Hitter's haven

NORTH AUGUSTA — It doesn’t take a mathematical formula to notice that SRP Park is producing more home runs so far in its infancy.

The first sign was a moonshot off the bat of Georgia’s Michael Curry in the game against Clemson on April 10 that banged off the left field building halfway up.

Curry’s shot came off a metal bat, but it was backed up two days later in the Augusta GreenJackets home opener when Manuel Geraldo launched a home run to left-center for the first professional long ball in the ballpark’s history.

Those home runs have been further solidified by the many more line drives and fly balls that cleared SRP Park’s wall in the first half of the 2018 season. The numbers back up the excitement that home runs are offering to fans coming to the park for the first time this year.

“The fans are coming out and supporting it, and it’s just a different type of energy,” GreenJackets hitting coach Thomas Neal said. “It’s a lot of fun to come to a park where you know you can actually hit home runs and watch the guys develop into hitters. It’s a fun place to be.”

According to a study by Baseball America earlier this decade that covered three seasons, Lake Olmstead Stadium, Augusta’s previous home, averaged 0.72 home runs per game. It ranked second-lowest in Minor League Baseball behind Savannah’s Grayson Stadium before the Sand Gnats moved to Columbia to become the Fireflies.

Lake Olmstead’s cavernous outfield and muggy air along the lake contributed to one of the most homer-suppressing environments in all of professional baseball. Neal experienced it in 2008 and hit 15 home runs for the GreenJackets as a 20-year-old, which could be considered a memorable feat.

“It made me never want to come back to Augusta,” Neal said with a laugh.

Now, attitudes have changed regarding assignments to Augusta and the South Atlantic League. SRP Park draws rave reviews from home and visiting players and coaches, both from a facility standpoint and how the park and field play.

It’s also giving hitters a chance. Through the ballpark’s first 31 games, it’s averaging 1.13 home runs per game. That number would still fall slightly below the league’s average according to that study, but it’s much closer to being neutral.

Left field and left-center are the go-to spots for hitters trying to increase their home run count. Of the 35 home runs hit in the first half, 25 went out to those two spots, led by 13 to left-center. Favorable dimensions from the left field corner to the left-center angle can be attributed to the number.

It also helps that there are more right-handed hitters, and they pull the majority of their home runs. Coaches also had the theory that, before the windows were installed in the left field building, there was a stream of air that helped the ball carry out to left. The windows have since been installed, and right field is starting to catch up.

The total in right is nine, highlighted by a blast from Rome’s Drew Waters that reached a large tree at the bank of the Savannah River.

SRP Park’s wall mirrors San Francisco’s AT&T Park, which has a deep right-center pocket that eats up potential home runs. Hitters in North Augusta are having similar difficulties, with only one long ball to right-center so far when Augusta’s Ryan Kirby hit a blast on May 10. No one has cleared the center field wall yet.

“It still has a little bit better carry than Lake Olmstead for sure,” Neal said. “You can actually hit the ball out of here if you hit it good. It flies out to left. Center field is tough. I haven’t really seen anybody go out to center field. Right-center, it seems like some days it’s hit or miss if you hit it. I haven’t seen too many to right field, but I’ve seen them lately as the weather has gotten a little hotter.”

Neal said one advantage to Lake Olmstead was how it forced young hitters to learn to hit instead of trying to pull home runs in every plate appearance. Once hitters realized even their best shot would often fall short, their approaches started to change to work up the middle and hit line drives.

While SRP Park gives them a better chance to leave the yard, there are still some pitcher-friendly tendencies that make it a more neutral location. That’s good for the development of hitters and pitchers.

“Pitching here has been awesome,” GreenJackets left-hander Joey Marciano said. “We’re getting good crowds, music is good, everything is really solid. The ball flies out to left a little bit. Other than that it’s pretty good. Keep the ball down, you’ll be fine.”

SRP Park First-Half Home Run Totals

31 games

1.13 home runs per game

Left field - 12

Left-center field - 13

Center field - 0

Right-center field - 1

Right field - 9

SRP Park home runs