Cody Bellinger and Isaac Paredes
When you don’t have a choice where you play it’s a gift to end up in the perfect place. Unlike all the other major North American sports where the home arena is pretty much universal in dimentions, baseball is very much not that.
Two 2024 Chicago Cubs got away from a difficult place for their particular swings only to end up in near paradise. Wrigley Field plays twenty-first best in home runs and both Cody Bellinger and Isaac Paredes have escaped the long ball killer.
Bellinger moves to Yankee stadium where his lefthanded swing will be aided by the short porch in the rightfield corner and the third best homer park in the majors at Yankee Stadium.
While Bellinger found a park that will suit his long ball quest, his former teammate in Chicago has found nirvana. Isaac Paredes’ hitting spray charts are undeniable, fly balls heading toward left field corner where the Crawford boxes live in Houston. Statcast says he’s now twice as likely to go deep.
Ballparks for Pitchers
While certain ballparks boost and diminish home run possibilities some obviously have both negative and positive effects on run production and suppression as well.
In signing a recent four year deal in San Diego, Nick Pivetta moves from Fenway Park to Petco Field. From the second easiest to score in to third toughest, Pivetta might be the top fantasy surprise in 2025.
Comerica Park holds a double whammy for hitters, tough to score runs and suppresses homers. Free agent Jack Flaherty returns after eighteen terrific starts last season (2.95 ERA) before the trade to L.A. and a world series ring.
San Francisco’s Oracle Park is only a smidgen easier for runs than Petco, ranking twenty-seventh of the thirty big league parks. That’s where future hall of famer Justin Verlander finds himself at age 42 after his worst MLB season.
Season 20 for Justin Verlander 🔜 pic.twitter.com/FDG6qvYev3
— MLB (@MLB) February 16, 2025
Other New Ballpark Winners
The Rangers Jake Burger goes from Miami to Texas, ballpark improvements in both homers and run scoring. Gavin Lux gets to hit in Cincinnati at the best hitters park this side of Coors. Speaking of Colorado, Thairo Estrada will try to resurrect his career there.
And finally, sometimes it’s not the ballpark at all but your new job description. Former Philly Jeff Hoffman looks likely to step into the closer’s role in Toronto.
