Sitting out for the batting title...

[packs]

Getting a hit requires you do more than put a ball in play. Winning a batting title requires you to get hits at a higher rate than anyone else. If all you had to do was hit the ball into the outfield in Colorado to get a hit he'd be battling his own teammates for the title and a Rockie would win every year. But that doesn't happen.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by packs

Getting a hit requires you do more than put a ball in play. Winning a batting title requires you to get hits at a higher rate than anyone else. If all you had to do was hit the ball into the outfield in Colorado to get a hit he'd be battling his own teammates for the title and a Rockie would win every year. But that doesn't happen.

I was only talking about the general proposition that batting averages seem higher at Coors, not about the extent to which it factored into this particular batting title.

[packs]

I just don't think the difference in size is enough to truly factor into averages if you're saying the park is easier to get a hit in. That's my point. Extend the outfield 1000 feet and sure. But that's not how it stands. And like I said Houston has the largest field and Altuve has 2 titles. I don't believe the park played a major role in those titles though.

[tschock]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

I was only talking about the general proposition that batting averages seem higher at Coors, not about the extent to which it factored into this particular batting title.

Can't we just prove this one way or another with metrics?

But seriously... I think there is something there, just that we can't be certain to what extent (as you noted). Too small, too many home runs. Too large, (maybe) too many base hits? Taken to the extreme though, you will obviously hit a point of diminishing returns as the size of the playing surface expands. If it was 1000 down the line to left and right, and 1400 to center, I doubt you would need your outfielders positioned at 600 out from home plate to effectively cover the entire playing surface.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Fangraphs probably does have analyses of park effects.