Artist rendering of the new bullpens at Oracle Park
Oracle Park (Formerly AT&T Park) is undergoing a slight makeover this off-season as the bullpens are being moved from the field to behind the fences. To accommodate this change, the fences are being brought in. The change is not dramatic and will not turn Oracle Park into a hitter’s haven by any stretch of the imagination. Nevertheless, the dimension at Triple’s Alley used to be 421 feet, which is an absolute bomb by any standard. It will now be a slightly more reasonable 415 feet (San Francisco Area Code!)
The Center Field dimension will also change from 399 ft. to 391 ft. while left-center changes from 404 to 399. These changes are slight and will give the Giants, a team who does not hit a lot of home runs, a chance to bring a little more offense to their home ballpark.
The bullpens being on the field were a fun aspect to the stadium experience as fans could get a closeup view of pitchers warming up, but it is a safety concern. This concern was brought to the forefront when Mac Williamson was injured there in 2018 chasing a foul ball. For safety purposes, the bullpens will now be behind the fences, which also allows the fences to move in slightly, killing two birds with one stone.