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New Oracle Park Bullpens Under Construction

San Francisco Giants 2019

The San Francisco Giants have begun construction on new bullpens at Oracle Park, as the team will build two bullpens beyond the outfield wall before the 2020 season. 

Oracle Park has been one of a small number of Major League Baseball ballparks to have bullpens in the field of play in foul terrritory, but that will soon change. Construction is underway on a project that will include a move of the bullpens to beyond the outfield wall in center and right-center field, with both the home and visiting team bullpens to be relocated.

As a result of the project, the dimensions at Oracle Park will change slightly. The Giants have not released final renderings, but construction work has been taking place on either side of the kale garden in center field as part of a project that will reportedly include the new bullpens and a terrace behind the center field wall that serves as a gathering place for fans. More from the San Francisco Chronicle:

The long 8-foot wall that runs from the angle in left-center to the farthest point of Triples Alley, 421 feet from home plate, will be moved up about 4 to 6 feet and lowered a foot to accommodate the new bullpens, making it a bit easier to hit the ball out.

A triangle in Triples Alley will remain but will be a bit shorter than 421 feet from the plate because of the way the new fence is angled. The yellow line painted on the brick Willie Mays Wall, which separates homers from balls in play, will be moved slightly toward right field.

Other dimensions are not changing.

The new bullpens are part of a larger project that will add a terrace beyond center field where fans can congregate. The Giants are ripping out about 400 seats.

The bullpens have been located in play in foul territory since Oracle Park opened in 2000, though there have been calls in recent years to move them for safety reasons. With the move of the bullpens in San Francisco, Tampa Bay’s Tropicana Field and Oakland’s RingCentral Coliseum will be the only two MLB ballparks to have bullpens in play in foul territory.

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