PHOTO: Marlins bring in fences to spark offense
The odds of Giancarlo Stanton winning this season's home run crown just received a big boost. Close to 11 feet, to be exact.
In an effort to make their home ballpark more hitter-friendly for the 2016 season, the Miami Marlins revealed Tuesday a first look at their stadium reconfiguration, which will include shorter fences and smaller dimensions.
Lowering of fences in LF at #marlins park, in front of the clevelander pic.twitter.com/faNwAU64ku
— clarkspencer (@clarkspencer) January 19, 2016
The Marlins had announced their reconstruction plans earlier this offseason after hosting the second-fewest home runs in 2015 for the second straight year. Since opening in 2012, Marlins Park has ranked 28th, 30th, 29th, and 29th in home runs allowed.
According to the team, the walls between the home run sculpture and right-center field will be brought in by 11 feet, thereby reducing the center field distance from 418 to 407 feet. The left-field wall between the digital screen and out-of-town scoreboard - which includes the wall in front of The Clevelander - will now be 7-feet tall.
The Marlins said on their website Tuesday that the shorter porch in left should lead to "more splash landings in the pool very soon."
Though Stanton's power is virtually park-proof - more than half of his 125 homers since 2012 have been hit at home - he figures to benefit from the change, nonetheless, as a right-handed hitter. Last week, the All-Star slugger opened as an 8-1 favorite to win the first home run title of his career.