Why the Outfield Dimensions

of Petco Park

Should Be Changed

September 2012

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#1 - TRUE or FALSE? Petco Park’s deep fences create more opportunities for doubles and triples.

ANSWER: False.

Petco Park's outfield dimensions suppress doubles, triples and, of course, home runs.

Balls that should hit or short-hop the outfield walls are caught by outfielders with room to

roam, eliminating doubles and triples. Long drives into the spacious gaps with home run

potential (in other parks) are routinely run down.

Batting averages, slugging statistics and run production are negatively impacted.

.000

.050

.100

.150

.200

.250

.300

.350

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

AVG SDP-Petco

AVG SDP-Road

Padres Batting AVG.

3

Doubles output has been substantially impacted over time,

for both home and road games.

Padres Power: Going, going, gone. . . .

Padres 2B Production

(2004-2012)

4

Similarly, Home Run output has been impacted over time,

for both home and road games.

Padres Power: Going, going, gone. . . .

Padres HR Production

(2004-2012)

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#2 - TRUE or FALSE? With an emphasis on team speed, you can develop a team suited for success at Petco Park.1

ANSWER: False.

This assertion has been gospel in local newspapers and TV/radio airwaves for many years.

The unavoidable reality, however, is that the team plays 50% of its games on the road.

Building a club around team speed (especially given the necessary implication that you will be

willfully sacrificing team power) offers a highly dubious “advantage” at home (no evidence to

date) and a significant disadvantage on the road.

In practice, other teams (who presumably are not built for speed) have had no trouble bringing

their "slow" teams to Petco and enjoying the easy task of out-powering the Padres.

More realistically, the "build a team for Petco" mantra appears to have been developed to

accommodate the problem—that the previous ownership: (a) refused to publicly admit the

playing field’s dimensions are flawed, and (b) did not wish to deal with the logistical challenges

or costs associated with adjusting the outfield dimensions.

1 The oft-cited corollary to the “speed” theory is that you need to build a team that has excellent pitching and

defense, which is a red herring. EVERY TEAM needs excellent team pitching and defense to win.

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#3 - TRUE or FALSE? Padres pitchers fare better at Petco Park (than on the road).

ANSWER: True.

But, so do opposing teams’ pitchers.

In light of the importance of the fan experience, both teams' pitchers performing better than

average night after night translates to low-scoring, boring baseball games.

It should also be considered that the league's top starting pitchers do not actually thrive (or reap

the statistical benefits that translate to large contracts) by being stuck in low-scoring pitchers'

duels night after night.

Rather, starting pitchers (and their agents) know that Petco Park does not offer an environment

conducive to racking up Wins. Rather, it's a park where tightly contested games are

consistently decided by relief pitchers in the later innings.

Free agent starters and relievers trying to reignite their careers will always be attracted to Petco

Park. Starting pitchers developed through the Padres farm system will struggle to get Wins at

home (and thus struggle to become stars). Top notch starting pitchers looking to sustain or

advance their careers through free agency will avoid Petco at all costs.

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Padres Pitching Prowess: The myth of the low home ERA. . . .

Meanwhile, opposing teams’ pitchers are faring better than Padres pitchers

in road games AND at Petco Park. . . .

Earned Run Average: Padres vs. Opponents

Note: Opposing Teams’ ERA figures not available for seasons prior to 2007.

At home, the Padres Team ERA may appear strong when compared to On the road, the Padres Team ERA has been no better than Opponents'

other teams' total ERAs in real terms, but in actuality, it has been worse Team ERA in the same road games in 5 of the last 6 seasons

than Opponents' Team ERA at Petco in 4 of the last 6 seasons. (2010 was essentially equal).

Visiting pitchers are enjoying the advantage at Petco Park. The team's pitching woes only worsen on the road.

0

0.5

1

1.5

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2.5

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3.5

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4.5

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

ERA-SDP Home

ERA-Opp Home

0

1

2

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4

5

6

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

ERA-SDP Road

ERA-Opp Road

At Petco, the Padres Team ERA may appear strong

when compared to other teams’ total ERAs in real terms.

But, in actuality, it has been worse than Opponents’

Team ERAs at Petco Park in 4 of the last 6 seasons.

On the road, the Padres Team ERA has been no

better than Opponents’ Team ERAs in the same road

games in 5 of the last 6 seasons (2010 was essentially

equal).

The team’s pitching woes only worsen on the road.

Hanging Curve Balls: It’s déjà vu all over again. . . .

Having a low team ERA during home games is not a reliable indicator of success.

Lest we forget, we have seen this before. . . .

Earned Run Average Statistics (Home and Away, by Era):

And those who forget their San Diego Padres history

are condemned to repeat it. . . .

At Petco Park, the Padres Team ERA has been markedly higher This phenomenon echoes the same experience the team had during

than on the road. its first 14 years playing in the cavernous San Diego Stadium.

0

1

2

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6

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

SDP ERA-

PetcoSDP ERA-Road

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1

2

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4

5

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1969

1970

1971

1972

1973

1974

1975

1976

1977

1978

1979

1980

1981

1982

SDP ERA-

QCOMSDP ERA-

QCOM

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At Petco Park, the Padres Team ERA has been

markedly higher than on the road.

This phenomenon echoes the same experience

the club had during its first 14 years playing in

the cavernous San Diego Stadium.

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CASE STUDY A short lesson in San Diego Padres history.

History Doesn’t Repeat Itself, But It Often Rhymes

The San Diego Padres launched their major league franchise from Mission Valley’s Jack Murphy Stadium in 1969. Through

the 1982 season, the hitters endured the stadium's daunting concrete 18-foot high outfield wall that stretched 420 feet away in

center field.

In those years, the Padres consistently ranked among the worst-performing ball clubs in the major leagues, particularly on

offense. In the franchise’s first 14 seasons, the Padres produced no winning seasons, just three years in which a batter (Dave

Winfield – 1978 and 1979; Cito Gaston - 1970) ended a season with a batting average over .300, and only 3 years in which a

Padres player hit over 30 home runs. Even in those extraordinary 30-home run seasons by Nate Colbert and Dave Winfield, the

two stars’ collective batting averages in road games were 53 points higher than their home averages.

All told, in 14 seasons, the franchise utterly failed to develop a roster that could be productive in Jack Murphy Stadium. Even

the team’s weak-hitting defensive wizard, shortstop Ozzie Smith, enjoyed a 4-year Padres career batting average that was 32

points higher on the road than at Jack Murphy.

No doubt the team noticed that in his one full season with the Padres in 1980, outfielder Jerry Mumphrey, who ultimately

posted a very respectable 15-year career home batting average of .298 with 5 different teams, hit 47 points lower at Jack

Murphy Stadium than on the road (564 total at bats).

The ball club finally responded by installing a significantly shorter 8.5-foot interior outfield fence, which also reined in center

field by 15 feet and the left and right gaps to 380 feet (as compared to Petco’s current 400-foot gaps). It would prove to be one

of the franchise’s most impactful decisions.

With the new interior wall, long fly-outs produced home runs and doubles off the wall. In fact, in the first 10 seasons that

followed the installation of the new fence, the Padres hit almost 21% more home runs at Jack Murphy Stadium than on the

road (535 vs. 440). In the 10 previous seasons, the Padres had hit 25% fewer home runs at the Murph—an incredible

46% net gain in home field home run output.

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CASE STUDY Weak hitting statistics undermine the long-term value of the ball club.

How a Star is Born (in Major League Baseball)

Fan interest in a ball club, as well as team success, is a function of star power.

MLB hitting stars are borne of statistical output. A hitter simply cannot become a local or national star, and cannot command a

high-value long-term contract, unless he puts up stats. He has to hit .300+ and/or post 100+ RBI and/or crank 30+ home runs.

If he can do one or more of these things, he will be a star.

A hitter playing 50% of his games in a park with stat-crushing dimensions cannot become a star. He knows it. His agent

knows it. Padres fans are starved for it.

Until Petco Park’s dimensions are changed, the Padres will not produce:

1. Any hitter who will challenge for a NL batting title.

2. Any hitter who will challenge for a NL RBI title.

3. Any hitter who will challenge for a NL Home Run title.

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The Petco effect has had a remarkably negative impact on Chase Headley’s young career:

CASE STUDY How weak hitting statistics undermine the long-term value of the ball club.

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And before he left, Petco was the only thing separating Adrian Gonzalez from super-stardom:

NOTE: In stark contrast to the above results, with Boston, Gonzalez’ 2011 and 2012 batting averages

were 18 points and 40 points higher at home, respectively.

CASE STUDY How weak hitting statistics undermine the long-term value of the ball club.

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Mark Loretta, in one of the few .300 seasons a Padres hitter has posted during the Petco era,

still failed to bat over .300 in home games.

Had Loretta matched his road hitting success at Petco Park in 2004, he would have had League MVP-type

credentials. At the very least, he would have taken the 2004 NL Batting Title (Barry Bonds: .362).

CASE STUDY Weak hitting statistics undermine the long-term value of the ball club.

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CASE STUDY Club legacies are born from statistical production.

The Case of Tony Gwynn

Tony Gwynn’s Hall of Fame career was defined primarily by his winning 8 career batting titles.

What if Tony Gwynn had played all his Padres home games at Petco Park?

The suppressed offensive output observable at Petco suggests that one can conservatively assume that for

every 100 of Gwynn’s Petco official At Bats, the outfield dimensions would have, on average, "stolen" at

least 2 of his base hits (his trademark doubles into the gaps would have been most vulnerable).

This tiny difference would devastated Tony’s legacy:

1. He would have lost his 1988 batting title to Raphael Palmeiro.

2. He would have lost his 1989 batting title to Will Clark.

3. He would have lost his 1996 batting title to Ellis Burks.

4. He would have lost his 1997 batting title to Larry Walker.

Instead of being tied with Honus Wagner for career batting titles, he would have ended his career tied with

Bill Madlock at just 4.

Bill Madlock received just 4% of Baseball Writers’ votes in the first year he became eligible, and he never

appeared on the ballot again.