Left field at OPACY going through a big change

[Sports Guy]

 

[Tony-OH]

Guess we know how the Elias plans to help our pitching staff! lol

Probably makes sense since he's been drafting hitters heavy. I'm sure the analytics department showed it would be an advantage to the makeup of the team.

[Absltgreek]

I think I like this idea, won't affect anything from center on to right, but big changes in left. 

This is NOT my image, but saw on another Board in terms of a rough possible idea:

I think they'll like go deeper than where the foul pole is currently, but in terms of raising the wall up to 12 feet, they would have to eliminate some rows of seating, which would naturally reach near the 12 foot height without disturbing the sightlines of any remaining aisles. My guess is that if you eliminate say 10 rows (I think was an example I read), the natural rise from the stadium seating (as each previous row sits higher), should get you close to that 11-12 foot height. I do agree that it seems like the lower bullpen would have to be relocated to accommodate these changes though, but where, to the grass/batting eye area? I don't know enough about how that would affect the batter's eye area to comment on that though...

 

I've been waiting impatiently since last night to talk about this, glad to see everything is back!

[emmett16]

My first ever seats at OPACY are being removed!  Man, I loved those seats.  I've been thinking they should do this for a while now.    Has to be a positive signal to all the agents out there that the O's are ready to do business with pitchers.  

[Tony-OH]

The only thing I'm not a fan of is raising the height of the wall. I liked the home run robbing catches while battling the fans. 

[sportsfan8703]

When you’re system is loaded with LH power bats then you make it harder for RH bats. This could just be timing because the article I read said that this was approved years ago, but you have to the think that this helps our pitching and we are LH bat heavy. 
 

Sorry Mountcastle and Hays. 
 

Also, do we see a potentially new brand of baseball since defense, speed, and doubles/triples will be more prevalent?

[Can_of_corn]

Will make the stadium look less empty.

How much of a hit is capacity going to take?

Is this something the State is going to be paying for or the Orioles?

 

I don't see how this change makes the team more competitive now or in the future but it also doesn't do any harm so pretty ambivalent towards it from an actual game impact standpoint.

[emmett16]

22 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

The only thing I'm not a fan of is raising the height of the wall. I liked the home run robbing catches while battling the fans. 

I was thinking the same thing.  That part of the game will be gone and it made for a few awesome highlights a year.  

[NCRaven]

If the expanded playing field leads to more balls in play, I'm all for it.

[Just Regular]

This change makes me think of our basket of guile lefties more than Means, in terms of helping pitchers survive.   Mullins, Hays and Cowser on scouting reports seem like they could do some of the Anderson/Devereaux/Finley things with the extra square footage if all are still here in 2023, never mind if Druw Jones becomes the long term CF and is anything like his dad.

DL Hall the benefit might play more like - just target the heart of the zone a little bit more, you're good.

Would love to see club's presentation on projected benefits if they were to flirt with Yusei Kikuchi or Kwang-Hyun Kim.

[wildcard]

May help attract FA pitchers.   Along with the best offer.

[interloper]

Love this. 

[Sports Guy]

Seems like more and more pitchers are throwing the 4 seam fastball as their main pitch which is causing more pitchers to be FB pitchers.

Analytically, it makes sense to make a park less homer friendly when your pitchers are FB pitchers.

OTOh, when you are placing a high value on the HR, this doesn’t seem like the right move.

Overall, I think this is more of a help than a hindrance.  

[spiritof66]

1 hour ago, Tony-OH said:

The only thing I'm not a fan of is raising the height of the wall. I liked the home run robbing catches while battling the fans. 

Yeah. I don't get it. Why 12 feet? They could have raised the wall by less to reduce the number of, but not eliminate, HR-saving catches.

Maybe Elias has his eye on a Michael Jordan type or two, with really serious ups, to play left field? 

 I think the concept of enlarging the playing field is great, but I have no idea how much difference this change, with the LF line and RF unchanged, will make. Looking forward to finding out, though. Not enough to alter the makeup of the team, I wouldn't think, other than calling for more range in LF.  

 

[Can_of_corn]

1 minute ago, spiritof66 said:

Yeah. I don't get it. Why 12 feet? They could have raised the wall by less to reduce the number of, but not eliminate, HR-saving catches.

 

If you push back the wall and don’t raise the field it’s going to have to be taller unless you make some more significant changes to the underlying flooring.