FYI: Citi Field is NOT Death Valley
In a notes column for the Boston Globe, Nick Cafardo writes:
“The Mets need a righthanded-hitting outfielder with power, but who would take that job in that ballpark, a death valley for righthanded hitters?”
…this is not good… it isn’t… the Mets CANNOT allow reporters, fans and agents to spread the idea that right-handed hitters can’t hit for power in Citi Field… it hurts the team’s ability to sign a free-agent like Matt Holliday or Jason Bay… because, the thing is, in reality, there is just no evidence that Citi Field killed home runs in 2009…
For what it’s worth, according to MLB Park Factors on ESPN.com, 18 other ballparks were more difficult to hit a home run in than Citi Field, including Fenway Park.
…the Mets lack of home run hitters killed home runs in Citi Field, not the ballpark…
The Mets were last in the National League in home runs.
…but, let’s say Carlos Delgado and Carlos Beltran would have hit at least 25 home runs each this season… they probably would have hit more… but, just add those missing 50, and the Mets jump up to the middle of the pack in total team home runs… boom, two players, middle of the pack… by the way, remove Ryan Howard and Jason Werth, philly’s two biggest home run hitters, and they drop from most home runs in the NL to middle of the pack as well…
Speaking of the Phillies, they hit 14 home runs in nine games against Mets pitching in Citi Field… They hit 10 against Mets pitching in hitter-friendly Citizen’s Bank Park.
Meanwhile, the Mets hit seven home runs in nine games played at Citizen’s Bank Park, but hit NINE home runs in nine games against the Phillies in Citi Field.
…in other words, if you go by just Mets-Phillies, and the 18 games played against one another, they hit MORE home runs in Citi Field than in Citizen’s Bank Park…
Similarly, the Mets hit more home runs in Citi Field than they hit in the same number of games on the road all season.
…i could not find a Hit Location stat for balls pulled by right-handed hitters in Citi 
Field… however, for the season, home and away, if a righthanded batter for the Mets pulled the ball, there was an 18 percent chance it was a home run… for the Phillies, it was 22 percent…
…in short, if the Mets had delgado, beltran and, say, Matt Holliday in left, i am pretty sure there would be ZERO talk of a problem hitting home runs in Citi Field, because, beltran, delgado and holliday will hit a lot of home runs, and Daniel Murphy, Angel Pagan and Fernando Tatis will not…
…of course, nobody, specifically holliday, would know this, if they only listen to the likes of cafardo, and the popular, misleading talking points about Citi Field going around baseball…
By the way, Cafardo also writes about the post-season schedule, a potential change to draft pick compensation, an international draft, and small-market spending, all of which you can read here.
