Tourtellotte: The other Coors Field effect
From SABR member Shane Tourtellotte at The Hardball Times on May 21, 2019:
I have a slight problem.
I’m writing today about the Coors Effect and whether a similar effect, or a reverse effect, occurs at other ballparks. The problem is that there are two kinds of Coors Effects, and the one that is better known is not the one I am writing about. This means, before I can discuss what I am writing about, I briefly need to talk about what I’m not writing about, if only to say, “That’s interesting, but it’s not what I mean.”
The original definition of the Coors Effect is the great increase in offense and scoring, relative to other major-league venues, that happens at Coors Field in Denver. The effect happens less because of the field than because of the city, or specifically the altitude of the city. Lower air pressure at the mile-high altitude of Denver means less air resistance on batted balls, so they fly farther. It also means breaking pitches have less bite, so they move less and are more hittable. (It also means pitches arrive at the plate a little faster, but this defense-oriented effect is swamped by the offense-oriented ones.)
Read the full article here: https://tht.fangraphs.com/the-other-coors-effect/
Originally published: May 24, 2019. Last Updated: May 24, 2019.