Community: Mariners decide to move in fences

The Seattle Mariners announced yesterday that they’ll be moving in portions of their outfield wall prior to the start of the 2013 season. In making Safeco Field more offense-friendly, the Mariners are trying to attract hitters.

The fences will be moved in four to 17 feet over different points. The distances down the left and right field foul lines remain the same, so most of the change is coming in left- and right-center field. You can check out the full map of the dimension change here.

Assistant general manager Jeff Kingston said the team’s focus will still remain on building a winner through pitching and defense, but the goal of the adjustment was to make the park fairer for hitters. Mariners’ research showed that if the dimensions were in place through the last few seasons, there would have been 30 to 40 more home runs per year.

Now that the changes are officially set to take place, let’s hear your thoughts on the adjustment. Is this something the Mariners should have done some time ago, or should they have left the pitcher’s haven that was Safeco Field alone?