After a season that featured a record-breaking number of home runs across the Major Leagues, the San Francisco Giants are working to add power to their lineup. Nonetheless, new hitting coach Alonzo Powell told KNBR’s Giants’ Hot Stove that he isn’t completely onboard with this power revolution.
“Power is very important in the way the game it’s played today, but you also have to understand the ballpark and the division that you play in,” Powell told Drew Hoffar & Kevin Frandsen. “You’re not going to lead the league in home runs in San Francisco. Only one guy did that, Barry.”
Last season exemplified Powell’s belief that power plays differently in AT&T Park. The Giants were last in the Major Leagues in team home runs (128), ballpark factor (0.615), and were the only team in baseball without a player with at least 20 home runs.
Although Coors Field and Chase Field both gave up their usually-high number of home runs, Petco Park finished better than only AT&T Park with a .781 ballpark factor while Dodger Stadium ranked 15th with 1.005.
The rest of the NL West lived up to its reputation as a “pitching and defense” division. Aside from the Los Angeles Dodgers (11th – 221) and Arizona Diamondbacks (12th – 220), the Colorado Rockies (21st-192) and San Diego Padres (22nd -189) both finished toward the bottom of the 2017 team home run standings.
“The NL West is more of a pitching, defense, grind out division. Win games 4-3, 5-4, you’re not going to have the slugfest you’re going to have like in the National League Central with some of the parks like Milwaukee and Cincinnati, but what we have to do is do things as a team,” Powell said. “For me, a two-run double or a three-run double with the bases loaded is like a three-run homer for a team in Cincinnati. That’s how you have to look at it.”
To listen to Powell’s full interview with Hoffar & Frandsen, click the podcast link below.