2026 Fantasy Baseball Park Factors: Ranking the best (and worst) MLB stadiums by pitching boosts

After looking at ballpark effects on hitters on Tuesday, we will turn our attention to hurlers. Overall, the impact on pitchers will be the exact opposite as the impact on hitters. For example, if Coors Field is a hitter’s paradise, it’s also a death blow to the fantasy baseball value of any pitcher. But there is more nuance in some circumstances.

For example, strikeout tendencies by ballpark matter more for pitchers, as those totals are more directly tied to their fantasy production. And although home run tendencies matter greatly for hitters, the impact on pitchers is more closely tied to pure run production, unless the pitcher is especially prone to allowing homers.

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Here are some ballpark tendencies from 2025 that fantasy managers will want to know before drafting and setting their lineups.

Classic Pitchers Parks

T-Mobile Park

Although the Mariners have several pitchers who are coveted in fantasy circles, it’s fair to wonder if their home park embellishes their true talent. After all, last season Seattle hurlers produced a 3.28 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP at home, in comparison to a 4.50 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP on the road. That’s the difference between being the baseball pitching staff in baseball and a bottom-10 group. Fortunately, fantasy managers can bake in the T-Mobile advantage to the long-time Seattle starters who remain with the team this year.

Globe Life Field

Life is tough for hitters in the AL West, as Globe Life Field has quickly separated from the pack to join T-Mobile in their own tier of offense-suppressers. In fact, Globe Life could be the worst park for hitters, as it is not only tied with T-Mobile in overall park factor, but it ranked 28th (ahead of Busch Stadium and PNC Park) in terms of producing home runs.

Although the durability of Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi remains in question, they are both likely to be excellent on a per-game basis. And MacKenzie Gore has a good chance for a breakout season now that he has been moved from the Nats to the Rangers. Finally, although Jack Leiter has not yet shown exciting skills, he is still a former notable prospect who will continue to benefit from his home venue.

The best of the rest

The next tier of pitcher-friendly parks includes several venues that are well-known for aiding hurlers, including Petco Park (Padres), PNC Park (Pirates), Busch Stadium (Cardinals), Kauffman Stadium (Royals), loanDepot park (Marlins) and Daikin Park (Astros).

Hitter-friendly parks

Coors Field

There is no need to spend significant time reminding everyone that Coors Field remains undefeated in terrorizing pitchers. The Rockies rarely produce a viable fantasy pitching option, and most opposing pitchers should be benched in Coors Field. Colorado’s deep rebuild and lackluster roster are the only reasons to be a little more liberal with road starters at Coors, especially early in the season when the weather remains cold.

Sutter Health Park

Luis Severino has been vocal about his dislike for the Athletics temporary home. He likely isn’t the only one, as the Athletics logged a 4.96 ERA at home and a 4.42 mark on the road last season. The team has a few pitchers who could be sleepers this season, especially Jacob Lopez and Luis Morales. Unfortunately, the hitter-friendly nature of their home venue makes them less appealing in the final rounds of drafts.

The best of the rest

Comerica Park (Tigers) played surprisingly well for hitters last season, not that Tarik Skubal noticed. It is part of the second tier of hitter-friendly parks, along with Dodger Stadium (Dodgers), Oriole Park at Camden Yards (Orioles), Rogers Centre (Blue Jays) and Fenway Park (Red Sox).

Strikeout superiority

Some fans may not be aware that, in addition to having an impact on batted balls, some parks have qualities that lead to more or fewer strikeouts. Here are the parks at each end of the spectrum.

T-Mobile Park

Not only does Seattle’s venue suppress scoring, but it also helps with strikeouts to a greater degree than any other venue. The ridiculous benefits of this park is a good reason to choose Logan Gilbert or Bryan Woo from the second tier of aces.

Daikin Park

The park formerly known as Minute Maid is the second-best venue for racking up whiffs. Unfortunately, beyond Hunter Brown, Houston lacks starters who are known for their swing-and-miss abilities. Still, Daikin Park could help newcomer Tatsuya Imai and offseason addition Mike Burrows exceed expectations.

The best of the rest

The second tier of strikeout stadiums includes Citizens Bank Park (Phillies), Angel Stadium (Angels), American Family Field (Brewers) and Progressive Field (Guardians). This would normally be the part where I mention starting pitchers who joined these teams in the offseason, but unfortunately, these four clubs failed to invest heavily in the offseason pitching market.

Strikeout suppressers

Coors Field

Is there any part of pitching that this park doesn’t ruin? The answer is no.

Busch Stadium

The venue in St. Louis is a polarizing one, as it limits scoring but also limits strikeouts. To make the problem even worse, the Cardinals have several starters who already struggle to put batters away. The ceiling is incredibly low for Matthew Liberatore, Dustin May and Michael McGreevy.

Kauffman Stadium

Although Cole Ragans is unfazed by the tendencies of his home park, the rest of the Royals rotation lacks the swing-and-miss ability to overcome this venue. That list includes Michael Wacha, Kris Bubic, Seth Lugo and Noah Cameron.

The worst of the rest

The next tier of venues that reduce strikeout totals includes Chase Field (Diamondbacks), Fenway Park (Red Sox) and Rogers Centre (Blue Jays). The Blue Jays added two notable pitchers (Dylan Cease, Cody Ponce), as did the Red Sox (Sonny Gray, Ranger Suárez). Fantasy managers may wish to knock a few whiffs off their projections.