GIANTS, MOVE THE FENCES IN! I JUST SOLVED THE PROBLEM

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Yesterday almost the entire NL West had the day off.

The Padres were off. The Dodgers were off. The Diamondbacks were off. The Rockies were off.

The Giants?

Nope.

They played.

And somehow they managed to lose again.

So forget everybody else today. This blog is about my Giants and how a franchise goes from winning three World Series in five years to sitting near the bottom of the NL West and looking completely lost.

And more importantly, I have the solution.

MOVE THE FENCES IN!….NOW!

Seriously.

Do it now. Give me 24 hours and some dude’s with sledge hammers and we’ll figure it out.

I LOVE ORACLE PARK, BUT COME ON

Oracle Park is one of the greatest ballparks in baseball.

I love it.

I love McCovey Cove. I love the view. I love the atmosphere. I love Splash Hits.

But it’s ridiculously hard to hit home runs there.

And it’s always been a problem.

The Giants actually moved portions of the fences in before the 2020 season. Center went from 399 feet to 391 and the deepest part of Triples Alley went from an absolutely insane 421 feet to a still pretty insane 415.

MOVE THEM IN MORE!

I don’t know why everybody acts like this is some impossible decision.

We’re not moving Oracle Park to Sacramento.

We’re moving a fence.

Pick it up.

Move it closer.

Put it down.

Done.

WHY WOULD A HOME RUN HITTER WANT TO PLAY HERE?

This has always driven me crazy.

If you’re a great power hitter and you’ve got choices, why would you want to play 81 games in a park where you can absolutely crush a ball and watch it die in the outfield?

I wouldn’t.

And before somebody tells me that’s just my Giants-fan imagination, there has historically been a very real offensive problem at Oracle. In 2019, the year before those fence changes, the Giants averaged just 3.35 runs per game at home compared with 5.02 on the road and finished last in the National League with 63 home runs at home.

So what are we doing here?

Move the fences in.

Attract guys who can hit home runs.

Score more runs.

Make it more exciting for the fans.

PROBLEM SOLVED.

“BUT IT’S BETTER FOR THE PITCHERS!”

I know what’s coming.

“But Kurt, it’s a pitcher’s park.”

Great.

How’s that working for us?

“The Giants should be built around pitching and defense.”

Great.

How’s that working for us?

“We’re a small-ball team.”

HOW’S THAT WORKING FOR US?

That’s the whole mentality that drives me crazy.

We’ve spent years hearing about the smart way to construct a roster and matchups and platoons and all the clever statistical reasons why the Giants don’t need the same kind of lineup everybody else wants.

And where did all that get us?

Near the basement of the NL West.

I’m done.

I have a new statistic.

It’s called:

CAN THE GUY HIT THE BALL INTO THE WATER?

Yes?

Sign him.

No?

Next guy.

NOW I know! We won all those World Series with the way the park is.

To that I say…good point.

Then I say, it’s not working anymore, so we need to do something.

More home runs sounds good.

GIANTS: JACKED UP.

ORACLE PARK: UNJACKED.

ORACLE PARK’S FENCES: TOO DAMN FAR AWAY.

SPLASH HITS: EXTREMELY UNJACKED.

You’re welcome, San Francisco.

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