With the open space comes a new ballpark. It is a fact that The Ballpark is the second-ranked "hitter friendly" ballpark in all of Major League Baseball (second only to Coors Field in Denver). This has been tough on the Rangers pitching staff, constantly ranking as one of the poorest performing staffs in MLB. This has to do with the aforementioned "circulating gusts" that the current office complex creates. The gusts come in from left field, circulate around the lower bowl of the stadium, and shoot out to the outfield; creating an extra "boost" for fly balls to turn into home runs.
If the office complex were demolished, the winds would have stronger force from outfield to home plate. Now, of course, this is a disadvantage for the hitters on the club, but hitting has not been the problem with the Rangers - and it doesn't look like that will change any time soon. And it's obvious that the most dangerous weapon for a successful ball club now days, is a solid pitching staff. And if worse comes to worse (and I don't think this will be needed, but it's always a possibility), you can always move the fences closer - as opposed to the near-impossible task of moving fences back. So with the help of Mother Nature, the Rangers can alter the way The Ballpark plays.
Conclusion |
