Padres discussing moving in fences at PETCO

[Ghosts of 1990]

http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/20...at-petco-park/

On Monday, Bud Black was asked what his stance was on moving in the PETCO Park fences.

“I think there’s room for discussion,” Black said, choosing his words carefully before taking a long pause and repeating himself. “I just think there’s room to talk about it in our park.”

Black didn’t expand on what he said, but he hasn’t been one to typically discuss the park’s dimensions, even to that extent.

I kind of feel like, there are plenty of parks where the cheap homer is available. I kind of like knowing that pitching prevails out in San Diego. Would I want my home team to play there, no. But as a baseball fan of a team that only goes there 3 times a year, it's good for baseball.

Thoughts?

[Homer Bailey]

I didn't see anything there that indicated the Padres were discussing moving in the fences.

[Blitz Dorsey]

The Reds need to discuss moving the fences BACK at GABP. I hate national writers referring to our park as a "bandbox." But they are absolutely right. It's embarrassing. And wholesale changes do not need to be made. There should be the exact same dimensions as Riverfront/Cinergy. They got CF right, just need to do the same down the lines and in the gaps. It really isn't much different than Riverfront/Cinergy, but it's different enough.

[_Sir_Charles_]

Can we get those fences moved in retroactively to our earlier series there? We easily deserved a few more dingers there.

[dougdirt]

It is much easier to move fences in than it is to move fences back. You can move the fences in out in San Diego without making the place Yankee Stadium in the 20's.

[MikeThierry]

Looking at last nights game when they played the Cardinals, there was nobody in the stands. The kind of game the Padres are playing now is, frankly, dull and boring. It has kind of been that way since the park opened. I think Petco is one of the nicer parks in the game but I almost feel they have to move the fences in a bit just to draw more fans to the game.

[bucksfan2]

Originally Posted by MikeThierry

Looking at last nights game when they played the Cardinals, there was nobody in the stands. The kind of game the Padres are playing now is, frankly, dull and boring. It has kind of been that way since the park opened. I think Petco is one of the nicer parks in the game but I almost feel they have to move the fences in a bit just to draw more fans to the game.

The Padres built their team around the stadium they play in. Its a huge ball park and pitchers tend to thrive in that atmosphere. Moving in the fences wouldnt exactly be a bad thing seeing as I have seen some bombs one hop the wall there.

However even if they move the walls in they will need to build a better offensive ball club. Their lineup may be the worst in baseball. Heck if you think about it, that stadium is the only reason the Pads are successful at all.

[Blitz Dorsey]

Originally Posted by bucksfan2

The Padres built their team around the stadium they play in. Its a huge ball park and pitchers tend to thrive in that atmosphere. Moving in the fences wouldnt exactly be a bad thing seeing as I have seen some bombs one hop the wall there.

However even if they move the walls in they will need to build a better offensive ball club. Their lineup may be the worst in baseball. Heck if you think about it, that stadium is the only reason the Pads are successful at all.

"Built their team around" ... that's a good one. So, that's why they have the worst lineup in all of MLB and traded their only good hitter to the Red Sox. The Padres are a joke. They couldn't hit HRs playing in GABP. Their three hole and cleanup hitters are Brad Hawpe and Ryan Ludwick. Hawpe is beyond terrible. Ludwick's had a pretty good May, after an awful April, after being awful with the Padres ever since they traded for him last year. I think a slow-pitch softball pitcher could hold the Padres to under 10 runs.

[MikeThierry]

Blitz, I failed to pick up on that originally. If they built their team around the ball park, that team would be built on speed and defense like many teams of the 80's were. Whitey Herzog would have a field day in that ball park. The team they have now is almost like a hodgepodge of players with no real identity.


Heck, they should just go all out and put astroturf in that stadium. Then I think they would have something going.

[Ghosts of 1990]

Originally Posted by MikeThierry

Looking at last nights game when they played the Cardinals, there was nobody in the stands. The kind of game the Padres are playing now is, frankly, dull and boring. It has kind of been that way since the park opened. I think Petco is one of the nicer parks in the game but I almost feel they have to move the fences in a bit just to draw more fans to the game.

Or to keep/attract any offensive talent that has power

[MikeThierry]

Originally Posted by Ghosts of 1990

Or to keep/attract any offensive talent that has power

That is sort of a double edged sword though. It is hard to attract or keep offensive talent because of that ball park. If a slugger had a choice of what park he wanted to play in, Petco park would be the least desirable place for him to go.

[CTA513]

They could try moving the fences in but leave the ability to move the fences back if they want to go back to how it currently is.

[KronoRed]

Fences on rails, move them in for your team at bat, out for the other team.

Lets get this done.

[Chip R]

Originally Posted by KronoRed

Fences on rails, move them in for your team at bat, out for the other team.

Lets get this done.

Bill Veeck did that when he was running the minor league Milwaukee Brewers. He was told in no uncertain terms to stop it.

I think you could actually move the fences in at Petco and it would still be a pitcher's park. But, remember, the park giveth and the park taketh away. For all those balls hit that would be a HR in GABP, the Padres hit some balls to that would have HRs here.

[Ghosts of 1990]

I love the variability factor of our park. You can see a pitcher's duel and you don't see quite the amount of slugfests that people who are outside of Cincinnati would say that we do.