House That Hank Built
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Home Sweet Home

By Alan Carpenter

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When Martin Prado, Randall Delgado, Zeke Spruill, and Nick Ahmed were traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks on January 24th, 2013 for Justin Upton and a throw-in player named Chris Johnson, there were quite a few nay-sayers suggesting that the Braves had given up too much for an inconsistent outfielder that would never reach his potential.  One of the key points of criticism was Justin’s propensity to hit well only within the friendly hitting confines of Chase Field.

There was some validity to that point:

  • 2012:  .313/ 11 HR at home; .252/ 6 HR away  (+.059/+5)
  • 2011:  .333/20 HR at home;  .246/11 HR away (+.087/+9)
  • 2010: .282/ 8 HR at home; .264/ 9 HR away (+.018/-1)
  • 2009: .305/14 HR at home; .296/12 HR away (+.009/+2)
  • 2008: .321/12 HR at home; .169/ 3 HR away (+.152/+9)

Well, after perhaps a year of adjustment in which Upton’s home/road splits were almost identical, that “Home Cookin'” factor has returned with a vengeance.  Check this out:

  • 2014 at Turner Field:  .382 / 9 HR in 22 games
  • 2014 on the road:  .195 / 3 HR in 20 games
  • difference:  + .187 / +6

That’s as divergent as he’s ever been in his career!  But curiously, this is not the largest disparity in the majors:

For the record, Shin-Soo Choo is the most anti-homer:  .423 on the road, and just .230 back home in Arlington.  Chris Johnson is the Braves’ hitter with the worst anti-home split:  he’s hitting 79 points higher on the road… a baffling figure considering that he was 6 points higher at home in 2013, 33 points better at home in 2012.

Oh, and did I neglect to mention that the Rockies are coming to Turner Field this weekend? As a team, they are hitting .350 in Denver… but just .251 on the road.

Bring ’em on in… Justin will be waiting for them.

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