What are Houston Astros' Crawford Boxes and why does Isaac Paredes keep hitting them?

One of the beautifully unique things about baseball is the lack of a uniform playing surface. While stadiums in the NBA and NFL can feel generic and cookie-cutter, the electricity of the home crowd and the comfort of sleeping in their own beds can still provide those players with a sense of home-field advantage. Baseball takes that to another level. The Houston Astros, courtesy of the Crawford Boxes out in left field, are a perfect example of that in action.

While not as iconic as the Green Monster in Boston or as infamous as the short porch in right field at Yankee Stadium, the Crawford Boxes are a unique feature that the Astros have been wise to tailor their team to.

What are the Crawford Boxes and why do they help Isaac Paredes?

Named for Crawford Street, where the stadium is located, the Crawford Boxes lie just 315 feet from home plate and feature a 19-foot outfield wall that is just over half the size of the Green Monster in Fenway Park. The Crawford Boxes have undergone a number of renovations over the years and provide one of the most in-demand seating areas for Astros fans in part due to the likelihood of snagging a home run ball.

Over the years, the team has wisely built their roster with this feature in mind, and one key offseason acquisition is poised to benefit greatly from them this season. While Cam Smith may have stolen headlines as the top return in the Kyle Tucker trade, Isaac Paredes inclusion in the deal was a boon for Houston.

Paredes had been on the Astros' radar for a long time. Before he landed in Chicago with the Cubs, Houston tried to acquire him at the trade deadline last season. His inclusion in the Kyle Tucker trade, therefore, made all the sense in the world.

2024 was not an ideal season for Paredes, who was coming off a 31-homer campaign in 2023. He saw his longball total fall to just 19, and found the "friendly confines" of Wrigley Field in Chicago to be, well, not so friendly.

Playing in Daikin Park, however, would have yielded an expected home run total of 26 for the 26-year-old third baseman, thanks in large part to his pull-happy tendencies.

For his career, Paredes, a right-handed hitter, has pulled the ball a whopping 52.9% of the time. He also frequently hits the ball in the air, with 44.9% of his batted balls being of the flyball variety. Even without elite exit velocity, just 86.3 miles per hour on average for his career, Paredes should pepper the boxes as the 2025 season progresses.

With Paredes' fly ball proficiency and strong tendency to pull the ball, several more home runs than he would normally hit are extremely likely to come. Even when he doesn't get all of a pitch, he can still do damage given the construction of the park.

Paredes won't hit free agency until 2028, and at his young age, there's even more room to grow. The Astros have a cost-controlled, picture-perfect fit for their home park manning the hot corner for the next several years, which certainly takes the sting out of losing a franchise icon like Alex Bregman in free agency.

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