From the inimitable HitTrackerOnline, here are Lance Berkman's 2010 homers (blue) layered over the dimensions of New Yankee Stadium:
Now, I recall from the HR Derby in 2004 that the ball flies best to left field at Minute Maid, so that might be part of it.
But when I went over to Berkman's BRef splits, those numbers confirm the graphs' impressions:
| Split | G | PA | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | BA | OBP | SLG | TB | BAbip | tOPS+ | sOPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ball In Play | 83 | 215 | 215 | 60 | 16 | 1 | 0 | .279 | .279 | .363 | 78 | .279 | 58 | 88 |
| Pulled-LHB | 29 | 34 | 34 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 2 | .324 | .324 | .647 | 22 | .281 | 136 | 69 |
| Up Mdle-LHB | 62 | 94 | 94 | 26 | 5 | 0 | 3 | .277 | .277 | .426 | 40 | .253 | 72 | 93 |
| Opp Fld-LHB | 39 | 48 | 48 | 24 | 5 | 0 | 7 | .500 | .500 | 1.042 | 50 | .415 | 273 | 269 |
Berkman's best success, both in terms of hits and power, come when he takes the ball the opposite way. I honestly don't know how those numbers stack up against league averages, but I'd think most hits and power come to the pull side.
Hopefully Berkman won't change his approach- the Yankees don't need him to pull every pitch over the short porch, they just need him to get on base and keep the line moving.
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