Most people seem to be arguing this from the position of the manager (or general manager), whose job is to win the most ballgames possible. The job of the team president might be to maximize net revenues (or minimize net losses).

But the fan just wants to watch a good ballgame and root for the team. Look at the 1960’s Mets, as pathetic a bunch as has ever worn the uniform. Yet the fans loved them, and came out in droves to watch.

Conversely: Imagine a team made up of guys like Pierzynski, Bonds, Kingman, Belle, Dukes, and the like. Very good ballplayers, but who would want to root for them?

Same for talented though visibly indifferent clock-watchers like Dunn or Kevin McReynolds.

I’d much rather root for Willie Bloomquist and Jamey Carroll, despite vastly inferior baseball skills.

Yes, obviously they will. But I don’t think it’s any secret that a player plays better at home, no matter what his home park is, simply because he’s more comfortable, didn’t have to travel, didn’t have to sleep in a crappy hotel bed etc.

It’s probably a percentages thing. X% better at home than on the road?

X% of Willie Bloomquist isn’t much to get excited about. X% of Albert Pujols is probably pretty noticeable. Multiply that by a certain number of excellent players, and those numbers are going to shift.

If that’s not it, how do we explain that some parks can rank 25th one year, and 6th two years later? Favorable winds?
My guess is it’s the quality of the home team’s hitter (and quality of all the pitchers on the mound.)

And as such, by basing Park Factors off such things that are influenced by the quality of the players, they’ll never be very accurate.

He somehow got a lot better. Let me readjust that to saying that he has BEEN one of the three worst shortstops in all of baseball. Maybe he took extra fielding practice or something.

I guess I am dating myself, but obviously neither one of you ever saw Jim Gentile play (1B; BAL 60-63, KC 64 were his full-time years).

Gentile swung so hard he would injure himself on the back of his legs from his follow-through; by the end of the season, the back of his upper legs would be one huge black-and-blue mark. I never saw it happen, but there is anecdotal evidence that he would break his bat occasionally on the back of his legs (and this was back in the day of real bats, not that maple crap they use nowadays that shatters if you sneeze on it).

Now THAT is a hard swing.

As for modern-day players, I think we are overlooking Gary Sheffield. I don’t know what it was, but that baseball obviously did something very, very bad to him, because when he swings, he looks like he’s trying to kill it.

I think I’d rather have Willie Bloomquist and his contract than Aaron Miles at 2 years and $4,900,000

Now I’m really depressed about the future of the Royals.

The Reds have definitely gone Bloomquist, complete with the idiotic “played on a championship team,” “can really go get it in the outfield,” and “creates havoc on the basepaths” rationalizations. Our two big signings this off-season: Willy Taveras and Jerry Hairston Jr. (Incredibly, Ryan Freel was traded away).