The Twins have enjoyed a nice honeymoon at the new Target Field. There haven’t been too many weather issues thus far (always a bit of an overblown concern) and the Twins are an impressive 14-7 in the new park.
Twins Winning, But Not Homering At Target Field
Heading into this season, there was some thought that Target Field would be a tough place to hit homers, especially for left-handed hitters, and so far that has been the case. Park Factors aren’t super reliable after just two months, but to date Target Field ranks as one of the very toughest places to homer.
Interestingly, because the Twins get much of their power from left-handed hitters, they’ve been hurt by their home park a little. The Twins have hit just 10 home runs in 21 home games this season (0.47 per game) compared to 28 long balls in 23 road games (1.22 per game). That’s a fairly large difference, and something to keep in mind as the season continues. For what it’s worth, Twins opponents are much more balanced: Minnesota pitchers have allowed 19 HRs at home, and 23 homers on the road.
Combined, Joe Mauer, Jason Kubel, and Jim Thome have hit just two home runs total at Target Field this season. Justin Morneau, although amidst an extremely awesome start to his season, has nine road HRs, against just two at home.
It’s important to be patient and see how the numbers look in two or three months. Last May, the consensus was that the new Yankee Stadium was pre-humidor Coors Field, an absurd launching pad, but by the end of the season its HR park factor was high, but nevertheless lower than what we’ve seen from numerous parks over the last decade. For now, the Twins shouldn’t do anything drastic, but in the long term left-handed pull hitters might not be a great option.
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