The Coors Factor: Does it REALLY make Colorado Rockies offense better?

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So I know what some of you Rockies fans are probably thinking now. With all this data that we’ve provided, why haven’t we talked about DJ LeMahieu? He’s the most recent example that’s busted the “Coors” myth and his 2019 was incredible. It undoubtedly proved that he wasn’t a product of Coors Field and that Rockies hitters can succeed elsewhere.

And that’s true! DJ had a great year, but it’s hard to trust only one season of production as reliable. With a couple more seasons we can truly assess how he is away from Coors, but if his first season as a Yankee has told us anything it’s that his approach can translate in any ballpark. Should we expect another career year with a wRC+ of 136 or higher? Probably not, but it’s obvious that he wasn’t a product of Coors.

And what if a player like Nolan Arenado was playing for another team? How should you assess how his traditional stats may look if he played for another team? Lucky for you, I’ve put together a Twitter thread showing just how he would look for another team based off factors like his wRC+, BB%, K% and general power numbers. Check it out here if you’re interested to see how his traditional stats would look elsewhere.

So does playing for the Rockies mean a player’s going to automatically be a better hitter? Absolutely not. Should you use park adjusted stats to evaluate Rockies players? You absolutely should. And if someone disagrees with you? Show them this article.

Let them know about The “Coors” Hangover and the unique circumstances Rockies hitters are faced with. There’s plenty of research out there and guys like Ryan Freemyer have done a really good job of gathering it all together for you.

No matter what, though, don’t let them tell you that a hitter only succeeds because of Coors. They’re wrong, you’ve got proof and you can shove it straight in their face. It’s gonna feel great.