Baltimore Orioles changing dimensions of Camden Yards
In a not so veiled effort to help their own struggling pitchers, the Orioles are changing the left field dimensions of Camden Yards
During the 2021 season, no stadium surrendered more home runs than Camden Yards, of course the home of the Baltimore Orioles. Of those 277 round trippers, Orioles’ pitchers allowed 155. The Orioles allowed a major league high 258 home runs, which a major league-worst 5.84 ERA by a healthy margin. They were the only major league team with a FIP above 5.00.
The dimensions of Camden Yards were briefly altered in 2002, before the original dimensions were restored. This time around things are being irreversibly changed, at least that’s what it seems, and The Baltimore Sun has the specifics.
The club told The Baltimore Sun it began construction this week to alter Oriole Park at Camden Yards' left-field dimensions to try to reduce the stadium's propensity for home runs. The changes — the first to the size of the iconic ballpark's playing area in two decades — will raise the wall's height from 7 feet to about 12 feet and move it back as much as 30 feet, according to information provided by the team. Major League Baseball approved the adjustments, which will cover the area from the left-field corner to the bullpens in the left-center field.
It’s not surprising, but The Sun also reported the change was spurred by the Orioles’ front office.
The Orioles' baseball operations and analytics departments, led by executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias and assistant general manager for analytics Sig Mejdal, have been working to find a way to make the stadium more balanced for pitchers and hitters and determined the changes to left field would best allow for that outcome, with moving back home plate also among the considerations. The team also sought to ensure the alterations won't create an imbalance between right- and left-handed hitters.
At 333-feet from home plate to the left field corner, Camden Yards was about average among major league ballparks. But 364-feet to left-center field was one of the shorter there. It was one of just eight parks with a left field wall shorter than eight feet, and left-center was the shortest. The wall going to 12 feet, according to The Sun, would be tied for sixth-tallest in the majors.
With how bad the Orioles’ pitchers were last year, and have been recently, anything should help. But bad, inexperienced pitching is still bad, inexperienced pitching, so time will tell if creating more space in left field and raising the wall impacts actual run prevention for Baltimore’s pitching staff.