Kauffman Stadium altering outfield walls

Gabriel Stigers | @gabrielroystigers

Kauffman Stadium is getting a facelift this winter as the Royals make significant adjustments to the stadium’s outfield walls. The team is lowering the height of the left and right field walls and moving them in by about ten feet. The center field walls will remain the same.

The changes are part of an effort to make Kauffman a more hitter-friendly  ballpark. Team officials say the updated dimensions are designed to create more offensive opportunities without dramatically altering the character of the stadium.

“We believe it will be more beneficial to the hitters than punitive to the pitchers,” said Royals Manager Matt Quatraro at a press conference on Saturday. 

According to Fangraphs, applying the new dimensions to last season’s batted ball data suggests that several Royals players would have seen an increase in home runs, with Maikel Garcia and Jonathan India adding a whopping five home runs to their totals.

The possibility of a power boost has drawn attention from fans, players, analysts,  many of whom are curious about how the new field will shape results. 

“If they move the fences in, and we get incrementally more home runs, but we get incrementally less triples, doubles, and singles, will it now flip and become less of a hitters’ ballpark?” said player Vinnie Pasquantino during the press conference.

Despite speculation, Quatraro and the Royals say they do not plan to change their approach to the game.

The Royals’ home opener is set for Monday, March 30. This time, fans will see the team take the field on a slightly smaller berm.

Watch the segment here: