And how it destroys hitters up and down the coast.
Over the past five years, the six coastal parks in the west have been among the eight toughest in the Majors to create offense. Seattle is the most difficult place to produce runs and homers in the American League, followed by Oakland. In the National League, no park is tougher to score in than San Diego, with San Francisco even slightly harder on home-run hitters than Petco Park. Bodies of water are found near each park.
and:
"Playing on the West Coast, it's a notable difference," said Trumbo, who is third in the AL in OPS at .991. "The first month of the season, especially, there's a dead zone. There have been two or three balls I hit this year that I thought I got all of it, and it gets caught on the warning track -- or short of the track.
"Being on the other side is no fun either. In April, September, you'll see a guy crush one and have nothing to show for it. I've heard a few choice words over there [at first]. I hit my first home run to right field at home this year against [Ivan] Nova. The ball carries best here to center."
...
"In Colorado, I hit a ball to left that I thought at best was going to move the runners up," said Trumbo, who leads the Angels with 15 homers after hitting 29 as a rookie in 2011. "It was a normal fly ball, and it kept going and turned into a three-run homer.
"Then we're in Oakland, and I hit one that I know is gone. It's only a matter of how far gone. Then I look out there, and Coco Crisp is catching it one step on the warning track."
It's not only a Mariners problem, but we need to figure out how to mitigate it as much as we'd like to. Smaller park, closed roof...
Or simply never getting another free agent hitter to sign here ever and accepting that, while making sure to advertise heavily to FA pitchers on the wonders we can do for their ERA.
And somebody tell Smoak that it gets better in July and August, we promise.
~G