Awesome Tool, and Beltre in Fenway

by Fett42 on Mar 3, 2010 4:33 PM PST

So thanks to The Book Blog I recently discovered this neat site that lets you superimpose BIP data from one player/pitcher/park onto another. Just for fun I superimposed all of Beltre's SAFECO balls in play onto Fenway to check out the results, which, unless the data is wrong, is somewhat surprising:

According to this chart, Belre would have had approxmately 5 doubles and 1 flyout turn into home runs in Fenway last year, which is much less than what I expected. Now obviously this doesn't take into consideration weather, how a batter changes, his approach, how the Green Monster effects balls, etc., etc. But I still found it interesting.

P.S. - The same analysis on Washburn says that about 10 of his doubles and 5 of his flyouts at SAFECO would've been home runs in Fenway. Nice!

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6 extra HR is still quite a few, considering he only played in about 2/3 of the games

by seattlebruin on Mar 3, 2010 4:59 PM PST reply actions

As for J-Rod...

yeah… add that to the runs that Guti, Ichi, Endy and Langerhans saved and you could see how he racked up that 7.3 ERA in Detroit real quick

by seattlebruin on Mar 3, 2010 5:00 PM PST up reply actions

Not to mention

Beltre was playing with a bad something, usually his shoulder, most of the games he did play in

by Malcontent1 on Mar 3, 2010 5:06 PM PST up reply actions

As you suspect, the main thing about Safeco isn't the dimensions but the cold wet air blowing in from LF

De Gutibus non disputandum est

by Bearskin Rugburn on Mar 3, 2010 5:35 PM PST reply actions

Wet air is less dense than dry air

(Really, it is) . Wet air would be an advantage to balls leaving the park, all things being equal. But that’s a minor factor compared to other things (like temperature and wind). The real problem with humidity is that it softens the balls (and to a lesser extent the bats) and thus makes them rebound with less elasticity. Which is why putting the balls in the humidor at Coors is effective.

But cold air is definitely denser, and if it’s blowing in….

by wandergeist on Mar 3, 2010 9:54 PM PST up reply actions

Apart from the effects on elasticity, humidity effects are trivial

For all practical purposes in this context, air density is a function of temperature and elevation.

by Steve Nelson on Mar 4, 2010 10:15 AM PST up reply actions

Yes, exactly

People always talk about fly balls in Seattle being hindered by the “cold, wet air” but in fact it’s just the cold air that matters. The wet part is irrelevant (and to the trivial extent it isn’t, it’s actually helpful).

by wandergeist on Mar 4, 2010 11:22 AM PST up reply actions

Actually, it's not very wet here during the baseball season

Very early on, in April and May we are, but there are other places that are at that time as well. When we get into mid-June, we’re farily dry for the rest of the season. So the cooler temperatures, relatively dry air and our proximity to sea level all combine to make our air dense (although I doubt that the humidity plays much of a factor compared to the other two).

by nathaniel dawson on Mar 3, 2010 9:57 PM PST up reply actions

But to be fair

Where is it wetter than Seattle during those summer months? It may be reasonably dry here, but compared to most other parks it’s still as wet, if not wetter.

Rooting for lovable losers since 1984.

by seattlecougar on Mar 4, 2010 12:37 AM PST up reply actions

I would think most Major League cities are wetter than Seattle during those months

We’re certainly not as dry as Arizona, and probably not Southern California as well. Denver might be drier than us, maybe Arlington too. Other than those places, my guess is that we’re drier here than elsewhere. The Gulf Coast is tremendously humid during summer, and most of the Midwest as well. Eastern seaboard cities also are pretty humid then.

I may well be wrong, as I don’t know how to check something like this, but I’d be willing to bet we’re on the dry side compared to the average Major League city.

by nathaniel dawson on Mar 4, 2010 1:54 AM PST up reply actions