FanPost

Information Request: Reverse Coors Effect

As most of you can attest to, one of the most irritating things about being a Rockies fan is the tendency for everybody to dismiss everything about the team because of LOLCOORZ. There have been several pieces on Purple Row, especially in the last couple years, that have tried to find (and succeeded in finding) evidence for the reverse Coors effect. I've been a regular reader, occasional commenter on Purple Row for years, and I know several of the things I'm bringing up in this FanPost have been addressed to some degree in the past, so if these have already been answered, please link to the articles if you can.

There are a lot of specific things I'm curious about regarding the reverse Coors effect, but I don't have the time or knowhow to research them properly. If any of you as a community could help dig in to some of these, we might be able to quantify the reverse Coors effect a little better. So here's some of the things I'd like to know:

1.) One of the best articles was RIRF's study of the Rockies team wRC+, especially the difference between home and away. This looks at whole season splits. WHAT ID LIKE TO KNOW IS: How does the Rockies' runs per game change throughout an extended road trip? Does their offense tend to improve the more time they've spent away from Coors? Is this effect more pronounced by month? I know April has been a better month for the Rockies the last several years, followed by mediocre Mays and apocalyptic Junes before finishing a bit stronger. Would weather conditions in late spring, early summer exacerbate the reverse Coors effect? Basically, this is a request for a little more detailed study of what goes into the massive Home/Away splits.

2.) Are there certain types of players who seem more immune? Such as high BB%, high contact%? Is there a basic profile that tends to lend itself to a smaller split? If so, why?

3.) This is getting into more managing theory, but if a player has sat out the last game of a homestand, do they have less of a hangover? Does the team start a road trip better if they have a day off for travel? If so, the proposed 154-game schedule could benefit the Rockies more than anyone else. This is more of a request to see if there would be some benefit for resting players either the last day of a homestand or the first day of a road trip to help the adjustment.

4.) On the pitching side, do pitchers have trouble adjusting to the break on their own pitches after going to or leaving altitude? Do walk rates decrease throughout a road trip? What about pitches per game, or pitches by the bullpen per game? We know that Coors is a hitters park, but might it also adversely affect our pitchers as well? Are there certain pitches that our pitchers especially struggle to locate at the beginning of a road trip? If so, are they consistently missing in the same spots more often?

I think Coors has a way more complex park effect than anywhere else in MLB. I'm sure there are a lot more things to research, and if any of you think of any more questions, add them in the comments! Those of you who would be willing to dig up some answers to some of my questions, I would greatly appreciate it! Thanks in advance.

Eat. Drink. Be Merry. But the above FanPost does not necessarily reflect the attitudes, opinions, or views of Purple Row's staff (unless, of course, it's written by the staff [and even then, it still might not]).

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