MLB follows in the steps of the Colorado Rockies with baseballs

It has been 20 years since the Colorado Rockies started storing baseballs used in games at Coors Field in a humidor.

The solution was used to ensure that pitchers would have a better shot at pitching at altitude and it has worked remarkably well, especially in recent years, for the Rockies.

Coors Field is one of only three MLB stadiums that has an elevation over 1,000 feet, as Phoenix is the other at 1,086 feet and Truist Park in Atlanta is at 1,001 feet at home plate. But just under 5,280 feet (at home plate) and 1,080 are much different. That’s why for 16 years, Coors Field was the only stadium to use a humidor for their baseballs. In 2018, the D-Backs started using one and in the last few years, a number of other teams got them.

But in 2022, every single MLB stadium will store their baseballs in a humidor, according to Cubs TV broadcaster and ESPN broadcaster Jon Sciambi and Eno Sarris of The Athletic.

In some cities, though, a humidor will actually be used to generate more offense.

All 30 MLB stadiums will follow the Colorado Rockies in storing their baseballs in a humidor

Originally, a humidor was added to Coors Field so both pitchers for both the Colorado Rockies and their opponents would have a better chance in games against hitters. Now, all 30 MLB teams will have a humidor in 2022.

In 2021,10 MLB stadiums had humidors but MLB wanted to add humidors to attempt to make the humidity of the baseballs more uniform.

Coors Field and Chase Field in Arizona are known for their low humidity but there are a lot of other MLB cities that are known for their high humidity. They include San Francisco, Miami, Tampa, and San Diego. So why would they need a humidor? To reduce the humidity of their baseballs.

The Rockies have their humidor at 50 percent humidity to increase the humidity of the baseballs but for those cities and others, that rate would reduce the humidity of the balls.

As Sarris describes, in these more humid climates, the balls will be a bit lighter and drier, leading to more distance on balls being hit.

It will be interesting to see if the baseball will truly be more uniform in 2022 or if, in the near future, MLB will have to keep tweaking the baseball or the humidors to get more uniformity.