mile high air

[Seattle1]

I have never been to Coors Field, and have only ever travelled to Colorado once, for a three-day conference in Boulder.

Is it true that the thinner air at Coors Field makes it a hitters park & easier to hit home runs, or is that one of those "urban myths"?

:confused:

[jwkfs]

I believe it's true, but I don't know by how much. Higher elevation means less air, less air means less air resistance, and less air resistance should mean that the ball will travel further.

Of course, I got a C- in my last physics class, so take this all with a grain of salt :p

[bone-rubbed-bat]

If it is true, then conceivably, pitchers would be able to get the ball to the plate faster and have less movement on it because of less resistence. I have not seen anyone comment on the pitchers point of view, and have not seen any difference in velocity or movement while watching the games. I think the effect of elevation is minimal at best, and is probably just an excuse for chronically poor pitching.

[Seattle1]

I think the effect of elevation is minimal at best, and is probably just an excuse for chronically poor pitching.

Yeah I wonder hom much substantive difference the thinner air really makes. Things that make you go hmmm...

[Seattle1]

Of course, I got a C- in my last physics class, so take this all with a grain of salt :p

Maybe I should send my question to Stephen Hawking! ;)

[jwkfs]

If it is true, then conceivably, pitchers would be able to get the ball to the plate faster and have less movement on it because of less resistence. I have not seen anyone comment on the pitchers point of view, and have not seen any difference in velocity or movement while watching the games. I think the effect of elevation is minimal at best, and is probably just an excuse for chronically poor pitching.

I have heard that it is more difficult to get movement on the baseball, but I have not heard anything regarding additional velocity.

Edit:

Check this out:
http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mhighaltbaseball.html


A baseball typically leaves the bat traveling about 110 MPH. Air has mass, so the ball has to push the air out of the way to continue on its trajectory, and the air pushes back. The amount of work the ball has to do is proportional to the mass of air it has to move, and that's proportional to the density of the air. ... ... The air density in Denver is about 18% less than at sea level (assuming the temperature and humidity are the same), which works out to a 10% increase in range, or an extra 40 feet.
...
Pitchers are at a distinct disadvantage because they lack the same degree of control there. All pitches that depend on the aerodynamic properties of the spinning baseball (and that's most of them), are harder to throw well. The curve ball, for example, will curve only about two-thirds as much in Denver's thinner air. Balls batted toward right or left field, because they pick up sidespin when hit, tend to curve toward the outside by several tens of feet for the same reason that curve balls curve (the Magnus effect). Again, at higher elevation, the effect is weaker, so many balls that would curve foul at sea level stay fair in Denver. Another factor to consider is that a ball of a given distance doesn't stay in the air as long in thinner air, so a fielder doesn't have as much time to get to it.


Also remember that the humidity in Colorado is usually virtually nonexistant.

[Seattle1]

Thanks for the info jwkfs, very interesting!

"Colorado Rocky Mountain High!" -- John Denver

[Old Sweater]

Myth. There is like a 7% factor. Our 345' and 342' down the lines and the 'Humidor' has made Coors Field even with the rest of the league.

Our promblem was altitude, I don't know what those jokers in Houston were thinking when they built that joke of a Mini Monster Fenway Field.

[rockiesfan4ever]

That is why they added the humidor to get the ball "heavier" so it doesn't fly as well. So I think

[Elvis]

Myth. There is like a 7% factor. Our 345' and 342' down the lines and the 'Humidor' has made Coors Field even with the rest of the league.

Our promblem was altitude, I don't know what those jokers in Houston were thinking when they built that joke of a Mini Monster Fenway Field.

For the record, Coors is 347 and 350 down the lines. :) I don't think that even Coors' "spacious" dimensions make up for what the thin air takes away. Besides, the RF power alley is only 375 ft. - hardly spacious. I think for Coors to play even it would have to be:

LF line: 360
LF alley: 400
CF: 430
RF alley: 400
RF line: 360

It's the combination of balls traveling farther AND breaking pitches not breaking that will always be the Rockies undoing in signing good pitchers. I don't reasonably see Colorado ever fielding a great team as long as they play under those conditions.

[rockiesfan4ever]

Draft Picks

[Old Sweater]

http://baseball-almanac.com/stadium/coors_field.gif

Backstop
1995
56'

Left Field
1995
347'

Left-Center Field
1995
390'

Center Field
1995
415'

Right-Center Field
1995
375'

Right Field
1995
350'

By golly Elvis was right.

It's the combination of balls traveling farther AND breaking pitches not breaking that will always be the Rockies undoing in signing good pitchers. I don't reasonably see Colorado ever fielding a great team as long as they play under those conditions.

I think the Ponderosa is big enough as it is with all the bloop hits we get here. The ball breaks here in Colorado, we send a fair share HS Pitchers to the Majors and I'm sure they learn to throw the breaking ball early in life. Tippy Martinez from La Junta Colorado learned to throw a curve from a book and went on to become one of the best curve ball relivers in the 70's and 80's. Roy Halladay is from Arvada West here in the Metro area and won a Cy Young award a year ago.The Rocky Mtn. News gives a hometown report and Colorado has 6 pitchers and only 1 position player 'Josh Bard' in the Majors right now. I like the 1,2 and 3 starters we have now and think the Rockies will hit the .500 mark next year and continue to improve with our farm system. Colorado Springs has a higher alltitude then Denver so it's a great place for our AAA pitchers to get the confidence they need here in Denver.