Astros raise Left Field Wall at Enron

This sounds like a great compromise. It should make it a little tougher to hit home runs, but won't involve any huge changes to the park. Any thoughts?
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/printstory.hts/sports/782389

Astros raise bullpen fence in left-center
By JOSEPH DUARTE -- Houston Chronicle -- Dec. 28, 2000, 12:47AM

Earlier this winter, the Astros conducted a thorough analysis of offensive statistics from the inaugural season at Enron Field. Their findings: Poor pitching and favorable hitting dimensions are a deadly combination. Hoping to cut down on criticism and keep the ball in the park, Astros officials said Wednesday work is under way to raise the left-center field fence to approximately 21 feet beginning next season.

When the ballpark opened last March, the chain-link fence in front of the visitors' bullpen measured 10 feet. By enclosing the bullpen, players will be required to hit balls onto the concourse -- in areas where there are no seats -- in order to be credited with a home run. The adjustment will involve an 86-foot-long area from the edge of the manual scoreboard in left field to the Conoco home-run porch in left-center. It will not affect the Crawford Boxes in left field.

"(Enron Field) received some undo criticism for being the cause of the increase in offensive production last season," Astros general manager Gerry Hunsicker said. "We all unanimously felt poor pitching was as big a reason for the offensive output as anything else. "This change is not being made to have a dramatic impact on the home-run total at Enron Field. It's a minor change we felt could bring balance offensively and defensively."

Enron Field was the subject of widespread criticism throughout the 2000 season -- critics called the ballpark "Home-ron Field" and "Ten-run Field" -- for its inviting dimensions for hitters, especially toward left field. With the visitor's bullpen in left, Enron had one of baseball's shortest power alleys at 362 feet from home plate. The Crawford Boxes in left field are only 315 feet from home plate, the shortest left-field line distance in baseball, and feature a 19-foot wall.

As a result -- but not entirely to blame -- a combined 266 home runs were hit during the first season at Enron Field, most of any of the 30 major-league ballparks. The Astros led the majors in home runs (249) and were second in most homers allowed (234), both franchise records.

Astros owner Drayton McLane Jr. said the club's main priority was to make a change with the left-center field area without taking away from the ballpark's overall look. "We've learned from our first-year experiences," McLane said. "It's like when you're living in a new house or moving into a new office. You work with it by tweaking things and making improvements."

Of the 266 home runs hit at Enron Field last season, only 33 landed in the Crawford Boxes. The Astros did not track the number of home runs hit into the left-center field bullpen area. "That eliminates the misconception that the Crawford Boxes turned Enron Field into a bandbox," Hunsicker said. "That certainly is not true."

Astros pitcher Jose Lima, who led the majors in homers allowed with 48, said regardless of changes made to the dimensions at Enron Field, the pitching staff must learn to adjust after years of playing in the cavernous Astrodome. "People like to call the home runs cheap home runs, but to me a home run is a home run even if it's in my back yard," Lima said. "We just have to adjust to the ballpark."

Said righthander Scott Elarton: "I don't see it making a whole lot of difference. Everybody has to pitch there; everybody has to hit there. The bottom line is fans want to see offense. They are not there to see a 1-0 or 2-1 pitcher's duel. They want to see big home runs."

First baseman Jeff Bagwell, who broke his own franchise single-season mark with 47 homers, said the change should benefit pitchers. But, like Hunsicker, he agreed that many of the so-called "cheap" home runs to left would have cleared the same area in many other parks. "Now it's a pretty good-sized ballpark from left-center field to right-center field. I don't want to hear any more complaining (from the pitching staff)," Bagwell said. "I'm all for making our pitching staff comfortable. I don't want to get to the point that we're making that as an excuse why we stunk last year. That wasn't why we stunk." Bagwell added he was pleased the club did not try to change the Crawford Boxes, considered one of the ballpark's signature features along with the retractable roof.

McLane said the club also plans to take down a fence inside the Astros bullpen, specifically a pole that was responsible for a home run by Richard Hidalgo being nullified last season.

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