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My idea for a stadium is to have virtually unlimited outfield dimensions. Say 750 feet to the warning track. We could probably tighten that number up a bit, but you get the idea. The ONLY HRs would now be inside-the-park. This would put a premium on defensive positioning (bring back the shift!) and batters' (and baserunners') foot speed.
Tighten up the foul area (I used to watch many games at the Oakland Coliseum), and you have a recipe for many more batted balls in play, including more extra base hits.
-- Ace H.
There are two main problems with max-dimension parks. One, it can’t physically be done in a significant number of ballparks. Yankee Stadium, Fenway Park, Wrigley Field, Target Field are just the first four that come to mind. Oracle makes five, actually. The footprints aren’t large enough and can’t be expanded.
Second, for parks where that is not the case, you’d be taking thousands of seats effectively out of play. No one is paying to sit two football fields away from the pitcher’s mound.
I understand the kind of ball you’re looking for; it’s just not remotely practical. If you even look at teams that have built large outfields in recent years, every one of them has eventually moved the fences in -- Petco. Comerica, Citi. The Orioles moved their left-field fence back and had to bring it in. The Royals spent years saying they didn’t need to hit for power at the K and then moved the fences in. Hitters never stop whining about deep fences and that pressure builds.
--J.
