Mariners moving Safeco Field fences in next year
SEATTLE (AP) — The fences at Safeco Field are coming in.
The Seattle Mariners announced plans Tuesday to move in the outfield fences at their ballpark for the 2013 season after years of debate on the impact that having one of the more spacious outfields in baseball was having on their offense.
The biggest change will come in the left-center field alley, where the fence will move in as much as 17 feet. The left-center power alley is currently 390 feet, but will be at 378 feet next season. From there, instead of a rounded fence, the wall will move straight out to its deepest point at 405 feet, four feet shorter than currently. The straighter line of the fence will lead to the 17-foot change.
Seattle general manager Jack Zduriencik said many factors were taken into account when determining whether changes to the field would be made, including Seattle's notoriously chilly April and May.
"Our goal was to create an environment that is fair for both hitters and pitchers," Zduriencik said in a statement. "Considering the current field dimensions as well as the climate in and around Safeco Field, we feel this will be accomplished with this new layout."
The left-field corner will also see a significant change with the removal of the hand-operated scoreboard that raised the fence to 16-feet. The fence height will now be a uniform 8-feet from one foul pole to the other and the hand-operated scoreboard will be relocated to a yet-to-be-determined location.
This is the first change to the dimensions of the ballpark since it opened in 1999. Hitters have long complained of the cavernous dimensions of the outfield and the numbers have shown Safeco Field to be one of the more unfriendly hitter parks in baseball. Pitchers love the vast outfield and fly ball pitchers — like current Mariners starter Jason Vargas — have thrived pitching in Seattle.
Since 2000, the first full season for Safeco Field, the Mariners have scored the fewest runs and have the lowest batting average at home of any team in the American League. They are fourth-worst in baseball in home runs in their home park, but have the second-best team ERA in the AL at home during that span.
The Seattle Mariners announced plans Tuesday to move in the outfield fences at their ballpark for the 2013 season after years of debate on the impact that having one of the more spacious outfields in baseball was having on their offense.
The biggest change will come in the left-center field alley, where the fence will move in as much as 17 feet. The left-center power alley is currently 390 feet, but will be at 378 feet next season. From there, instead of a rounded fence, the wall will move straight out to its deepest point at 405 feet, four feet shorter than currently. The straighter line of the fence will lead to the 17-foot change.
Seattle general manager Jack Zduriencik said many factors were taken into account when determining whether changes to the field would be made, including Seattle's notoriously chilly April and May.
"Our goal was to create an environment that is fair for both hitters and pitchers," Zduriencik said in a statement. "Considering the current field dimensions as well as the climate in and around Safeco Field, we feel this will be accomplished with this new layout."
The left-field corner will also see a significant change with the removal of the hand-operated scoreboard that raised the fence to 16-feet. The fence height will now be a uniform 8-feet from one foul pole to the other and the hand-operated scoreboard will be relocated to a yet-to-be-determined location.
This is the first change to the dimensions of the ballpark since it opened in 1999. Hitters have long complained of the cavernous dimensions of the outfield and the numbers have shown Safeco Field to be one of the more unfriendly hitter parks in baseball. Pitchers love the vast outfield and fly ball pitchers — like current Mariners starter Jason Vargas — have thrived pitching in Seattle.
Since 2000, the first full season for Safeco Field, the Mariners have scored the fewest runs and have the lowest batting average at home of any team in the American League. They are fourth-worst in baseball in home runs in their home park, but have the second-best team ERA in the AL at home during that span.
Imagine trying to sign Fielder or Pujols. They are home run hitters. That's what they do. There isn't a free agent power hitter in Baseball that wants to play at Safeco. Bringing in the fences most likely won't help our current roster much but it may help attract some talent.
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Bottom line is this team will continue to stink as long as Chuck and Howard are at the top and the ownership doesn't care about wining. Sell the team to local ownership, fire those two clowns, and just maybe we can see some wining baseball in Seattle. They're too damn busy with bobbleheads, free bags of dirt, and fighting the SoDo arena.
So our opponents can win with more home runs? Sweet. Or is this to allow for bigger beer gardens, the reason why most go to the game anyway.
I think the MLB should set a standard field depth for all fields.
 @DDG That's the stupidest thing I've heard in a while. That's like saying maybe they should have a standard field goal too? Like say 30 yards? So if a team is down 2 and has the ball on their 1 yard line, they can call for a field goal and they get to kick a 30 yarder.
 @PackersCougsBravesSounders Now that's the stupidest thing I've heard in awhile....Your comparison to a standard field goal length is nothing like having a standard depth for all fields. What if a football field was not a standard size? Would it make sense to have one field be 95 yards, and another 105? Not at all..
I like it. This is a great lesson for our kids.
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Can't meet the standard change the requirements.Â
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Just sayin'
The Rangers don't seem to have any problems hitting home runs at Safeco.
 @Pacman Yea, but the Rangers don't suffer from it all year, eating away at their hitting confidence.
 @sirgavin7  @Pacman Hitting confidence exists in ones head applied with skill. The depth of the HR fence has zero to do with it. You first must have the ability to put the bat on the ball. Worst BA in the league at .233 Their HR's were modest. 20th in the league out of 30. We'll see how this impact their game. Don't expect much.
 @d_2  @sirgavin7  @Pacman It's not just the distance. It's the cold wet air here. The ball doesn't carry well. Safecos dimensions would work wonders in Texas.
Glad to see there already securing their last place standing in the AL west for next year..
 @Windowseat Houston joins the AL West next year!!!! Hell yeah for 4th place which wont be last place!!
Dumb, stupid, asinine idea!Â
More room in the beer garden! WhooHoo!
@I Like Meat ---  Beat me to it! Exactly what I thought! Whoo hoo!
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2001...116 wins in Safeco Field.
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Pretty sure that was a record...just saying.
 @backspacer Even that year they had better numbers on the road compared to Safeco. The Mariners are 6th in the AL for home runs on the road and close to last if not last at home. Safeco blows.
 @backspacer The Mariners didn't win 116 games AT Safeco field.
Pretty sure they still didn't win the pennant. Just saying. @backspacer
To add to my post...we have a whole bunch of number 8 hitters in our line up.
Unless we are going to move the fences back out when the opposing team is batting, this is a waste of resources.
The problem is not lack of home runs. The M's have hit 54 homers at home this year and are buried in last place. The Giants hit 31 home runs at home this year, but outscored Seattle by 180 runs and are winning their division by 10 games.Â
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No, the real problem at home is the abysmal .218 team batting average. How is moving in the fences going to help that?
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 @MVDad Last time I checked, the fences didn't affect hitting singles and doubles. Going for the homer usually results in a fly out. Can't win ball games that way...
 @MVDad Our hitters are young. Dont have the same confidence yet.
This is the poor man's answer to the problem of no long ball hitters in the lineup.
HA! I suggested this for the last two seasons and under the old system it was thumbs down city. This is a great move by Mariners management. You maintain Safeco as a "pitchers park" but make it easier to recruit big bats into the Mariners organization.
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If you're a big bat that might hit an average of say .310 for the year because you're playing in a hitters park like Fenway - you're going to fight not to get traded to the Mariners (or even consider them) where you might hit .275 for the year. Hitting the same number of balls - but more of them landing in the outfield.
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This slight change, moving the fences in, would mean this same hitter might hit .290 in Safeco with the closer in outfield fences - and suddenly joining the organization or being traded becomes more attractive.
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Batting .275 a year won't get you into the hall of fame - and big bats are going weigh that in their decisions on what teams to consider.
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We will have a better chance of getting patient, strong bats with this change.
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Ehem - I told you so.
 @Howard Beale Howard... I don't think I agree. Runs are not solely the result of balls leaving the park. In fact, they only occurred once every 37 at bats. And how many were on base when one was jacked? Hate to make the reference to 'Moneyball', but it is right. OBP rules runs. If the fence theory was correct, then Coors Field and the Rockies would have win the Pennant every year. http://www.baseballfielddimensions.net/nl-stadium-dimensions/coors-field-dimensions/
Hitting the same number of balls - but more landing in the outfield? The fence has zero to do with this. In fact it may assist with more going out of the field. It will be interesting to see what impact it has on the M's BA next year. I say - very little.
 @Howard Beale So how does moving the fences in make the batting average go up? It reduces the gaps in the alleys and brings outfielders closer to the infield. Other than the occasional long fly that goes over the wall, the net effect is more outs. For a team that hit .218 at home, I'm not sure that's a wise move.
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I will tell you how moving the fences in will make their averages go up! Everyone here is missing the point in the first place, the fences were not moved in to help the players we already have on the team. Jack is not a dumb man and the way he sold this is that now, finally we will have a chance on the free agent market to land someone that can actually hit. Since this park was built good hitters have run out of town at the first opportunity. Now we are just left with a team full of minor league players that cannot hit major league pitching. Moving the fences in now means Seattle can actually tell a free agent that playing here will not affect their offensive output. A possible but unlikely outcome is that it may just help a few of the current guys....but I doubt it. The offensive numbers of these hacks has been nothing short of "offensive". Â
This is news?  This team has got much BIGGER problems than moving in the fences, this must be part of the rebuilding phase for 2013 thru the 2025 seasons.
So the Mariner's need to find someone who can hit the ball to the new distances. Maybe they can bring the 95 Team back for one more event and have a Home Run Derby Contest. I really do respect the fans in this town they just want a winner and the management just wants to sell overpriced concessions and put butts in the seats.
Wake up and Boycott this joke of a major league team !!
Another $10 million dollars out of the taxpayers pocket.
And - gas prices go up in Seattle.
@beakyboy Taxpayers? Really? The Mariners own the ballpark. Public financing has already been paid off. That post made absolutely no sense.
 @beakyboy How is that out of taxpayers pocket?Â
Who cares? The Mariners will still be a 70 win team next year.
 Yep its been those dang fences this whole time now they will win the world series.
We'll never beat Texas or the Yankees now!
I agree with moving in the fences, but 4 feet (in some areas is a joke). Since the mariners play 1/2 their game at the Safe, it is more important for them to feel good about their stadium than to worry about what an opposing team thinks for 3 or 4 games. We dont have a warm climate here, so I think they still should have brought them in a few more feet.Â
 @jeff I'm glad at least ONE PERSON gets it.
Okay... rudimentary baseball here. Bring in the fences only improves one aspect of the game: dingers going out of the park. Which is a newly afforded benefit not only to the M's, but their opponents as well. That being said... the game of 'small ball' will remain the same. Simple base hits. Stolen bases and any movement that generates runs outside of HR's. Now.. I'm not against them moving the fences in, I am only pointing out that this should not be misunderstood as a sure fire way to generate wins. The real facts: Seattle had the lowest OBP (On Base Percentage) in all of baseball. http://espn.go.com/mlb/stats/team/_/stat/batting The fences have little impact on this statistic. Perhaps a few more would have left the yard, but nothing substantial. < Baseball 101 folks.
The last paragraph pretty much sums it up.
I can just hear A-Roid's exact reaction. "Great. Now they do it. Why couldn't they have done it 12 years ago when I demanded that?"
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Hope that's not their only choice to improve them team though.
@Zoso ha, well done man.
"We've made some moves in the off-season that we believe will really help our line-up drive more offense to support our pitching staff. These are very sharp, inciteful moves, showing we have great baseball minds driving the success of YOUR Seattllllllle Mariners."
This will definitely help with hitting confidence. Should do the trick!
Unfortunately we've still got the the anchor known as Jack Z. keeping this Mariners ship from going anywhere.
 @Lloyd Christmas No, the anchors are Chuck and Howie.  The only two that have stayed the same this entire I lost track of how long drought we've had.
Other teams have a much smaller field of play.
Much like the approach to education in Washington State schools. If they can't achieve the goals - lower the standard.
@Rider --- but the real "education" connection is how Safeco came to be in the first place. State Gov'ment says absolutely no money for new stadium. need to fnd education. M's threaten to leave and lo and behold, $$$$$ appears and once again education CONTINUES to be poorly -- strike that, below minimum -- funded.  So, Safeco is really the stadium that educators have a hard time accepting.
Bring 'em in further and splurge on quality pitching.