Batting Park Factor, also simply called Park Factor or BPF, is a
baseball statistic
Baseball statistics include a variety of metrics used to evaluate player and team performance in the sport of baseball.
Because the flow of a baseball game has natural breaks to it, and player activity is characteristically distinguishable ind ...
that indicates the difference between
runs scored
In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted bal ...
in a team's home and road games. Most commonly used as a metric in the
sabermetric
Sabermetrics (originally SABRmetrics) is the original or blanket term for sports analytics in the US, the empirical analysis of baseball, especially the development of advanced metrics based on baseball statistics that measure in-game activity. ...
community, it has found more general usage in recent years. It is helpful in assessing how much a specific
ballpark
A ballpark, or baseball park, is a type of sports venue where baseball is played. The playing field is divided into two field sections called the infield and the outfield. The infield is an area whose dimensions are rigidly defined in part ba ...
contributes to the offensive production of a team or player.
The formula most commonly used is:
In this
formula
In science, a formula is a concise way of expressing information symbolically, as in a mathematical formula or a ''chemical formula''. The informal use of the term ''formula'' in science refers to the general construct of a relationship betwe ...
, all runs scored by or against a team at home (per game) are divided by all runs scored on the road (per game). Parks with a Park Factor over 100 are those where more overall runs are scored when the team is at home than are scored when the team is away. While some variation can be attributable to fluctuations in offensive
[See: ]On-base plus slugging
On-base plus slugging (OPS) is a sabermetric baseball statistic calculated as the sum of a player's on-base percentage and slugging percentage. The ability of a player both to get on base and to hit for power, two important offensive skills, are ...
(OPS). and defensive performance, PF accounts for the production of both teams in each park and, correspondingly, is very useful in trying to determine which ballparks are "hitter friendly" and which are "pitcher friendly".
In place of Runs scored and allowed, the formula can easily use
home run
In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...
s,
hits
Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* '' H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block
* ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998
* ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014, a British compilation album s ...
or any other statistic to further analyze the park factor of an individual park.
See also
*
*
References
External links
Park Factors for all MLB Parks on MLB.com - Updated Daily
{{Baseball statistics
Baseball statistics