Orioles will alter Camden Yards’ left field dimensions, again

Orioles will alter Camden Yards’ left field dimensions, again

In January of 2022, the Baltimore Orioles announced that they would push back their left field wall 26.5 feet, while subsequently raising it nearly 7.5 feet, to take away the significant advantage it posed for opposing hitters, specifically pull-heavy right-handers. “Walltimore” went from being the third-most homer-friendly park to the 10th-least homer-friendly, per Baseball Savant.

Now, for the second time in three years, it will be modified, this time pushing it back in by as much as 9-20 feet in certain areas, Orioles general manager Mike Elias announced. Here are the renderings for the new wall.

GM Elias: Orioles "overcorrected" moving LF wall back by 30 ft.

Dimensions will be pulled in by 9-20 ft in various areas. pic.twitter.com/vv3gS3md09

— Underdog MLB (@Underdog__MLB) November 15, 2024

“We made the change between the 2021 and 2022 seasons as we were trying to pursue a more neutral but also more pitcher-friendly array at Camden Yards,” Elias said, according to Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports. “We were doing so under the time constraints of a single offseason and seeking a way to make at that time our extremely homer-prone park more neutral and perhaps erring to the side of pitcher-friendliness. And given the uncertainties of the game, offensive environments, etc., it became clear to us and me and our staff, our coaches and players, the feedback that we received over three years of lived experience, that it was a directionally correct move, but we overcorrected.

“Once we came to the decision that that was the case, I decided that this is something we wanted to address as soon as possible, and we’ve developed a plan to seek a happier medium for these dimensions prior to 2025.”

Ironically enough, the Orioles are coming off their three-most successful seasons since they went a combined 277-206 (.570) from 1982-84, coinciding with “Walltimore.” Their pitching staff also sported a 3.79 ERA at home with a 3.87 FIP; from 2017-21, it was a 5.22 ERA with a 5.24 FIP.

In all fairness, the contexts of those five teams versus the other three were vastly different; juiced balls played a part, too. But the dimensions in left field definitely played a part in keeping teams in the ballpark–as it did for opposing pitchers with Orioles hitters.

Who knows whether or not this will impact securing a high-end starter in free agency depending on the compensation; Corbin Burnes is a free agent, as are Max Fried, Blake Snell, Jack Flaherty and Sean Manaea. Elias is looking to spend, but who knows whether the hitter-friendly dimensions will be a deciding factor or not. Your guess is as good as mine.

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