I'm okay with the power dropping now for huge gains in contact. He's a CFer anyway. That being said, I'd expect a slight bump in power with age/experience anyway so he doesn't need to sell out for it now.
Hernandez's numbers look like they could be a legit adjustment, which if true, I wouldn't be surprised to see his numbers swing back a little bit in the second half. His HR #s are down from the last two seasons but his overall production is on par with his best minor league seasons. I still think he ends up as a 4th OF (he's not a good enough defender in CF IMHO), but there are good reasons to think he will end up as an everyday CF who hits 15 HR, plays above average defense, and steals 40 bags with a .270/.330/.400 line.
Martin has really heated up after struggling out of the gate. All 7 of his homers have come in the last couple of weeks. Of course, Lancaster effect applies. 1.022 OPS at home entering today, .681 OPS on the road
Lancaster has less gravity and likely less air resistance. In other words, pitches probably have less movement and when they get hit...they go farther.
This is why basketball in Lancaster is played on twelve foot goals, to account for the lesser gravity.
Gravity decreases the further from the center of a mass, in this case the earth. As a result, air has less weight, compression, and density at greater elevation.leading to less air resistance. Gravity affects density of uncompressed gasses more than solids. Why does everyone else think air is thinner at greater elevations? Edit: "likely" should have been "leading to" in original post.
Joe Joe is correct with respect to gravity. The higher the altitude, the less gravity. The ball travels better through the thinner air. Lancaster is not as extreme as Denver, so I suspect it has more to do with the thin air and the quality of pitching at that level.
Josh James has enjoyed a really strong season in Lancaster. He was the Astros' 34th-round pick in 2014. He's made more appearances on the road than at home, but he's held his own in pitcher's hell. James has performed really well in his minor league career without any fanfare; I think he'll finish the season in Corpus. In Lancaster: 1-1, 3.65 ERA, 3 appearances (2 starts), 12.1 IP, 11 H (2 HR), 6 R (5 ER), 6 BB, 13 K, 1.38 WHIP, .244 opponent average Away from Lancaster: 2-1, 2.63 ERA, 6 appearances (4 starts), 24 IP, 17 H (2 HR), 9 R (7 ER), 9 BB, 31 K, 1.08 WHIP, .191 opponent average Spoiler <script type="text/javascript" src="http://widgets.sports-reference.com/wg.fcgi?css=1&site=br&url=%2Fregister%2Fplayer.cgi%3Fid%3Djames-004jos&div=div_standard_pitching"></script>
Good to see some of those prospects playing well. And seeing Teoscar Hernandez start looking like a viable prospect again, is great. He has some trade value again, or ML future.
It's 2200 ft above sea level, it's hot and dry, and the wind howls out to RF/CF: 40mph winds are commonplace, they've had to cancel games because of 60+ mph.
Thanks for the explanation. That clarifies why everyone keeps talking about bloated offensive production at Lancaster. I just assumed it was like a Denver sutuation only.
While theoretically correct, @2200ft, the gravity decrease would be negligible given that at the altitude jets fly at gravity is still 98.8% that of normal. https://www.mansfieldct.org/Schools/MMS/staff/hand/lawsgravaltitude.htm
