If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. That seems to be the motto around Citi Field as they are getting set to move the fences in as part of an attempt to boost the team’s offense. This might sound familiar because the Mets already tried this tact back in 2011. Via Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News:
As expected, the Mets are going ahead with the plan to move in the right-center and right field fences, a team source confirmed Monday. The construction is not expected to begin for a few weeks, or after the conclusion of the World Series, the source said.
It will be the second time the Mets have moved the walls in the six-year old ballpark. After the 2011 season, the Mets brought in the left field wall from 371 feet to 358 feet, right-center from 415 feet to 390 feet, and right field from 378 feet to 375 feet.
The thing about moving the fences in at Citi Field is that it didn’t really work. The two years prior to moving the fences in the first time, Citi had a 97 park factor for batters. In the four years since, the park factors have been 96, 95, 94 and 94, respectively. There is a lot of noise in park factors, but the fact that the park has become less hitter friendly certainly suggests that shifting the fences isn’t going to do a fat lot of good for the Mets.
Still, it has to be better than the alternative method of improving offense which would be to acquire players actually capable of producing with the bat. But that’s crazy talk because it would require the Wilpons to spend money on payroll. Moving in the fences is so much cheaper so who cares if it doesn’t actually work?
