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With the open space comes a new ballpark. It is a fact that The Ballpark ranks second as the most offensive-producing stadium in MLB (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.
Now, you may be saying "you mention circulating gusts, but you also say the offices keeps wind OUT of The Ballpark." What's the difference? The gusts come from behind the home plate area, through the walkway above the lower seating bowl. Just stand there and you can feel it, it's the best place in The Ballpark to cool off. The winds "gust" above the field, shooting fly balls to the offices. So...there is no opposing force of wind from the outfield.
The Rangers website even proves that they litterally TRIED to keep winds OUT of The Ballpark: According to studies done before construction, the prevailing winds are south-southeast. The effect of the wind is greatly reduced by the fact that the ballpark is completely enclosed by a four-story office building in center field. In addition, a giant windscreen, measuring 42 by 430 feet, was installed on the roof of the office building to further minimize the wind. (From texasrangers.com) WHY would the Rangers want to keep wind OUT of The Ballpark? Well, the theory when The Ballpark was built was that a powerful line-up creates championships. They wanted to create a launching pad for their powerful bats. That theory has now come back to haunt them.
If the office complex were demolished, the winds would have stronger force from outfield to home plate...or at least an even flow. 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. 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 |
