Ballpark Factors & Dimensions For 2012-14 Seasons

Calculated using the methodology spelled out in this piece, here are runs-scored park factors for the 2012, 2013 and 2014 MMDA seasons.

We close with a review of three-year averages for the 17 teams that competed in the MMDA continuously from 2012 to 2014

MMDA Ballparks • 2014

No	Team	Division	SI-L	SI-R	HR-L	HR-R	Factor	Multiplier
1	Miami	Northeast	7	7	9	9	111	1.055
2	Wilmington	Atlantic	8	8	14	8	108	1.038
3	Goldenrod	Central	8	4	16	4	107	1.037
4	Death Valley	Atlantic	12	12	12	12	107	1.036
5	West Side	Northeast	10	10	11	11	107	1.034
6	Elysian Fields	Pacific	7	7	8	8	106	1.030
	Northeast	Northeast	12	6	9	4	106	1.030
8	St. Louis	Central	7	7	7	9	105	1.023
9	Brooklyn	Pacific	12	12	8	12	104	1.020
10	Columbus	Central	2	8	2	7	103	1.017
11	Rochester	Atlantic	10	10	8	8	102	1.012
12	Fighting Irish	Northeast	10	10	5	5	101	1.006
13	Lake County	Central	7	7	9	9	101	1.005
14	Jersey	Atlantic	7	5	2	5	100	1.000
15	Cape Cod	Northeast	4	10	16	2	96	0.981
16	Rosehill	Central	5	5	5	5	95	0.974
17	Mohawk Valley	Atlantic	2	2	6	6	92	0.962
18	California	Pacific	2	2	2	5	87	0.935
19	Spokane	Pacific	5	9	2	2	82	0.912
20	Northwest	Pacific	8	6	7	5	80	0.902

Based on the weighted value for ballpark singles and home runs—and the league's left/right split of 28/72—we would expect Death Valley (107) to finish with the highest park factor and California (87) with the lowest.  They didn't miss by much.

Applying Ballpark Factors To MMDA Team Statistics

Customizing ballpark factors is one of the most difficult and agonizing decisions managers face each spring. Finding the most harmonious rate for single and home run frequency can add wins to a team's bottom line, but finding that perfect balance of offense and defense requires a deep understanding of player personnel—and also a lot of educated guesswork.

For years, I have endeavored to create ballpark factors for MMDA teams based on the statistical record, but until recently I had been stymied in my effort to find home/road splits. That changed when a fellow Strat obsessive pointed me to the line scores found within the League Stats menu.

With access to all teams' line scores, I summed all the runs a team scored and allowed at home, and then summed the same totals for each team on the road. Once I had those totals I could figure per-game rates by dividing by 81, and then compare those two rates to quantify the extent to which each MMDA park amplified or suppressed run production in a given season.

While I fully intend to apply this park-factor epiphany to the 2015 statistical record, I will do so only at the conclusion of the season, when teams have visited every park on their schedule and playing time has been fully distributed. Also, it takes some time to build the framework, so I only want to perform the calculations once per season.

However, this doesn't preclude me from revisiting the recent past and applying park factors to the 2014 data. From highest to lowest, here are the park factors I calculated for the 2014 season:

No	Team	Home R/G	Road R/G	Park Factor	Multiplier
1	Miami	8.86	7.99	111	1.055
2	Wilmington	9.33	8.68	108	1.038
3	Goldenrod	9.28	8.64	107	1.037
4	Death Valley	9.10	8.49	107	1.036
5	West Side	9.01	8.43	107	1.034
6	Elysian Fields	8.52	8.04	106	1.030
	Northeast	9.46	8.93	106	1.030
8	St. Louis	8.09	7.73	105	1.023
9	Brooklyn	10.17	9.79	104	1.020
10	Columbus	7.86	7.60	103	1.017
11	Rochester	8.42	8.22	102	1.012
12	Fighting Irish	9.05	8.95	101	1.006
13	Lake County	7.99	7.91	101	1.005
14	Jersey	8.51	8.51	100	1.000
15	Cape Cod	9.22	9.59	96	0.981
16	Rosehill	8.01	8.44	95	0.974
17	Mohawk Valley	7.83	8.47	92	0.962
18	California	8.40	9.65	87	0.935
19	Spokane	6.53	7.93	82	0.912
20	Northwest	6.75	8.40	80	0.902

MMDA Power Ranking After Block One

An attempt to rank the league's best teams after block one (30 games). Teams sorted by wins, then by run differential.

Note that this is not the official tie-breaking method for playoff seeding or draft order. Also, OPS+ and ERA+ are not adjusted for ballpark during the season.

Power Ranking 

No	Team	W	L	Division	R/G	OPS+	RA/G	ERA+	Run Diff
1	California	22	8	Pacific	5.17	124	3.60	106	+47
2	Northeast	19	11	Northeast	4.73	119	4.00	97	+22
3	St. Louis	18	12	Central	4.43	116	3.13	117	+39
4	Fighting Irish	18	12	Northeast	4.53	118	3.87	98	+20
5	Miami	18	12	Northeast	3.77	113	3.43	119	+10
6	Goldenrod	18	12	Central	4.00	97	3.87	99	+4
7	Northwest	17	13	Pacific	3.27	79	2.90	132	+11
8	Spokane	17	13	Pacific	2.67	71	2.57	136	+3
9	Rosehill	16	14	Central	4.07	109	3.47	107	+18
10	Brooklyn	16	14	Pacific	4.20	109	3.87	96	+10
11	Death Valley	16	14	Atlantic	3.83	100	3.93	100	–3
12	West Side	15	15	Northeast	4.47	120	3.80	99	+20
13	Mohawk Valley	15	15	Atlantic	4.23	115	3.70	106	+16
14	Rochester	15	15	Atlantic	2.83	89	2.93	133	–3
15	Jersey	14	16	Atlantic	3.70	100	4.30	92	–18
16	Lake County	10	20	Central	3.07	79	3.97	92	–27
17	Elysian Fields	10	20	Pacific	3.10	85	4.20	88	–33
18	Little Rock	9	21	Central	4.23	111	5.73	62	–45
19	Cape Cod	9	21	Northeast	2.67	72	4.70	79	–61
20	Wilmington	8	22	Atlantic	2.53	67	3.53	106	–30