The fourth installment of the park factor series will feature a blurb on the home venue of all the National League teams. Pay particular attention to those with contradicting home run and run scoring traits. The perception is that home run parks are all good for scoring and vice versa. As will be explained, this is not always the case.

Knowing the quirky ballparks can provide an edge when evaluating players. Plus, understanding how parks play can assist with in-season roster management for streaming hitters and pitchers as well as playing DFS and placing bets.

NL EAST

Atlanta Braves (Truist Field)

Truist Park plays slightly hitter friendly for both runs and homers, which is a bit odd considering the venue favors pitchers for strikeouts and walks. Though, it curbs lefty power, but just a tad. The dimensions are big, which helps hitting, but the altitude plus heat and humidity help lofted balls carry better than in most yards. 

The MLB rule book suggests that the line between home plate and second base runs East Northeast, but Truist Field faces Southeast. The reason for the Northeasten orientation is so the sun has the least effect on hitters and batters. When Truist was constructed, they were forced to build it in another direction due to terrain and the location of preexisting gas lines. Tests were conducted previous to construction, demonstrating the sun would not be a major issue.

Miami Marlins (loanDepot Park)

LoanDepot park is perhaps the most misinterpreted venue in the league. It squashes homers, especially for right-handers. However, it embellishes hits, which renders it slightly detrimental to pitchers. It's not an extreme hitter's park, but it's not as advantageous to stream starters in South Beach as many perceive.

It's a big yard, but it's at sea level, which hinders carry. However, the big outfield is a feeding ground for lofted hits. There was a time it played pitcher friendly, but after removing the monstrosity in center field, the batting eye improved. If you recall, there was this big, colorful structure field that has been removed. It reminded me of a fish tank ornament, and since the club is called the Marlins, I tried, albeit in vain, to have the nickname, "The Aquarium" stick. Oh well.  The message here is don't stream lesser pitchers because of the perceived pitcher friendly conditions; it's no longer the case.

New York Mets (Citi Field)

Citi Field is no longer the best pitching park (that honor belongs to T-Mobile Park in Seattle), but Citi Field and Petco Park are the two most favorable pitching venues in the Senior Circuit. It's especially rough on left-handed batters, significantly hurting homers and hits. This is not to say that Juan Soto will be a bust, but on paper his numbers will feel the effect. The park is slightly favorable to righty power, so it isn't an issue for Pete Alonso.

Philadelphia Phillies (Citizens Bank Park)

This is one of the parks that is what it seems... a hitter's best friend, though more so for lefties than righties. The yard is extremely helpful to left-handed power while neutral for hits. Overall, it hurts pitchers, but it isn't one of the four places playing as an extreme hitting venue, so don't get too shy about using the back-end Phillies starters. Using any opposing hurler is a risk considering the strength, at least on paper, of the Phillies lineup.

The park would be even more hitter friendly if it didn't slightly promote strikeouts and routinely lead the league in foul outs. It's not so much the amount of foul territory as it is the placement.

Washinton Nationals (Nationals Park)

It's a little surprising that Nationals Park isn't talk about as being a hitter's park as much as it should. The hot and humid summer weather in Baltimore is often cited as helping batters; the same holds true for the national's capital, just 40 miles south. The park is bigger than Camden Yards, but the weather helps make up the difference.

Something to note is that Nationals Park cuts down strikeouts, which of course helps batters, but is extremely bad for pitchers. Of course, the most dominant hurlers can overcome the barrier, but control artists like Mitchell Parker are working with a lower margin of error. This also comes into play for DFS and props. It's always sage to bet the under on strikeouts early in the season; targeting the under for starters in Nationals Park could be profitable, assuming it's not baked into the odds or payout.

NL CENTRAL

Chicago Cubs (Wrigley Field)

Wrigley Field holds the disctinction of being the most variable park in the league. Between inconsistent temperatures and wind, "The Friendly Confines" can play hitter friendly one year and favor pitchers the next. The reputation is that it plays big in the spring when it's cooler and the wind generally blows in off the lake. Once the temperatures warm, and the ivy turns green, the wind blows out and the ball carries, making the park play very small. Last season, the winds blew in for most of the season, countering the increase in temperature, so it ended up as an extreme pitcher's venue.

Cincinnati Reds (Great American Ballpark)

The moniker, "Great American Small Park" is well deserved as the venue is the most extreme for both left-handed and right-handed homers. As opposed to some smaller parks that embellish the long ball, the venue also benefits hits, rendering it one of the worst overall parks for pitchers. The saving grace is that the Great American Ball Park amplifies strikeouts, so if a pitcher can keep the ball on the ground, they can experience success. Some may suggest this is the case everywhere, but since ground balls result in a higher BABIP, generating fly balls in big yards isn't a bad thing. A pitcher like Brady Singer with a career 49% ground ball rate and below average walk rate can be an asset, even for home starts.

Milwaukee Brewers (American Family Field)

Earlier, it was suggested that loanDepot Park is the most misuderstood venue in the game. If it's not loanDepot Park, it's American Family Field. The home of the Brewers isn't as extreme for homers as the Great American Ballpark, but it certainly aids power. However, it suppresses runs, and not just by a little. American Family Field is one of the best pitching parks in MLB. Hits are suppressed while strikeouts are significantly embellished. The Brewers are gaining a reputation for their use of Biomechanics in their pitching laboratory, so they're well aware that pitchers can be successful despite the penchant for the long ball.

Comprehending how the park plays is of course integral to full season player analysis, but it also matters in DFS and betting. DFA stacks seem like a great idea in American Family Field, but stacks rely on high scoring, and not just homers. Since the park hinders runs, it's not as advantageous as perceived for stacks, but it's great for a one-off player whose primary asset is leaving the yard.

Pittsburgh Pirates (PNC Park)

PNC Park's reputation is built on how much it vanquishes right-handed power.  Of all the home run index splits, PNC Park exhibits the greatest level of abolishing right-handed homers. It's slightly beneficial for lefty pop while also helping hits. Overall, the park is a bit advantageous for batters. It's still a decent park in which to stream pitchers, just not as helpful as many believe, at least for lower-level arms.

St. Louis Cardinals (Busch Stadium)

Busch Stadium silences homers from bopth sides of the plate, but a little more for lefty swingers. It's slighly benedifical for hits, but overall the venue favors pitching. The only area where it isn't good for hurlers is strikeouts, perhaps because the staff is tailored to the park. Recall from previous installements of series that the park index formula is designed to flesh out team bias, but sometimes the team has an inordinate number of players benefiting from the park, so it skews the park factors. Over the years, the Cardinals have built their pitching on those who pound the zone, then rely on their infield and outfield defense to record outs.

NL WEST

Arizona Diamondbackks (Chase Field)

Longtime fantasy managers remember when Chase Field was second to only Coors Field in being a hitter's haven. It's not a mile high, but Phoenix is well above sea level, helping carry, even when the dome is closed. Like Coors Field, a humidor was introduced before they became used in every park. Currently, Chase Field squashes homers but is marginally benefical for runs. Right-handed batters enjoy the largest advantage in terms of batting average. 

Colorado Rockies (Coors Field)

The dirty little secret is while Coors Field is clearly good for homers, there are a handful of places even better. What separates Coors Field is how helpful it is for runs. The outfield is huge, second in square feet to Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City. However, the ball carries so much more in Coors Field, so balls that don't clear the fence often land safely, often for extra bases.

Another factor is that breaking balls don't move as much, so strikeouts are less prevalent. Every few seasons, there is a hotshot Rockies' pitcher that some suggest can overcome Coors Field. This season, it is Chase Dollander. Before drafting Dollander after reading the glowing reports, remember one thing... Coors Field is undefeated.

Los Angeles Dodgers (Dodger Stadium)

The quirks concerning Dodger Stadium Stadium lose some luster because the lineup and pitching are both so good, but the venue is not the pitcher's haven many perceive. It has always been beneficial for homers and around neutral for runs. The misperception doesn't come into play because in general, you aren't using opposing pitchers in Chavez, and you aren't down grading the heart of the Dodgers' order against anyone.

San Diego Padres (Petco Park)

Count Petco Park as another venue that isn't as bad as it seems, at least for right-handed homers. Lefty power remains thwarted, but the yard plays nicely for righty pop. It hasn't always been that way, but construction outside of the park altered wind patterns, with right-handed banners gaining an advantage. The venue suppresses hits, especially for lefties, so overall it is one of the best pitcher's parks for runs.

The  outlier of being good for right-handed power can be exploited in DFS. Opposing batters are generally priced down in Petco Park, but using a right-hnnded power hitter as a one-off, especially if the Padres are starting a mediocre southpaw can pay dividends.

San Francisco Giants (Oracle Park)

Unless you're Barry Bonds, Oracle Park is one of the hardest yards to leave from both sides of the plate.  Much like some of the other power-suppressing venues, it's not terrible for batting average, but it's only neutral in that regard. Overall, Oracle Park is one of the top pitching venues.

Todd Zola is an award-winning fantasy baseball writer and 2020 inductee into the Fantasy Sports Writers Hall of Fame. He's the content provider for the 2025 Fantasy Baseball Index Draft Kit and the Editor-in-Chief for the 2025 relaunch of the Fantasy Baseball Index magazine.