Post by Sha-Le Unique on Oct 28, 2015 23:33:49 GMT -5
The Mets have wanted a stadium of their own since the beginning of their existence, but with a lack of stadium funds to thoroughly afford a new stadium, they instead will change the Polo Grounds dimensions for now.
The Mets are really starting to come together as a team. They have formed an up and coming offense built around youngsters like catcher Joe Torre, third baseman Tony Conigliaro, outfielder Zoilo Versalles and rookie second baseman Joe Foy, who is being called up to the major league roster this season. They've also added veteran sluggers like Roger Maris, Gene Oliver, and most recently Orlando Cepeda, who just signed a $28 million free agent deal over the next 4 seasons. The reigning NL stolen base champion shortstop Steve Boros rounds out the Mets' lineup, which aside from Maris consists entirely of right-handed hitters.
The one problem though for the Mets is that the Polo Grounds plays a significant advantage to left-handed hitters, in comparison to right-handed hitters. Ideally, a team loaded with right-handed hitters should play in a stadium that can play to their advantages.
The Mets' brass has realized this and has decided to make some big changes to the Polo Grounds.
"We've thought about doing this for a few seasons, but weren't sure when the right time would be. We didn't want to do this if we felt it wouldn't make a significant difference with our team, being that we were mainly focused on developing our minor league system for a while. But now that we have one of, if not the top farm system in the entire league, now could be time to really start winning more and getting more competitive. All in all, we have decided now is the time to change our stadium more to our liking," Mets GM Shale Briskin stated at his press conference.
The Mets' proposed new dimensions for the Polo Grounds includes the following:
LF Line - 320 ft
LF - 342 ft
L-CF - 372 ft
CF - 412 ft
R-CF - 372 ft
RF - 342 ft
RF Line - 320 ft
Fence Height: 8 feet all around
The resulting park factors should look like the following:
RHB AVG - 100
LHB AVG - 100
RHB HR - 107
LHB HR - 107
2B - 92
3B - 88
These changes would be drastic for the Polo Grounds, which has always been known for its short porches down the line and a very deep center field that extends to 483 feet. But with center field getting moved in significantly and the left field and right field poles backing up as much as they are, the new dimensions should still even out generally speaking. The stadium would also become symmetrical for the first time ever.
"We thought about possibly making a stadium that right-handed hitters could excel in, but we couldn't just think about the present lineup that we have. We have to consider the future as well. What if years from now the Mets' lineup mostly has left-handed hitters? We had to keep every factor in mind while making this critical decision.
"And then there was the discussion of whether to make the Polo Grounds a complete hitters park like Tiger Stadium is. It was considered, but our pitching staff over the years has given up quite a few home runs, so we wouldn't want any dimension changes to completely backfire on us as well. That being said, we like the way we have decided to neutralize our park in more ways than one and hopefully, these changes will help us be more successful at home in the future," Briskin later added.
The Mets announced that they will pay the flat $10 million fee directly from their stadium account and all of it will be paid up front with no delays.
In closing his press conference, Briskin stated, "Mets fans, we know you want a new stadium. I want a new stadium. The rest of the front office wants a new stadium. But even in New York, money doesn't grow on trees. Once we have all the funds we need to get a new stadium going, it will happen. But we have to look at this season and trying to win more. We feel this will help us get our lineup to score more runs and deliver us more wins. The future is bright in New York, and this has nothing to do with whatever the Yankees are doing. The Mets are on their way to becoming a force. It's a lengthy process, but be patient fans, your patience will soon pay off!"
