As Peter Gammons reported last year, The New Yankee Stadium is “one of the biggest jokes in baseball.”
Well, ESPN has just come out with their park factors for 2009, and there is Coors East pulling in at… #20. That’s right- while Yankee Stadium is a great place to hit home runs, overall it actually suppressed run scoring last year. Gammons’ home park ranked 8th. The sample is too small to make any kind of definitive judgement (like, say, the one Gammons made after about a month and a half of baseball), but the next time some senile old hack tells you Jeter’s career was resurrected by the new stadium — just walk away.
24 Comments
PhilM January 8, 2010 13:42
While it is homer-happy, it’s not run-hyper — which is a win-win. Chicks dig the longball, while the overall park factors give the pitchers a more than sporting chance. Maybe a genius designed it after all!
Shelley Duncan January 8, 2010 13:55
IM SO MAD I NEVER HIT A HOMERUN THERE!!!! *SMASH*
Mattingly23 January 8, 2010 14:21
While it didn’t turn out to be as much of a homer haven as I feared (I was at the 22-4 loss the 3rd game of the home schedule and popups were going out), I’d still love for them to push back the power alleys a little bit. At least get them back to what they used to be. The auxiliary scoreboards caused the sloped power alleys to be straight lines now, pushing in the power alleys a little bit despite the dimensions being the same as they were at the end of old Yankee Stadium.
I’m so bummed Gammons took a job with MLB Network.
CB14 January 8, 2010 14:25
WHy the hell should we care what that senile old bat has to say. He is probably scared ot death now that the shit stain franchise he worships is about to get it’s shit pushed in for the next ten years by us. Yes him being on MLB network is depressing. I thought rational baseball fans has escaped from him.
Butcher January 8, 2010 14:27
I agree with Mattingly. It’s not as bad as first expected, but at times it seems like pop ups can get out of there.
A lot has to do with the height of the LF and RF walls I think. A lot of those HR’s would have been off the old wall are now HR’s.
It’s why I don’t think you see a lot more runs scored, but you see an increase in HR’s.
Overall, sans seat prices, I love the new park.
Tiger Tiger Woods, y'all January 8, 2010 14:33
The walls in the gap used to be rounded. Now those muthafuckas are straight across.
Howard January 8, 2010 14:39
Actually, Yankee Stadium is #1 when it comes to home runs, people. Read the chart! The new Stadium ranks 20th when it comes to the runs category. If anything, this disparity is a HUGE indicator that the Bronx Trade Winds impact the number of homers at the Stadium.
Park Factor compares the rate of stats at home versus the rate of stats on the road. In other words, if you’re a Yankee or a visiting player, you’re more likely to hit a home run at Yankee Stadium versus away/your own stadium. This is a pretty neat stat. To test it, just look at Fenway, which ranks #1 in Park Factor for doubles (Thanks, Monster) while Yankee Stadium ranks next to last (Thanks, no odd corners and short porches where doubles become home runs).
In the end, the Stadium comes out as just about average. The scary numbers are for PetCo and Coors. Those are the type of numbers that can impact a player’s overall career stats.
cutie pie January 8, 2010 15:35
The new park is sooo hot
JoeThunder January 8, 2010 16:01
Mattingly 23, I concur about Gammons. He stinks and ruins the MLB network with his verbal diarrhea.
A-Bomb January 8, 2010 19:08
Why does anyone listen to Gammons anymore? Better question: what the hell was MLB Network thinking when they hired him? The real joke is him being paid to open his mouth on TV.
Bruce January 8, 2010 21:27
The new stadium is a lot like the old one: you get a lot of cheap shots to right and a lot of stuff just dies out in left-center.
Gammons really is a joke. I honestly heard him let out a massive sigh once when they were doing Yankee highlights, and somebody hit a weak fly ball that got out. Give it up, Peter. We get it. You hate the Yankees. I know I was pretty pissed when I found out he was moving to the MLBN.
I don't miss Peter Baconham January 9, 2010 01:59
I’ve read that the advertised numbers on the power alleys (399 and 385, as we all know) are inflated by 15-25 feet from what they actually are, based on google earth photographs.
If that’s true, I’m puzzled. Why put up numbers that aren’t right? Is that even allowed? The first thing I noticed when I saw the new park on tv was that the right field gap was easily 20 feet closer than it “should be”. If they want to stick it only 365 feet out, fine, but get the number right or it just looks silly. I also miss Death Valley being the great equalizer against right handed hitters. New Death Valley only seemed to kill the ERA of whoever happened to be on the mound.
As far as I can tell, though, the corners and center are dead on. This I definitely like.
Peter Gammons January 9, 2010 03:53
Hey check out my album “Never Slow Down, Never Grow Old” In stores July 6, 2004.
Butcher January 9, 2010 08:51
Another reason the HOF is a complete joke you shouldn’t pay attention to….Peter Gammons is in it!
Bob January 9, 2010 11:01
As much as Gammons sucks I would like to inform everyone that during mlbnetworks hof coverage Gammons cited WAR
swedski January 10, 2010 10:58
Has anybody heard if the Yanks are doing any renovations to stop the HR Derby there?
JoeThunder January 10, 2010 12:45
Eh, it;s better than that shit-hole on Yawkey way.
Chris from CT January 10, 2010 14:22
This is the same self-important douche who just claimed on SI.com that he would have to be neutral on NESN (80% Red Sox-owned and founded by the team), unlike announcers on YES.
“SI.com: Now that you are employed by NESN, how will you remain objective regarding coverage of the Red Sox?
Gammons: I look at it the way I covered the Red Sox for the Boston Globe. They understand that you are expected to be independent. [Yankee announcer] Michael Kay and [analyst] Al Leiter don’t have that problem with the YES Network. Good regional networks encourage their people to be independent and they realize that their audience won’t accept people who are spokesman for the team. I’m not there to be a spokesperson for the team. I’m there because I have covered baseball for all these years.”
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/richard_deitsch/12/21/gammons.media/index.html
Jason O. January 10, 2010 19:21
The aerodynamics of the new stadium were affected by the presence of the old stadium next door. Once the old structure is gone, the new stadium’s park factor will be very similar to the old YS.
GSB January 11, 2010 10:27
Why is Gammons harping on Leiter? He is not in the booth for every game.
swedski January 11, 2010 11:08
Gammons is a tool. Everywhere he has been has been Red Sox slanted. I loath that he’s going to MLB.
201028 January 11, 2010 20:12
The only way to make a statement to the MLB Network regarding the old geezer is not to watch when he is on. When is he on anyway? Nevermind. If I happen to tune in and his ugly old puss is on I will tune out!!
bobmac January 14, 2010 22:40
Gammons is not only a tool but has yellow teeth.
stevie b January 22, 2010 14:08
two weeks later neyer makes the same post: http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/hotstove09/insider/columns/story?columnist=neyer_rob&id=4845834&campaign=rss&source=MLBHeadlines&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fmlb%2fhotstove09%2finsider%2fcolumns%2fstory%3fcolumnist%3dneyer_rob%26id%3d4845834%26campaign%3drss%26source%3dMLBHeadlines
long live nomaas