Oakland A's: 11 Power Hitters That Would Thrive at Overstock.com Coliseum
The Oakland Coliseum, excuse me, I mean Overstock.com Coliseum, is for the most part considered a pitcher's ballpark.
The measurements don't seem to indicate that pitchers have an advantage, there are plenty of other parks that are bigger as far as fence placement goes, but the huge foul territory and the wind seems to give an advantage to the guys on the mound.
With the largest foul territory in baseball, the Coliseum creates problems by taking away foul balls and turning them into outs, which is an advantage to pitchers in Oakland not given to pitchers in a lot of other parks.
The measurements for Overstock.com Coliseum are 330 feet down each line, 378 foot power alleys and center field is 400 feet from home plate according to Parkfactors.com.
From the years 2007-2010 ParkFactors.com gave the A's home a -88 rating which translates to the Coliseum being an "extreme pitcher's park," without getting in to all the fancy math.
Some might go as far as saying left-handed hitters need not apply. My list begs to differ.
It doesn't matter if it's a pitcher's park or an amusement park, the following sluggers (in no particular order) could make a nice living hitting home runs in Oakland.
There is no doubt there could be more guys on this list, so go ahead and tell me where I missed the boat, but I doubt that I'm too far off.
The information used in this article to come up with location and true distance for home runs was compiled from Hittrackeronline.com
Ryan Howard
1 of 11
I don't think there is a park that scares this guy.
Howard spreads out the location of his bombs. So far in 2011, Howard has jacked 12 out of various parks and the location ranges from left center field to right center with four balls making their way out via left and right field (two from each).
Howard's average true distance for 2011 is 408.3 feet.
Ryan Braun
2 of 11
This guy can rake!
Braun is averaging 32 home runs a year from 2007-2010 with 13 so far this year. Braun bats right-handed and only has one dinger to dead left.
Like Howard, he spreads it around with six homers landing in the left to right center range.
Braun's average true distance for 2011 is 404.6 feet.
Prince Fielder
3 of 11
Prince Fielder has 13 home runs for the season and at this point has the longest home run as far as true distance at 486 feet.
Who cares what park he's in, if you can, you better pitch around him. Fielder can go opposite field and is your quintessential power hitter.
This is Fielder's seventh season and he hits 37 dingers on a 162-game average, according to Baseball Reference.com
Fielder's average true distance for 2011 is 406.7 feet.
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Mark Teixeira
4 of 11
If I have to hear John Sterling use that ridiculous text message line again (18 times as of June 7,2011), I'm gonna stick skewers in my ears.
The problem with that, is I will have to be held to that threat because Teixeira is definitely going to bang a few more out of the park.
This guy has a sweet swing from both sides of the plate. The switch-hitting power hitter has hit 30 or more home runs seven times in his career.
Not that one home run means much, but I was on hand in Oakland on Memorial Day to witness Teixeira bast one out in left field.
The Coliseum couldn't hold him on that day, and I doubt he would have much trouble if he played there on a regular basis.
Teixeira's average true distance for 2011 is 385.5 feet.
Lance Berkman
5 of 11
Lance Berkman is a switch-hitting power hitter who can go yard anywhere in any given park.
Berkman has resurrected his career by getting back in shape and is having an MVP-type season, much to the chagrin of Houston Astros' fans.
Obviously, because he hits from both sides he usually hits home runs in equal amounts to left field and right field.
So far in 2011 he has split his 12 home runs right down the middle, six to right field and six to left field.
Berkman's average true distance for 2011 is 402.6 feet.
Alex Rodriguez
6 of 11
Alex Rodriguez has 623 home runs in his career.
Since his first year in the majors, Rodriguez has hit under 30 home runs only three times and in his first year, he only played in 17 games.
40 or more home runs eight times in his career is something else you can add to this slugger's resume. Wait there's more, he has hit over 50 three times.
Even though A-Rod is in his 18th season, it's still safe to pencil him in for 25 to 30 home runs.
A Rod's average true distance for 2011 is 399.3 feet.
Joey Votto
7 of 11
The new kid on the block is making himself right at home.
In three seasons with at least 130 games played, he has 98 blasts.
Like most on this list, Votto is not a dead pull hitter, scattering his home runs throughout whatever stadium he happens to be terrorizing that day.
Votto's average true distance for 2011 is 412.4.
David Ortiz
8 of 11
"Big Papi" has had a couple of down years, but for the most part, this guy hits bombs and drives in runs, so I don't think anyone can argue that he shouldn't be included with the rest of the pack.
Ortiz has hit 40 or more home runs three times, smacking 54 in 2006.
"Papi's" 162-game average from Baseball Reference.com is 36 home runs and 118 RBI.
He hits to both fields, and his true distance numbers warrant him being on this list.
Ortiz's average true distance for 2011 is 390.1 feet.
Adam Dunn
9 of 11
Sometimes just hitting a lot of home runs, regardless of where you play, is simply enough.
Enough to land him on my list anyway. Dunn isn't always the first or maybe even fifth name that rolls of the tongue when talking sluggers, but it should be.
Dunn has hit 40 round-trippers five times in his career and 38 twice, which should be good enough for any list.
Dunn's average true distance for 2011 is 400 feet.
Adrian Gonzales
10 of 11
Scattering home runs all over the chart, this guy can go to either field, which makes him a threat anywhere he plays.
He doesn't have the obvious power that most big-time sluggers have, but he is a solid sweet-swinging hitter who has hit his fair share of blasts.
Anytime your 162-game averages are 32 (home runs) and 102 (RBI), you better not be left off a sluggers list of any kind.
Gonzalez's average true distance is 386.6 feet.
Albert Pujols
11 of 11
You didn't think I was going to leave arguably the best hitter on the planet off this list, did you?
There is not a ballpark anywhere that scares this guy.
For a lot of players on this list, I have given their tendencies as far as where they hit their bombs, Pujols dosen't really spread it around as much as the others.
This year, Pujols seems to hit every homer from center field over to the left, but who really cares when you hit 42 home runs on 162 game average. (Baseball Reference.com)
Pujols' average true distance for 2011 is 402.4 feet.
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