Well…this feels like déjà vu. That’s because it is. Between the 2021 and 2022 campaigns, the American League’s Baltimore Orioles altered the distance of the left field wall at Camden Yards. Now, the ball club is doing it all over again.
“Mount Wall-timore” is no more. The left-field wall is set to move in by as much as 20 feet in some locations, while the height will be lowered to just below seven feet in various areas. That’s good news for right-handed hitters across the league, including one free agent second baseman — Gleyber Torres.
Torres, the 27-year-old, absolutely mashed in Maryland for the Bronx Bombers prior to Baltimore moving the left field wall back by as much as 26 1/2 feet. From 2018 through 2021, the two-time All-Star slashed .333/.442/.690 within the confines of the Orioles’ home. That’s good for an impressive 1.132 OPS. It’s the highest OPS Torres produced at any AL East venue during that period. If you’re wondering, Aaron Judge didn’t muster a 1.100 OPS in this same span at Oriole Park.
Torres’ nine homers in the Charm City are good for the most at any away venue throughout his seven year professional career.
Torres may find a return to New York more intriguing following the O’s ballpark changes
Staying in the division with the Yankees may be more enticing now given this news.
He has played 48 games at Camden Yards during his career, tied for the most outside of Yankee Stadium alongside Fenway Park. Due to Seattle’s need for some consistent infield play, Torres has also been linked with the Mariners since New York fell short of World Series glory.
The Venezuelan infielder, like most right handed hitters, struggled to rack up numbers when the O’s changed the dimensions of their left field. His average dropped to .215 at Camden Yards from 2022 to 2024. The hope is he can rediscover the magic again now that Baltimore is home to a more hitters-friendly park.
Baltimore executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias spoke on the alterations:
“We’ve developed a plan to seek a happier medium for these dimensions prior to 2025. So our hope is by pulling the dimensions in a little bit … (we can) pursue what we’re hoping was a more neutral overall environment for the park.”
