AT&T Oracle Park received a new state-of-the-art massive scoreboard along with a new name in the offseason, but it appears there is still more work that needs to be done at the park.
Giants CEO Larry Baer did an interview with The Athletic recently which was his first since returning from a three-month MLB-issued suspension following a public altercation in a downtown plaza with his wife, Pam.
In the sitdown, Baer discussed a wide range of topics including moving the fences at Oracle and the possibility of changing the on-field dimensions.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
"We’re still moving forward at taking hard looks at both the bullpens and the fences," Baer said. "No decisions are made, but my prediction is that there will be some changes next year. I don’t want to say there definitely will be, because you’ll ask, what are they? And, you know, between architectural renderings and figuring out what goes where and what gets moved … we’re not there yet. So I would just say my prediction is that there will be some changes. But I don’t want to characterize it as just bullpens, or bullpens and fences moved in. And there’s some other things we’re going to do that aren’t specific to that."
As far as the studies and analytics go toward researching the possible changes, things are underway.
"Very smart people are working on it. Another third factor to that, because it does relate to those other two pieces, is netting. That’s the third leg of the stool. Especially given where the bullpens are now, how do we change the experience down the line? And what do we do with netting? They’re three interrelated parts. We’re on top of it, and trust me, no brakes have been applied to that process. We’re moving forward."
And there's a lot that goes into it, of course. Even details down to how it could look, and it's obviously not easy to move a brick wall, and time changes everything as well.
San Francisco Giants
Find the latest San Francisco Giants news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Bay Area and California.
"And, you know, we’ve been in the ballpark 20 years. Things change. Things evolve. Fenway and Wrigley maybe didn’t make major changes after their first 20 years, but they’ve made major changes. So all the things we’re talking about still preserve this ballpark’s gestalt if you will, this ballpark’s vibe."
Vibe aside, how do players fare in these "great hitters' parks?" Well, for starters, it's a game-changer sometimes ... pun slightly intended.
"Especially with hitters," former pro baseball player David Johnson told NBC Sports Bay Area. "In a good and bad way. In stadiums with short fences, such as Minute Maid, Fenway, Yankee Stadium. Guys tend to aim for them which can throw their focus off at the plate as instead of just hitting the ball. They are focused on hitting the ball towards that short area. The good part is if you know the dimensions and if you can get a ball in a certain area. you know while running the base-path, whether or not, you can stretch it from a double to a triple."
Defensive capabilities can also be impacted by these ballpark factors.
[RELATED: Scout provides not-so-typical reports on Giants]
"Certain dimensions and how the corners are cut can play a part in how the ball reacts is it hits the wall," Johnson said. "In Wrigley, for instance. If you're in left field, in the corner to field a ball that’s hit down the line, you can’t see home plate due to how the stands block the view. So hitting the cutoff man is key."
He also detailed a roof open and closed scenario, but those living and visiting San Francisco don't have to worry about that ... for now.