Park Predictors - Week 18
Examining the park influence for hitters, pitchers as you prepare for the week ahead
In Park Predictors, we look at favorable matchups for hitters and pitchers based on where they are playing this week and the MLB DW Park Factors, which look at four years' worth of data for MLB ballparks.
Here’s a look at the July 20-26:
PITCHERS
Cleveland Guardians
Something has changed at Progressive Field, where a wind tunnel to right field helped boost the left-handed home run power to 11th-best in the majors before this year.
The change has helped the Guardians pitchers to 3.53 ERA at home this season with 9.34 K/9 and an okay 1.03 HR/9. Four games against Minnesota at home starts the week.
Cleveland hits the road for the weekend with three games in Tampa Bay. The stingiest park for runs over the past handful of seasons, Tropicana Field has given up better than league average right–handed home runs, but Rays slugger Junior Caminaro could be skewing the number all by himself.
Rookie sensation Parker Messick will get two starts this week. While he has been very good at Progressive Field (3.09 ERA, .223 BAA, 58 Ks in 58.1 innings), he has been even better on the road (2.35 ERA, .194 BAA, 52 Ks in 53.2 innings). He’s locked into your lineup. Slade Cecconi will be the other two-start pitcher for Cleveland, but he’s allowing a .280+ BAA and 4.55 ERA pretty much everywhere, so probably stay away.