Thomas Brennan - LET'S REALLY BRING THOSE FENCES IN

Let’s REALLY Bring Those Fences In by Tom Brennan

Are the field dimensions at Citifield too deep?  Is the Grand Canyon just a small crack in the ground? Sarah Palin was asked about Citi dimensions being too deep and she answered with a resounding “YOU BETCHA!”

Anyway, as noted in Wikipedia:

During its first three seasons, the large field dimensions caused Citi Field to play as an extreme "pitcher's park", and home-runs at the stadium were among the fewest in the Major Leagues. Mets' general manager Sandy Alderson changed Citi Field's dimensions in time for the 2012 MLB season in order to make it more friendly to hitters.^[20] Changes include building an 8 feet (2.4 m) wall in front of the high 16 feet (4.9 m) wall in left field that many had dubbed the "Great Wall of Flushing", removing the nook in the "Mo's Zone" in right field, and reducing the distance in right center field from (a ridiculous) 415 feet from home plate to (a still too deep) 398 feet.  (Brennan commentary)

So, all in all, the first cut of dimensions for this park was simply poor decision making, for two reasons. First, the sheer depth damaged the hitters.  Don’t believe me, just as Jeff Francoeur or Jason Bay.  One of my favorite recollections back then was in a subway series game, A Rod crushed a ball to the left of dead center.  It caught the top end of the Great Wall of Flushing and ricocheted into play for a ground double.  The camera panned to A Rod who was laughing and shaking his head in disbelief, surely thinking “I hit the ball THAT hard and THAT far and it was just a double.  Thank God I don’t play here!”  Murphy led the team that year with 12 homers in 508 at bats, and Wright had 10 in 535 at bats.  Excruciating.  Fans stayed home and played tiddlywinks for fun.

I finally got fed up wrote a letter to Met ownership (I think late in 2010) indicating that if Jimmy McMillan (who ran for Governor in 2010 indicating the “rent is too d--n high”) were to be asked his opinion about the original Citi fence dimensions, he’d have said they were “too d—n high and too d—n deep.”  I strongly urged changes as a REVENUE INCREASING common sense move.  I also said that they were killing any chances a hometown hero with a real shot at the Hall of Fame being denied that shot by their moving from pitcher-friendly Shea to ridiculously hitter-unfriendly Citi.  Did they read it?  Dunno.  But they did change them. 

When I heard, after the 2011 season, that they were bringing the fences in, I was elated.  When I heard what they were bringing them in to, I was deflated.  They just did not get it!  I wrote them again.  But 2012, 2013, and 2014 had to be suffered through to get them to again realize it is not smart to neutralize the hero’s power (Wright) or to invest 4 years and $60MM in power hitters and have them hit long fly ball outs (Bay, Granderson).

So now they get another chance.  Before making that decision to again move the fences in, one must realize that THIS is the time to get it right – move them in for good, so do it right.

So how are the shorter dimensions of 2012, 2013, and 2014 treating our boys? Do they, like the rest of baseball, hit somewhat better at home than on the road.  NO!!!!!  In fact, the home results, as compared to the road results, are miserable, as seen in the table below, which shows their rank amongst the majors’ 30 teams. 

Obvious solution conclusions?  1) Move the fences in again. 2) Move them in a LOT!

YEAR	PLACE	RUNS	RANK	HR’S	RANK	AVG.	RANK
2012	HOME	287	29	67	21	.242	25
2012	AWAY	363	9	72	20	.256	9
2013	HOME	268	30	59	26	.219	30
2013	AWAY	351	12	71	19	.254	14
2014	HOME	249	29	51	23	.223	30
2014	AWAY	315	8	62	15	.250	12

Note: 2014 thru September 10, 2014.

Those are staggering differentials.  They have scored 225 less runs at home over the past 3 years (almost a run per game!), while the league on average scores more at home.  They hit on average 25 points lower…and average about 10 less homers per year at home than on the road.

I attribute 3 reasons: a) depth of fences b) ball does not carry well many games during the year c) field dimensions and poor ball carry gets in the hitters’ heads.

Solution?  Move the fences in – a lot – more doubles, more homers, more hitting confidence, more fan fun.

Here are my suggestions to do it right.  Met management, please read!

Field size	Current	Brennan Proposal	Shorter By
Left field Left center Deep left center Center field Deep right center Right center Right field	335 feet 358 feet 385 feet 408 feet 398 feet 375 feet 330 feet	325 feet 358 feet 378 feet 400 feet 378 feet 358 feet 325 feet	10 feet 0 feet 7 feet 8 feet 20 feet 17 feet 5 feet

I think, because of the fact that the ball does not carry well, that these are not “bandbox” dimensions, but merely slightly hitter friendly ones.  Be fair to your hitters.

And…the pitchers will be hurt by this, but they will 1) adjust and 2) win more games, so why complain?

MANAGEMENT….PLEASE….DO….IT….RIGHT….THIS….TIME!!!!

I have to add this – I seems to be more exorcised over this than David Wright.  David, please be the Captain and speak up.  It’s your career, and these dimensions have hurt you and the team.   We want the team to hit, including you, and hope you’ll get the Hall of Fame.  We want the team to win and this will help.

If you speak up loudly, assuming you have not done so previously, it years late in coming, but there may still be time to boost your #’s.

I speak as a life-long since 1962 Met fan who is sick and tired of seeing the Yanks hit so many more homers than the Mets almost every year, and who is sick of anemic club hitting records like 41 homers in a season.  Bring the fences in RIGHT and let Duda take a crack at that record next year!

Any out there agree? But before you answer, let's get some expert testimony from a NY Post article on Sept. 14 about the resurgent Chris Young that of course reverted to a discussion of Citifield's excessive dimensions:

Collins believes Young’s revival was certainly sparked by a change of scenery, but also from the new ballpark that has come with his new team. Young has played six of his seven games with the Yankees in The Bronx’s friendlier dimensions.

“It’s a little different hitting here,” Collins said of Citi Field. “I don’t think there’s any question about it. I think it’s a fair park (ahh, the diplomat in Terry), [but] I think you got to hit them here … sometimes balls just don’t carry here. We see it every single day. It’s a tough place to hit.”  Oh, I see....fair...but tough.  Gotcha.

Though the dimensions of the field have been altered twice in the stadium’s six-year history, general manager Sandy Alderson said this week the team is considering bringing in the fences in right-center field.

Collins said it isn’t a coincidence so many of the team’s most high-profile hitters have experienced subpar seasons playing half their games at Citi Field.

“I think it’s psychological,” Collins said. “You hit a ball and you think you got it and they run back and catch it. It’s just part of the park here.”

“It affected Jason Bay immensely, it’s affected David [Wright] some, it’s affected [Curtis Granderson] some, it’s going to affect Chris Young.”  But it's "fair", right, Terry? Gotcha.