https://www.mlb.com/glossary/rules/field-dimensions
No Major League ballparks are exactly alike ...
The rulebook states that parks constructed by professional teams after June 1, 1958, must have a minimum distance of 325 feet between home plate and the nearest fence, stand or other obstruction on the right- and left-field foul lines, and 400 feet between home plate and the nearest fence, stand or other obstruction in center field. However, some clubs have been permitted to construct parks after that date with dimensions shorter than those specified.
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There doesn't seem to be anything that precludes the outfield fences being the same distance all the way around. 400 feet works. A nice BIG curved outfield fence. So why not mandate it? It would be fair. The 75 foot difference between 325 and 400 is 23%. Why should a batter hit a fly ball to center 23% farther than a home run down the line and get an out? Oh, right, because it's always been that way. The baseball explanation for all manor of nonsense.
And what if the center field distance is more than the 400 foot minimum? What if it's 425? That's 31% more than 325.
OK, MLB will never have the imagination or nerve to mandate the same distance all the way around. But why doesn't some enterprising team do it? Any such change accompanied by a player roster that benefits (ground ball pitchers and fast line drive hitters) should give that team a competitive advantage ... at home. This would be especially helpful to small market teams, i.e., those in minor league cities.
It would mean fewer home runs. Limiting the shift in 2023 is meant to assist dumb hitters who mostly want to simply and simple mindedly jack up pitches with an uppercut swing, which minimizes the exposure of the sweet spot on the bat but enhances the possibility of a high fly ball that carries over the closest fence, that down the line: 325 feet away.
Argh.
Or, what about one of those frustrated teams in a minor league city making a mockery of its non competitive situation by making the outfield distances irregular? How about 400 feet to center but 325 in the power allies? And back to 400 feet down the lines. Or, ...
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Why is the baseball field square? Eliminate the outfield corners. Monday, November 7, 2022
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