Baseball America: Target Field was worst park for left-handed power

According to Baseball America's research, Target Field gave left-handed hitters the fits the past two seasons. In his piece regarding how ballparks effect young hitters, BA's Matt Eddy notes that despite only two years in existence, the Twins home field muted left-handed power like no other, allowing a home run once every 61 plate appearances.

Part of that certainly is personnel-related as the Twins were limited from the left-side without Justin Morneau, Joe Mauer and Jason Kubel for extended stretches in the past two seasons. Eddy notes that the confines did not stifle every Minnesota left-hander:

Quote:

---

Target Field didn't seem to bother Twins first baseman Chris Parmelee much in 2011—he smacked two of his four homers at home during a September callup—but how will he fare during a cool Minneapolis spring?

---

I'm guessing that Parmelee will not likely be tested in the cool Minneapolis spring this season - not because it is unseasonably warm so far but because he's due to start the year in Triple-A.

Get over the Non-Metrodome friendliness.

I'd bet, outside the $, one of the biggest reasons Kubel didn't stay.

First it's the trees then something else.

Too many excuses.

I know Jim Thome is the first person that comes to mind that wasn't seriously affected by Target Field.

I don't know about wind currents within the park, but I feel that the big scoreboard in right-center has a lot to do with this. I know it's only the same height as The Baggy from the Dome, but it extends further into center field, and it takes a hell of a hit to knock it over that scoreboard. Even the Twins organization seemed to recognize this, as they made the area above that scoreboard the Powerball Pavilion, where they give $500 lottery scratch off tickets to a randomly chosen fan if a home run is hit up there. Clearly they (and the Minnesota State Lottery) weren't anticipating a lot of homers in that area.

There is a major logical flaw in their calculations... they are not normalized by HRs a particular player hit in a particular ballpark vs all the others. So if a whole bunch of non-HR hitting LHB were playing with a particular team, that home park will artificially seem low in their calculations, where if a whole bunch of HR hitting lefties were playing for another team, that home park would be artificially high in their calculations. Add Casilla, Span, Nishioka, Revere, Tolbert, Punto, Hudson as SH and LHB the last 2 seasons and Thome's, Kubel's and the bit of Morneau's PAs tend to be neutralized.

Not that I am saying that Target Field is a LH hitter's paradise for HR. It is not. But I just want to see that hypothesis supported by correct design and data ;)

Tosoni and Thome didn't seem to have a problem hitting HR in Target Field. :)

Mauer's case is the one I'm most interested in. Perhaps it's a product of memory fading as time goes away, but I feel like A lot of Mauer's homeruns were opposite field shots. The fence is is Higher in Left-Left Center, despite being a bit closer. I think Mauer's best production came on the back of a swing that was tailor-made for the Dome. Are there any (free) sites that track home run locations of a player over their careers?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by The Greatest Poster Alive

Are there any (free) sites that track home run locations of a player over their careers?

---

http://www.hittrackeronline.com

Edit: Its by season, not by career.

C'mon now, Thome had no problem hitting balls out at Yellowstone Park.

Move in the damn fences already. Why can't management admit they were wrong about the overall dimensions and just move on.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Fanatic Jack

Move in the damn fences already. Why can't management admit they were wrong about the overall dimensions and just move on.

---

A few issues with that, including the current and near future pitching pipeline...

I like the idea of having a pitcher friendly park. It's worked well for the Giants recently, and the early 2000's A's and Mariners. I wouldn't mind that kind of team. Plus the Twins struggle to have home run hitters as it is, so Target Field is perfect for their style of hitting.

There is not enough history in this ballpark to come to any firm conclusions, and the dimensions of TF aren't abnormal. I think this has way more to do with the limp Twins lineup than the ballpark. Time will tell.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by USAFChief

There is not enough history in this ballpark to come to any firm conclusions, and the dimensions of TF aren't abnormal. I think this has way more to do with the limp Twins lineup than the ballpark. Time will tell.

---

Yea, what he said. I do think it there's any issue, it isn't with pulling the ball to right, but guys like Morneau and Mauer who had a lot of success going the other way. Either way, it makes sense to get more data from a healthy lineup before messing with the dimensions. Don't forget the home record in 2010 when you start talking about moving the fences in.

If your a left handed power hitter(either developed through the farm system, or a possible free agent), why would you want to play for the Twins?

Why does everyone take stories like this as a knock against the Twins or an excuse? It just is what it is. This park knocks down balls that are homeruns elsewhere. Just set your expectations where they need to be. Mauer and Morneau are probably going to hit more home runs on the road than at home. The Twins need to be more right handed the same way the Yankees are getting more left-handed and the Red Sox tend to be right handed.

The bottom line is fans want to see home runs and management tried to give it to them with a specially designed hangover porch in right field. The problem is the way the wind swirls downtown in Target Field everything gets knocked down. They did it at Citi Field for 2012, Comercia Park, and U.S. Cellular Field. Why can't the front office put their egos aside and just move the power alleys in 10 feet and get rid of the height on the fence in right field. These are not sweeping changes and the Twins hitters would benefit in their own ballpark. This notion that is helps the Twins pitchers is hilarious, you could move the fences out to 500 feet and other teams would still hit home runs against our .AAA rotation and bullpen.

Personally I'd have a look at what StatCorner has to say on park factors. According to them, Target Field had a LHH HR park factor of 91 (comp'd to 95 for RHH). That's certainly a depressing factor -- depressing in a different sense -- but I'd have to believe there are teams with lower marks.

Alas, Arizona's park factor for LHH bombs is 114; you think that Kubel signing was a calculated move? Oh, yes.

Low Homer totals: some is the park, some was the personnel, some was health. I wouldn't be in a big hurry to change dimensons of Target Field either. The Metrodome was called the Homerdome in the late 80's because of Puckett, Hrbek, Gaetti and Brunansky. Later it was considered a nuetral park at best. To some degree you build your organization to your park. Right now the Twins have speed guys plus guys like Morneau and Mauer who can put up good numbers in any park. Let it play big, I think this group of players could do well here.

I think the fences are fine. Other teams don't have issues hitting HR here.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Gernzy

I think the fences are fine. Other teams don't have issues hitting HR here.

---

Yes they do. That's what the article is saying. It's the worst park a left handed hitter on any team wants to have a plate appearance with the expectation of a home run.