Colorado’s previous center-field camera.

Twice now over the past four or so years, the author has attempted to rank all 30 clubs’ center-field broadcast cameras by some combination of shot angle (in which more central and lower is generally preferred) and shot size (in which closer up and not longer is generally preferred). It’s required some combination of art and science, this endeavor, but has produced, if nothing else, a reference for anyone with access to MLB.TV, MLB Extra Innings, or some other manner of game video, so that he or she might be better equipped to choose the ideal feed.

In the 2011 edition of this exercise, the Pittsburgh Pirates finished last; the Colorado Rockies, second to last. At the beginning of the 2012 season, however, the former of those clubs debuted what immediately became one of the league’s best center-field broadcast cameras — a fact reflected by the second iteration of these nearly useful rankings, on which the Rockies occupied the 30th and last spot.

It appears, however, that, were one to replicate the exercise for 2015, Colorado would appear much closer to the top of the rankings. From a recent press release (bold mine):

Enhancing broadcasts from Coors Field this season will be the addition of a 4K zoom function to each ‘SuperMo’ super slow motion camera. In 2014, ROOT SPORTS was one of the first sports networks to employ the Grass Valley 6x Super Slow Motion system, and the new zoom feature will provide an ultra- clear look of key plays. Further, this winter the network relocated the centerfield camera position to a dead-center location, allowing for an improved view of pitch movement and the strike zone.

No screenshots appear to have been made available by the club, and roughly five minutes of research elicited no readily available examples of the new angle (like from the slow-motion camera) from any previous Rockies broadcasts. With the exception of the Twins’ experiments with a curiously high angle, however, basically all of the straight-on center-field cameras provide better coverage of the pitcher-batter encounter — and provide equal perspectives both of right- and left-handed pitchers.

With Colorado’s recent improvements, it would that some combination of Cincinnati, Milwaukee, Oakland, and Seattle now feature the most off-center angles among the league’s 30 cameras.

Credit to concerned citizen Bryce Stevenson for bringing this to the author’s attention.