Minute Maid Park Clarification

[Brando2101]

I'm sick of people talking about cheap homeruns in the crawford boxes cause i've been watching the playoffs and there havnt been any yet.

If you have the opportunity to correct an atlanta or st louis fan please do. I only wish we could get to the dumb guys calling the game at fox.

The burke and Berkman homeruns were both line drives which means their angles when landing were pretty small. Given that the left field wall is 21 feet high and those homers landed a couple rows up, it's safe to conclude that the ball would of traveled a home run distance in most other parks.

it's the fly ball homeruns that are falling almost strait down when they land in crawford that are cheap.

DAMN YOU FOX! Minute Maid is a fair park with a 400+ centerfield wall.

[l3igballer23]

Yea, I'm tired of that crap too. Roy-O was talking about it earlier in the season. It plays alot truer than you would think.

[thech0senone]

What about the cheap HRs in Yankee Stadium? Nobody ever mentions them.

[arkoe]

The other team has every opportunity to take advantage of it, which is why I don't understand how it is cheap. It's not like they move the Crawford boxes in 20 feet when the 'Stros come to bat, and move them back when the Astros are on defense. (Though that would be awesome.)

[MadMax]

What about the cheap HRs in Yankee Stadium? Nobody ever mentions them.

this is the point that resonates with me, most.

Fenway and Yankee Stadium both have ridiculously cheap shots down the right field line. that's never pointed out by the "purists" who bitch about the way newer parks play. there...it's character. at the newer parks, like MMP, it's cheap.

[Nick]

We're still only 5 years from when the park opened, and it seemed like every single ball hit into the OF that year was a HR. A lot of that had to do with our pitching staff (the worst), and our lineup (one of the best we've had).

Its hard to shake that "stigma" in a short time span... but the good news is that the runs and HR's per game there have trended downward every single year since then.

My guess is that in 10-15 years, as long as we maintain some form of pitching, the #'s will continue to be fine there... and it will slowly loose that perception. Also... everybody thinks this is "Coors South", but yet no team will ever be expected to win while playing all their games in Colorado. We're going on our 3rd playoff appearance in 5 years here at MMP... its safe to say that you can build a winning team that plays half its games here.

A good comparison for MMP is its more like the Metrodome (aka the "homerdome" when it first opened)... a wild and wacky place for post-season, but a fair park when its all said and done.

[Major]

The perception is created (and will continue) because of people like Jim Edmonds hitting broken bat opposite-field HR's into the Crawford boxes. Say what you want about other fields (I really don't know enough about their dimensions or anything), but you don't see that kind of stuff very often, and it's happened more than once at MMP.

On the "both teams can do it" thing - I think the point is that it brings an element of luck into the game. You can make the perfect pitch and force what is essentially a popup to the outfield on a broken bat and suddenly be down a run. The pitcher did what they wanted to do; the batter did not make solid contact. Yet, instead of the bloop single or blood double that occasionally happen at other parks, you also get bloop HR's here.

[MadMax]

Fenway has Pesky's Pole...so named because of Pesky, who played for the Red Sox, and took advantage of a RF line that is 302.

Yankee Stadium has a right field shot of 314.

MMP is 325 in its shortest path out...to the Crawford Boxes.


IN the older parks, it's seen as "character." In the newer parks, it's labelled as "cheap." Oh, well.

MMP has been very, very fair since the 2000 debacle...which was more about the sucky pitchers we had than the ballpark. As Bagwell said, the Crawford Boxes shouldn't matter when we're on the road...and those guys got crucified on the road, as well.

[DaDakota]

Who cares !!

It is our park...and we love it.

Just win baby !! They can bitch all they want...

Just win !

DD

[leroy420]

All you have to say to Atlanta and STL fans is, "Why don't your guys hit it there, too?" It's called strategery people!

[EddieWasSnubbed]

If you truly look and examine it, our field is just as big, if not larger than Fenway park. By doing a simple comparison, it seems the fields sort of rival each other.

[Ollie]

Fenway has Pesky's Pole...so named because of Pesky, who played for the Red Sox, and took advantage of a RF line that is 302.

Yankee Stadium has a right field shot of 314.

MMP is 325 in its shortest path out...to the Crawford Boxes.

Actually it's 315... IIRC..

[MadMax]

Actually it's 315... IIRC..

you're right. it is 315.

[Joe Joe]

As a pitching and defense guy, I wish the Crawford boxes would go away. Personal preference after watching many games at the Dome. Can you imagine Adam Dunn trying to play left against the Astros if the Crawford Boxes were gone?

MMP does rank highly (most years) in hrs (to left) that wouldn't be hrs in the average park, but usually also ranks highly in flyballs (to center) that would be hrs in the average ballpark.

As a side note, I don't like MMP being compared to the Yankee Stadium. I've tried to watch what the American League calls baseball, but have never enjoyed it.

The one thing I like about the Crawford boxes is that you can customize a team around it. You can ensure most of your team bats righthanded so that MMP is death to lefties. On the fair issue, I don't care. This is baseball. The home field should provide a homefield advantage by allowing the GM to build a team around it.

[MadMax]

As a side note, I don't like MMP being compared to the Yankee Stadium. I've tried to watch what the American League calls baseball, but have never enjoyed it.



completely agree with this point. 4+ hour 9 inning games are ridiculous...batting whoever you want with no reprecussion is another thing.

[Hippieloser]

No kidding. Since when has baseball ever been fair. Every time a game is played at MMP, I hope the other team's CF breaks his ankle on the hill or concusses himself on the flagpole.

[Toast]

MMP has been very, very fair since the 2000 debacle...which was more about the sucky pitchers we had than the ballpark.

I wouldn't even say it was "sucky pitchers."

They were fly-ball pitchers which is all fine and dandy in the pitcher-friendly Astrodome. You transition from a pitcher's park to a hitter's park with the same exact squad and you're in for trouble.

[MadMax]

I wouldn't even say it was "sucky pitchers."

They were fly-ball pitchers which is all fine and dandy in the pitcher-friendly Astrodome. You transition from a pitcher's park to a hitter's park with the same exact squad and you're in for trouble.

they were equal opportunity sucky that year. they didn't just suck at MMP. they sucked on the road, as well. they sucked everywhere.

[msn]

The perception is created (and will continue) because of people like Jim Edmonds hitting broken bat opposite-field HR's into the Crawford boxes.
Jim Edmonds? Heck, Tim freaking Bogar did that a few years back.

MMP is not "cheap" or "unfair". It's a great, beautiful park and the dimensions compare favorably with other middle-of-the-road parks--although I have to say I was glad when they knocked out the first couple rows and hiked that LF wall a few feet three years back.

[tigereye]

One of the reasons why Minute Maid is considered a "cheap homer park" by purists is that its short left field wall caters to right handed hitters, which have a higher population in baseball then that of the left handed power hitter, just like pitchers.

Most of those parks you guys named Yankee Stadium, Fenway, Pac Bell, etc....all have the exact opposite, a short right field wall that caters to a left handed power hitter. But you dont find many of those hitters as often as a right handed power hitter so the "fairness" factor balances itself out. In those same parks, the easier to find right handed power hitters face deep spots in the favorite areas to drive the ball in left. Yankee Stadium has Death Valley. Fenway has the "Triangle." Pac Bell is very deep to the power alley in left. Thus, this creates a balanced effect. These parks have spots that are easy to hit it out, but not for most players because they bat right- handed.

So in essence, the purists are correct....Minute Maid a homer friendly because it caters to the right handed power hitter. In fact, Minute Maid is the only park that I know of that actually has its fences arranged in a way to cater to a right handed power hitter. Every other park has the shorter fences to right to be fair to all.

But in Minute Maid's defense, the fences are this way for a logical reason. The park couldnt be built all the way to Crawford Street because of the retractable roof and Union Station, which was blocking its path. So logically, the roof had to be constructed at a spot in front of Union Station. This dramatically reduced the amount of room architect had to construct Minute Maid park, thus creating the left field. And of course, that part of the park had to have some seats...where would you put them. The Astros and HOK Architects did the best job they could with this situation. In the end, Property boundaries created the fences and the field of play at Minute Maid, just like they did at Fenway.

So in essence the "unfair" short left field purists complain about, is justified.

Hopefully this clears up this matter, once and for all.

[JayZ750]

MMP does rank highly (most years) in hrs (to left) that wouldn't be hrs in the average park, but usually also ranks highly in flyballs (to center) that would be hrs in the average ballpark.


Link? Not that I don't believe you, but these statistics would be interesting to see. Thanks.

[Joe Joe]

Link? Not that I don't believe you, but these statistics would be interesting to see. Thanks.

I saw this in a "the sporting news" article last season, iirc. Sorry, no link.

[Jturbofuel]

If you want to know what cheap home run is,the original distance in yankee stadium right field was 290 feet.Now that is a cheap home run.

[tigereye]

If you want to know what cheap home run is,the original distance in yankee stadium right field was 290 feet.Now that is a cheap home run.

Its a cheap home run....but ONLY if you bat left-handed or can muster enough pwer as a right handed hitter to drive it for a opposite field home run. The latter is not easy to do at all.

[Brando2101]

Hmm. Some of that might vary hitter to hitter. When MMP opened Jeff Bagwell said he wished the crawford boxes were down the right field line and Ken Griffy was upset Safeco fences were so short in right instead of left. Perhaps those are isolated.

My point initially was that not EVERY home run hit there is cheap. Line Drives hit to the crawford boxes are going to be out of any park considering they are almost 30 feet off the ground when someone catches them

[MadMax]

My point initially was that not EVERY home run hit there is cheap. Line Drives hit to the crawford boxes are going to be out of any park considering they are almost 30 feet off the ground when someone catches them


This is an excellent point.

The elevation of the wall the ball has to clear to get out is RARELY taken into consideration...in Yankee Stadium, that wall is about 4 feet high in right field. In Fenway, it's about the same.

In MMP, it's 19 feet high down the LF line...it's 25 feet high in left center.

[Nick]

All I can say (again) is give it time. Its only been 5 years... "10-run" field is still fresh one everybody's mind.

Hardly anybody talks about the Metrodome roof (a topic of heated controversy, since the ball is the same color and the OFers have trouble seeing)... hardly anybody talks about the semi-bandbox's in Cleveland and Baltimore anymore either.

As the park continues to play fair (which it has, the last 4 years), both teams and fans will slowly realize that people can pitch/hit/play there with the same normalcy as other places... and then the media will follow suit.