Well now that it is in almost everyone’s minds that this season is over, I would like to present a question.
Would a smaller Citi Field be a better Citi Field?
Would it benefit or hurt the Mets to make the field smaller for next season by bringing in the outfield fence or even making it a level fence. I would like to say it would definitely be a benefit but honestly I am not so sure that it would be. Would it help our offense? That is a definite YES, because many of our long hard hits have ended up just being long fly outs. How many more opposite field home runs would Employee #5 have? Not only would Wright have more but so would Sheffield, Tatis, Beltran (when he was healthy) and even Pagan.
The only problem then would fall on the pitching staff. Would they be able to keep people in the yard with a smaller field? That is the 6 Million dollar question people, and part of me thinks that they might not be able to do it. The only way I would definitely be on board is if in the off season the Mets pick up a great # 2 and above average # 3 starters.
Below are the dimensions for the teams that are in our division.
| Team | City | Stadium Name |
Seating Capacity |
Left Field |
Left Center Field |
Center Field |
Right Center Field |
Right Field |
| Atlanta Braves | Atlanta, Georgia | Turner Field |
50,096 |
335 |
380 |
400 |
390 |
330 |
| Florida Marlins | Miami Gardens, Florida | Dolphin Stadium |
38,560 |
330 |
360 |
434 |
373 |
345 |
| New York Mets | New York City, New York | Citi Field |
45,000 (approx.) |
335 |
379 |
408 |
383 |
330 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Citizens Bank Park |
43,647 |
329 |
355 |
401 |
357 |
330 |
| Washington Nationals | Washington, D.C. | Nationals Park |
41,888 |
336 |
377 |
402 |
370 |
335 |
The numbers above don’t seem to take into account the height of the fences either because, although Turner Field looks almost similar to Citi field their fence does not make the various lifts and drops that Citi Field does.
With the offensive woes the Mets had all season it would make some sense to make the move. Also to consider, is the fact that it does not look like the Wilpons will be big spenders this offseason even with millions saved on Wags and Delgado. Translation: NO BIG BATS COMING!
I know its a new park and they just spent a lot of money in making Citi Field, but if it means more wins then you WILL fill more seats and with the additional space could even squeeze in a few extra seats. Also to consider is the fact that a winning team generates more revenue in merchandising (can you hear the Cha Ching now Wilpons). Loses are a little easier to handle as well when your team is showing some real power. Yankee stadium was the hot topic earlier in the season about how it was a launching pad but you don’t hear much talks about that anymore and all you really hear now is how the Yanks are playing some great baseball. Finally, it would definitely change the way teams would look and pitch to the Mets as well. The threat of giving up a homerun does factor into the way a game is played and maybe that could transfer into more W’s as well.
