The Mariners return home tomorrow after a pretty good road trip – going 5-4 and putting up a bunch of runs. I wondered, why can’t the Mariners do that at home?
Largest Home-Road BA split differentials in baseball
I looked at the home-road batting average splits for MLB teams to see how the Mariners stacked up against other teams. I was not surprised to see that they ranked dead last in Home-Road split differential – the Mariners bat 64 points higher on the road than at home. The next closest team is the Padres, they bat 30 points higher on the road.
The effect of Safeco Field is the exact opposite of Coors Field in Colorado, where the Rockies enjoy 60 points higher batting average at home. While Mariners’ pitchers do enjoy the effects of Safeco, clearly the batters suffer. Is it time to move the fences in?