how can their park factors be different?

By: Pitchers Hit Eighth

Pitchers Hit Eighth — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 02:05:47 +0000

How much influence/responsibility does the Cards LLC have in managing the stadiums in PB and Springfield? Is making them more even something that the big club can dictate, or are they bound to leases with the cities like a lot of other parks?

Just an interesting thing to think about, when you figure the Cards appear headed toward owning all of their affiliates.