9
2011
Citi Field Ranks Sixth In Home Runs Allowed This Season
An article by Hojo's Mojo
According to Jayson Stark of ESPN, the New York Mets front office have had discussions about moving in the outfield walls at Citi Field.
A fascinating rumor that’s been rippling through the Mets’ clubhouse lately has the team finally getting ready to move in the fences at Citi Field.
Based on what he’s heard from the Mets, Matt Cerrone of MetsBlog, reports that it’s actually more a case of reducing the height of the walls and NOT altering the dimensions, which if true will have little to no effect at all in my opinion.
If you’re going to make the move than do it right or don’t do it at all.
Last December, Sandy Alderson commented on the dimensions at Citi Field, saying that it makes offense that much more valuable. Then he added, “Chicks dig the long ball, and so do I.”
Recently, when he was asked, David Wright said, “It’s frustrating when you think you hit a ball pretty good to right-center, to left-center and the guy catches it at the warning track. I mean, it’s frustrating.”
The wall in the rightfield gap (415 feet) is far too deep and needs to be brought in and evened out in a traditional sense. If that proves too difficult or expensive, than simply move home plate closer to the wall and readjust the infield. We got a good man in Pete Flynn manning the grounds crew at Citi, that could take care of that in a day or two.
With all of that said, here is an oddity to ponder. The following chart from ESPN.com shows that currently, Citi Field ranks sixth in baseball in home runs allowed.
Another thing to consider is that maybe the team just doesn’t have enough true power hitters? We may possibly have one from the left side of the plate in Ike Davis, but from the right side of the plate you have Wright who rarely pulls the ball, and Bay who looks nothing like the power hitter we thought we were getting when we handed him $66 million dollars with an $18 million dollar vesting option. So there’s that.
About the Author: Rob Johnson
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Glad you mentioned that. I saw it on SNY and thought that should pretty much settle the bring the fences in issue!
Now watch someone try to say it’s because of the bad Pitching we have.
You guys take a small sample and think it proves everything you want it to. I guess you all beleive it is easier to hit a HR in city field than in Citizens Bank Park in Philly. The stats state it. Sure, no patience, just like the clowns running the show. Treat baseball like its football. Long ba seasons a plenty on the way.
Again with the sample size excuse for ignoring data.
Look below for the FULL sample size…Or nevermind I will repost the numbers and ask, Why are more of his HRs at home and not away if the fences are a factor?
His HR splits
His splits are:
2011 4H 1A (not done yet so low numbers)
2010 12H 17A
2009 5H 5A First year in Citi
2008 21H 12A Last Season in Shea
2007 16H 14A
2006 13H 13A
2005 12H 15A
2004 8H 6A
To see what is really going on look at the K numbers…
2007 53H 62A
2008 52H 66A
2009 69H 71A
2010 69H 92A
2011 15H 22A
David doesn’t need moved in fences what he needs is some therapy to get the fences out of his head.
In places where the fences are not deep he strikes out more because he is swinging for what he thinks is easier fences to hit HRs against and as a result strikes out!
In Citi he now knows you can’t swing for the fences, stays more in control and gets them because he gets good contact instead of swinging wildly and keeps good bat control at home!
Away he sees a closer fence and goes for it resulting in more Ks and fewer HRs.
Leave the park alone. Build a better team. 6th in homers given up. Thats enough,the Met pitchers give em up,the Met hitters are hitting them. if the Mets F/O had a better pitching staff that number would reduse. So because your pitching is better you give up less homers, so you think the fences should move in then???? Bullshit. If the Mets pitching was better,and the Mets hitters hit more homers the team would win more!!! Then nobody will be talking about the Fucking fences!! How come nobody talks about how great this park is for Reyes??? Its all about being to big for King David???
I wonder how those numbers would look if certain members of the pitching staff quit throwing batting practice for the other team.
Number of HRs by Met Players = 21
Numbers of HRs by other teams = 18
Rightfield is still too deep for Wright who seems to go opposite field a lot. When Ike Davis hits them to center and right field, he is pulling them out of the park. Wright is a completely different animal, and Jason Bay just sucks and is a giant wuss.
Maniac all we are saying is what is David’s excuse everywhere else then?
He has no HRs in Nationals Park since it opened!
His splits are:
2011 4H 1A (not done yet so low numbers)
2010 12H 17A
2009 5H 5A First year in Citi
2008 21H 12A Last Season in Shea
2007 16H 14A
2006 13H 13A
2005 12H 15A
2004 8H 6A
To see what is really going on look at the K numbers…
2007 53H 62A
2008 52H 66A
2009 69H 71A
2010 69H 92A
Now 2009 is when this crap about fences started but look at his away numbers and tell me how could Citifield affect his power numbers when playing elsewhere?
His last season in Shea he pulled the ball a lot more and got more HRs but he was not doing that all along if you look at his numbers of years previous!
The Ks progressivly get worse as time goes on and that is usually the sign of someone over swinging and looking to hit HRs instead of just putting the bat on the ball!
He did this for the most part of his early career and once he got into that HR derby David fell in love with being a HR hitter and his numbers have suffered ever since!
Now does that mean the fences aren’t affecting him? NO but the affect is a MENTAL one not a physical one as he is hitting more HRs at home than away. And when he IS away from those fences he swings even MORE out of control to get those HRs because it seems easier to him in a smaller park which is why he strikes out away almost 30% more than at home!
The problem is mental not physical and while it might help david mentally to hit more HRs if we bring the fences in it will lead to more HRs from guys who don’t need moved in fences to hit it out of the park!
Better to get the fences out of David’s head through therapy than by giving David an advantage that also benefits any other batters who come to play in Citi.
When David starts hitting 20 Away and only 10 at home I might entertain rejiggering the fencelines to accomodate him.
But he has not done that and with fences moved in he seems to strike out more swinging for them.
I would rather he just put the bat on the ball and get on base for guys like Beltran and Davis who don’t seem to have the same Fence phobias David has and can drive him in!
Overall, I couldn’t be more sick of hearing about the dimensions of Citi Field and how they “hurt” this team.
Correct me if I am wrong but when the Mets hop on a plane, do they take Citi Field with them? They don’t right?
If you bring those fences in, you better trade Pelfrey before you do it otherwise forget about him.
Reyes
2011 Home: 1.032
2011 Road: .703
2010 Home: .791
2010 Road: .705
2009 Home: .882
2009 Road: .570
Beltran
2011 Home: 1.250
2011 Road: .582
2010 Home: .708
2010 Road: .812
2009 Home: .779
2009 Road: 1.033
Ike
2011 Home: .984
2011 Road: .917
2010 Home: .812
2010 Road: .771
Bay
2011 Home: .847
2011 Road: .459
2010 Home: .830
2010 Road: .680
Wright
2011 Home: .932
2011 Road: .611
2010 Home: .879
2010 Road: .834
2009 Home: .812
2009 Road: .859
Dickey
2011 Home ERA: 5.85
2011 Road ERA: 1.32
2010 Home ERA: 1.99
2010 Road ERA: 3.58
Niese:
2011 Home ERA: 4.38
2011 Road ERA: 5.19
2010 Home ERA: 4.29
2010 Road ERA: 4.09
Pelfrey:
2011 Home ERA: 2.25
2011 Road ERA: 10.91
2010 Home ERA: 2.83
2010 Road ERA: 4.95
2009 Home ERA: 3.72
2009 Road ERA: 6.72
Right On Jessup!
If they think Wright needs the fences to come in then why hasn’t he hit one in National park since it opened?
It’s not the fences that are the problem. Ike Davis certainly has no problem with them. Jason Pridie seems not to have an issue with it!
You don’t hear Carlos Beltran complaining!
It’s a mental block on the part of Wright. He should not be thinking about HRs! He is and the result has been a 30 K Uptick not more HRs. His HR totals have remained constant as they were when we played in Shea. In fact he hit 5 more HRs on average since Citi opened if you throw out that Abysmal first year where the fences obviously got into his head and the injuries left him the lone bat to deal with.
The Mo Zone is a flat out joke, it’s 44 feet deeper in RCF than at Shea. I’ve said before they should connect a transparent fence between the RF line and just left of the Mo Zone (looking towards OF) towards CF.
If you connect a transparent fence there those 2 points I mentioned would keep it symmetrical in the OF and the people sitting at Mo Zone field level can still watch the game.
And yes I agree with at the very least making it a HR all the way around at the middle point in CF where Ike had his ump-decided HR call. That line in LF and LCF it’s double, it’s was only called that way in CF. Make it a HR above the line all the way around.
But Bayonne think about it, while it may lead to a few more HRs by Wright how many more will it mean for guys like Howard and Tulowitsky who naturally bat left handed?
Is what you might gain from wright going to offset what the pitchers will give up to the opposition?
NO!
So why tailor a park to one player when it is going to make EVERY player in the MLB including the opposition a better HR hitter?
Bay was signed because he was more of a pull hitter and would do better at Citi…
Would changing the MoZone help him too?
NO!
I say leave the fences and change the approach of the batter that will not only help them at home but away as well where the fences are not an issue!
Howard and Tulo are visiting players and would hit them out no matter where the fences are. We play 81 games there and I don’t see the need to have the fence moved back 44 feet from where it once was at Shea, which was already a pitcher’s park to begin with.
I would bring it in. I think it would help our team more than hurt it since we play 81 games there. I’ll take my chances how the visiting teams fare there with the Mo Zone moved back to Shea-like dimensions.
Troy Tulowitzki bats left handed? I don’t think so….