The Miami Marlins are planning to move in and lower the outfield fences at Marlins Park for the 2016 season, with the most change planned for center field and the power alleys.
The fences at Marlins Park provide a very spacious outfield: the Marlins tied for 28th in home runs hit at their home ballpark. Interestingly, the assumption that spacious outfields lead to more doubles and fewer homers didn’t really hold true at Marlins Park, either: the Marlins were last in home doubles — just 110.
The distance down each line will remain the same, per MLB.com — 344 in left field and 335 in right field — with the major changes coming in the power alleys and center field. Straightaway center field will be 407 feet (it’s currently 418), and the fences will be lowered in spots from 13 feet high to 5 1/2 feet. The scoreboard in left-center field will remain in the same spot. From MLB.com:
Marlins Park will open for its fifth season in 2016, and from its inaugural season, hitters complained, mostly privately, that the park played too big. Many felt they weren’t rewarded for having an approach to hit the ball up the middle.
“It will be interesting to see what it means psychologically,” Marlins president David Samson said. “That’s the one thing we can’t measure.”…
“There are some players who say, ‘When it plays smaller, I feel better about myself,'” Samson said.
Several teams have brought in the fences in recent years, including the New York Mets, Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres.
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