PNC Park is “not set up for” the “strengths” of the Pittsburgh Pirates as hitters, says their shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa. That’s what he told José Negron of DK on Pittsburgh Sports after the Pirates were shut out by the Houston Astros on Tuesday evening at PNC Park. With apologies to Seth Meyers, let’s take “A Closer Look” at this claim.
Is PNC Park Set Up for the Pirates Strengths?
PNC Park is an open-air ballpark with a fine view of Pittsburgh’s skyline. One of the bigger ballparks in the majors, its dimensions are as follows:
- Left Field Foul Line: 325 feet
- Left Field Power Alley: 389 feet
- Left Center Field: 410 feet
- Center Field: 399 feet
- Right Field Power Alley: 375 feet
- Right Field Foul Line: 320 feet
As you can see, batters must hit the ball a long way to hit it out of left and center fields. Don’t be fooled by the more reasonable 325-foot dimension down the left field line. The left field wall veers sharply to get to the point where the dimension shrinks. It’s a little easier to hit it out of right field. That wall goes from 375 feet to 320 feet gradually. It makes for some short home runs, depending on where the ball is hit, although the ball has to clear the 21-foot-high Clemente Wall.
PNC Park is regarded as one of the best, if not the best, ballparks in America. Mark Kiner-Falefa down as not a big fan. In a nutshell, “IKF” told Negron, “[T]he fence is too far and the grass is too long.” As a team of contact hitters, the Pirates need “shorter grass” for ground balls to get through the infield. He pointed to deep fly balls to left field hit by teammates Spencer Horwitz (twice) and Andrew McCutchen that were caught. The cure to what ails the Pirates would be the addition of some power hitters. However, because of PNC Park, “it is hard to sign hitters here,” according to Kiner-Falefa.
A Closer Look
Kiner-Falefa’s words should carry some weight. He’s an eight-year major league veteran who won a Gold Glove Award in 2020 and played on a New York Yankees team that reached the American League Championship Series in 2022. While I believe there’s more than a grain of truth in what he says, let’s see whether the numbers back him up. All statistics presented hereinafter are as of the close of Thursday’s game.
So far in 2025, the Pirates have played 32 games at home and 31 games away. On the road, the Pirates are hitting .216/.291/.326, 25 HR, and 93 RBI. They’re actually a little better at PNC Park, where they’re hitting .235/.317/.343, 18 HR, and 99 RBI. They’ve scored 103 runs at home as opposed to 96 away from home. The only thing they’ve done better on the road is hit a few more home runs. That’s understandable, given the home park’s dimensions.
Furthermore, Pirates batters, regardless of whether they hit from the left side or the right side, are at their best when they hit the ball to left field. Their right-handed hitters are hitting .378/.376/.569 when they pull the ball. Their left-handed hitters are hitting .305/.305/.432 when they hit to the opposite field. If PNC Park’s spacious left field swallows up potential home runs, it seems it also gives left fielders a lot of ground to cover, causing balls to fall in for hits.
Moreover, Baseball Reference measures each ballpark’s “Park Factor,” whereby scores over 100 favor batters and scores under 100 favor pitchers. It gives PNC Park a Batting Factor of 101 and a Pitching Factor of 102, indicating that it plays fair. In summary, there’s no statistical evidence to back up what Kiner-Falefa says.
So, What’s the Problem?
The issue with the 2025 Pirates isn’t PNC Park. The problem is that they simply can’t hit. The team is hitting .226/.304/.334, 43 HR, and 79 OPS+. Only three of the 30 major league teams have a lower batting average. The Pirates’ slugging percentage is the worst in the majors. Only the Kansas City Royals have hit fewer home runs, with 39. Only the Colorado Rockies have a worse OPS+ with 70.
Just as alarmingly, with runners in scoring position (RISP), the Pirates are batting .225/.335/.338. Only five teams are worse. They’ve also struck out 556 times, and again, only five teams are worse. On Thursday night, the Pirates struck out 16 times while losing to Houston, 8-2. They can’t blame PNC Park for poor approaches in RISP situations or failure to hit the ball.
Help Wanted
Finally, let’s discuss the notion that hitters don’t want to come to Pittsburgh because of PNC Park. Again, what Kiner-Falefa says carries a lot of weight. Certainly, he talks to players throughout the league and hears things.
Then again, we won’t know for sure whether good hitters want to come to Pittsburgh until general manager Ben Cherington asks one. His approach to every offseason of waiting until most players are signed simply isn’t working. It’s how the Pirates settled for Tommy Pham this season and Michael A. Taylor last season.
There are players like Carlos Santana, who signed with the Cleveland Guardians this year because he likes playing in Cleveland. Most, however, shop for the most money. They judge one another according to the size of the contract. Nobody will sign with Pittsburgh? Get real. These guys would play in Antarctica for a dollar more than they can get anywhere else.
The last time the Pirates aggressively pursued a free agent was when they signed catcher Russell Martin in 2013. Ryan Doumit, their catcher in 2011, was nicknamed “Ryan No-Mitt” by fans. The next season’s catcher, Rod Barajas, was only marginally better. According to Big Data Baseball by Travis Sawchik, Pirates quantitative data analyst Mike Fitzgerald accessed a PITCH/fx study that measured the effect of pitch framing. Looking at data from 2007-11, the Pirates learned that Martin was worth 70 Framing Runs Saved (FRS) compared to Doumit with -65 FRS. Fitzgerald “pounded the table” for Martin, and then-GM Neal Huntington listened. Martin was the man they had to have, and they got him for two years and $15 million. They haven’t pursued a free agent aggressively since.
The Last Word
As they did with Martin 12 years ago, Cherington (or whoever next year’s GM is) must identify one or more players they “have to have” and go all-out to get them. The solution to the Pirates’ offensive woes is simply better hitters, PNC Park be damned.
Photo Credit: © Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
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