The Baltimore Orioles will alter the left-field dimensions at Camden Yards for the second time in three years ahead of Opening Day 2025, top baseball operations executive Mike Elias revealed on Friday. In some places, the left-field fence will be brought in by as much as 26 feet, according to this team-issued graphic:
Elias explained that the Orioles originally moved the left-field fence out in response to an overly friendly offensive environment for right-handed hitters. Now, three years on, Elias and company are willing to admit that they may have "overcorrected."
"The feedback that we received over three years of lived experience (was) that it was a directionally correct move, but we overcorrected ... and the offensive environment shifted a little bit and we got more than we bargained for. And, it's something that we modify and adjust," Elias told reporters, according to WBAL. "We've developed a plan to seek a happier medium for these dimensions prior to 2025."
To Elias' point, here's a look at offensive production over the years on balls hit to left- and left-center field at Camden -- do note that "Walltimore," as it became known, was implemented during the 2021-22 offseason:
| Season | HR | OPS |
|---|---|---|
2020 | 43 | .925 |
2021 | 134 | 1.009 |
2022 | 60 | .849 |
2023 | 48 | .826 |
2024 | 54 | .841 |
Remember, the 2020 season was shortened by the COVID-19 global pandemic, meaning that Camden nearly saw more home runs hit to left field in 30 games than it did in either 2023 or 2024 during regular-length seasons.
We'll have to wait and see if the Orioles can find a sweet spot between that and the launching pad days. In the immediate future, these changes ought to make them a little more attractive to any right-handed-hitting free agents.