Submitted by dvd5671 t3_zvtef4 in dataisbeautiful
Comments
kliuch t1_j1rbm34 wrote
One of things that has always baffled me about baseball is the lack of uniformity in sizes and shapes of baseball fields.
Frogmarsh t1_j1rbrfc wrote
I bet Hundred HS’ team is made up of a preponderance of left-handers.
finix240 t1_j1rbswy wrote
This is cool. Made me look up Tygarts Valley HS to see wtf was going on there
finix240 t1_j1rbts9 wrote
That’s the point
insultant_ t1_j1rf3es wrote
But why?
artb0red t1_j1rf917 wrote
Nice! I hardly know Baseball but like to see those fields compared!
insultant_ t1_j1rf9go wrote
Probably in a area where mining has polluted the water so bad that many children have mutated to become predominantly left handed.
finix240 t1_j1rg2qu wrote
Idk it’s just one of the weird quirks of baseball. The infields are exactly the same dimensions, but the outfields are unique to the park
N0rTh3Fi5t t1_j1rhkzm wrote
Especially considering what a big deal some of the records seem to be.
StreetBookRandoNumbr t1_j1risge wrote
Looks like it’s also the football field on google maps
R3m0V3DBiR3ddiT t1_j1rjrsz wrote
I checked google maps, and it doesn't look like they even have an official field.
BaldFraud99 t1_j1rkfrf wrote
Tyler Consolidated is also just 2 fields overlapping at the outfields. So the shell shape is very standard
Oni_K t1_j1rma3i wrote
The American fascination with High School sports is... strange at best.
modern_drift t1_j1rnihm wrote
there's a field at hornets highway and browns run road. don't look like much of one and doesn't have that odd shape.
blubblu t1_j1rnl43 wrote
It’s the developmental areas. Most countries have developmental programs for popular sports in their country, including gaming.
The obsession is the same. Baseball and football are huge in the states. Think La Messina for Barca, youth structures for soccer worldwide.
Also, fwiw, it’s also very fascinating to me that Americans have so much free headspace. Like what does it matter that another culture is different than yours?
0x4A5753 t1_j1rnyg2 wrote
I'm not sure if you follow soccer, but if you do, have you heard the meme "but can they do it on a cold rainy night at Stoke City?"
take that, but make it not a meme. Make it a serious question - can they do it in some irregular unhelpful field
Dry-Gulch-Slim t1_j1ro946 wrote
Yeah those kids should be inside playing video games >:(
VevroiMortek t1_j1robk8 wrote
every country's got their quirks
Dry-Gulch-Slim t1_j1rpriz wrote
It's just one of the fun quirks of baseball. Back in the day it was a function of baseball being played on fields meant for other sports (eg. the Polo Grounds) or crammed into the space available (eg. Fenway Park). Then in the mid- to late-20th century, they did build a bunch of cookie cutter ballparks with curved, symmetrical outfields, domes, astroturf, etc. Those were awful, soulless, monstrosities.
Then when Oriole Park at Camden Yards was built in '92 it brought back a "renaissance" of these ballparks that were part of the city. They used existing architecture, borrowed architectural motifs, emphasized skylines, etc. So really it's partially about nostalgia and tradition and partially about emphasizing that each park, city, and club is 'unique".
SpudsMacKenzie21 t1_j1rqfzz wrote
The country is huge. West Virginia has no professional sports and really just WVU in terms of national relevance at the college level.
High school sports are the next best thing that bring communities together.
blubblu t1_j1rsv7v wrote
Yup. Plus! In other countries, there is a huge youth baseball or cricket following.
Verminlord_Warpseer t1_j1rsxm5 wrote
OP says every single HS field, so most of these would be practice fields.
someguyonline00 t1_j1rsy9x wrote
So it’s not the point, it’s just a quirk :)
finix240 t1_j1rtw11 wrote
It’s a point. That’s it’s quirky
Hank_N_Lenni t1_j1rxfuf wrote
Tyler consolidated is a softball field in one corner, baseball field in the opposite corner, and a soccer field laid out diagonally between them. Pretty cool use of the rectangular space IMO. Good luck hitting a homer to left field though.
onowahoo t1_j1ryqo4 wrote
It also helps with home field advantage. If you have beasts behind the plate you can keep a wider outfield. If you have a slow defensive team you can let the grass grow longer.
Different parks have different personalities, Yankee stadium used to have statues in the outfield until they moved the walls in... And then built a new stadium.
steam58 t1_j1s1vct wrote
It's not on the HS campus, looks like they just use their football field as a baseball field as well
OGraffe t1_j1s2j3g wrote
Was literally talking about this at Christmas with my brother and cousin. I think one of them said Aaron Judge likely wouldn’t have broken whichever record it was had he not played for the Yankees due to the short outfield in Yankee Stadium.
marimba79 t1_j1s2plp wrote
After looking at the Google Maps images, the four biggest (Meadow Bridge, Moorefield, Tyler, and Tygarts) are all combination fields with a softball field and/or football field. Meadow Bridge and Tyler have moveable fences to act as the outfield fence, so it wouldn’t be nearly that far for a home run. It looks to be the same at the other two, but those fields were lined for football, so the fences were most likely put away for the season.
gormster t1_j1s49f8 wrote
Some aren’t even a fucking convex shape? What is going on here
ol_dirty_applesauce t1_j1s7m6p wrote
That school’s about 15 miles from me. It’s one of the smaller public schools in the state, but not the smallest in the county in which it resides (Randolph). That goes to Pickens, which typically has an enrollment of around 40-50 students, K-12 and often has a graduating class of 1 or 2.
I’m pretty sure the fb and baseball fields are combined in some way at TVHS, but I can’t say for certain.
154bmag t1_j1s9pwv wrote
Someone call Five Point Vids
tostuo t1_j1sah8k wrote
I always liked that baseball fields aren't uniform, it adds variety to the gameplay.
Although as usual, some of these fields make me question reality.
dvd5671 OP t1_j1sait5 wrote
I’ve actually collaborated with him on two videos before funnily emough
alwaysmyfault t1_j1sg6kh wrote
That argument goes away when you realize he hit 30 HR at home, and 32 HR on the road this year.
Luckywithtime t1_j1sgh1f wrote
That was my guess
steam58 t1_j1sgmxn wrote
Yup, it's what Google map shows
upvoter222 t1_j1sol9g wrote
Aaron Judge broke the American League record for home runs in a season. The previous record was set by Roger Maris, who also played for the Yankees. And he claimed the record from Babe Ruth, who also played for the Yankees. The dimensions changed a little bit over time, but it just so happens that all of the relevant people for that specific record had played in really similar stadiums with a notoriously short right field fence.
Then again, when it comes to home run records, you can make a case that a dozen different people deserve the title of Home Run King based on whatever you consider to be fair.
mtnbkrt22 t1_j1sprcf wrote
TIL how hilly West Virginia is because of a baseball field
Brookmon t1_j1stb77 wrote
Lefty pull hitters are having a field day at hundred
Frammingatthejimjam t1_j1t071x wrote
In the NHL they can control the speed of the game by the temperature of the ice. Fast team coming to town, slow the whole game down so that your leadfoots can keep up a little better.
Millipede01 t1_j1t4pva wrote
dude idk why but you're commentary on each of the weird fields has me cackling and cracking up. Great work dude, can't wait to see the rest!
fred_fotch t1_j1t82m5 wrote
It's the same for soccer. (Sizes not shapes.)
rug1998 t1_j1te8jo wrote
Lefties hate Tyler consolidated
kliuch t1_j1tgh0h wrote
Yes, but as you say the shape is standard, dimensions can vary but there’s a recommendation and clear limits.
BradlyL t1_j1ti181 wrote
That’s ridiculous.
Quirky_Ad_8732 t1_j1tid10 wrote
It’s possible, but can you provide any evidence of this theory? I’ve been watching nhl for 30 years, and yes some rinks have shitty ice and some rinks are known for having good ice. I can’t imagine they do it on purpose to slow down another team, when every team in the league has fast players.
underbite420 t1_j1tlbiz wrote
I had above average Oppo power…but I’d be learning to hit left handed immediately if I had to attend Tyler Consolidated lol
TurloIsOK t1_j1u9rv1 wrote
They had to fit into space limited by existing structures.
holdmymandana t1_j1u9uw2 wrote
No it’s not. There’s clear boundaries. This is just random
deutschdachs t1_j1ughdk wrote
Must be fun for the first baseman at Hundred HS to have a shot at robbing some home runs
[deleted] t1_j1uhtqv wrote
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mrachelle326 t1_j1uhy8u wrote
It's honestly very cool to see and play on!
fakeaccount572 t1_j1ujzrz wrote
Doesn't that change what a home run is then?
twv6 t1_j1unv7x wrote
This one is sweet but I really loved the one of the hs baseball fields in Hawai’i
Avadya t1_j1uo6j0 wrote
I’m willing to bet tygarts puts up a temporary fence across the 5 yard line for game day
tlryan92 t1_j1uvc4m wrote
It's negated when I enter the rink, since I'm cool enough to harden the ice.
Thamesx2 t1_j1uw82y wrote
They use temporary fencing to create outfield walls of a reasonable distance; you can see this in Google maps.
bostonhockey_80 t1_j1v1b1z wrote
I think is a big factor there. I've also never heard of a team manipulating ice temp for an advantage.
ConcernedCitizen1900 t1_j1v3lhf wrote
Can I get the link
finix240 t1_j1vedvm wrote
Kinda. A home run still scores the same but some parks are tougher to hit home runs in than others. Some park favor left handed hitters or pull hitters. Some parks like Fenway have taller walls in the outfield too which affects how the offenses score. All just part of the game
Hank_N_Lenni t1_j1w7i8b wrote
I saw that for the softball field but not the baseball field. Maybe they shift them back and forth depending on which team is playing that day.
fail_whale_fan_mail t1_j1wlp5q wrote
This is super dope. Might be a naive question, but do you trace all of these by hand or do you have a way to automate it?
Beatleboy62 t1_j1x83tr wrote
This is completely and utterly fascinating, thank you so much for collecting this data and sharing it with us!
ConcernedCitizen1900 t1_j1xhxvx wrote
Uh that’s just a link to google maps?
StreetBookRandoNumbr t1_j1y4gvi wrote
Go there, type in Tygarts Valley HS and click satellite view
[deleted] t1_j23988m wrote
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dvd5671 OP t1_j1qzl1l wrote
Hello everyone,
I am currently plotting, measuring, and visualizing every single high school baseball field in the United States. I currently have all of the data for Alaska, Ohio, Utah, Hawaii, and West Virginia (currently working on Maine). This is my second iteration of this type of graphic. Ohio's version is done but needs to be reformatted. Here are the other works of mine showcasing the weirdest fields of the states I listed previously:
And here is the link to the other overlay graphic I made:
Sources: Google Maps, WVSSAC
Tools: Google Maps, Illustrator, Photoshop
I post a lot of high school baseball field stuff on my Twitter as well, so check that out if you want. Hope you all enjoy :)