The Baltimore Orioles used to play in one of the most hitter-friendly ball parks in the major leagues. That changed three years ago when the Orioles moved back the left field fences in order to give pitchers and defenses a better chance of succeeding.

Specifically, Orioles pitchers were getting taken deep by opposing hitters at a far greater pace than Batimore hitters could light up the sky with their own home runs. Shortly after making the move, Orioles pitchers started performing better as they allowed fewer home runs. So did Baltimore opponents, and it came at a time when the Orioles brought up sluggers like Adley Rutschman  and Gunnar Henderson.

In addition to those two superstars, switch hitter Anthony Santander was coming into his own as a home run hitter. Ryan Mountcastle was the team's best right-handed power hitter and the move impacted his ability to hit the ball out of the ball park.

While the move helped pitchers, it may have caused the Orioles quite a bit of harm as their own power hitters were punished by the greater distance needed to hit the long ball. Orioles executive vice president Mike Elias said the correction went too far, and the team plans to bring the fences in prior to the start of the 2025 season.

Right-handed hitters will benefit from the move

Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman (35) doubles during the third inning against the Houston Astros at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The Orioles moved the left field wall back by 26 feet after the 2021 season and added six feet of height in certain spots. Prior to the move, the Orioles had one of the most hitter-friendly ballparks in the Major Leagues, ranking third in Statcast’s Park Factors, with a 105 rating.

After the move, Oriole Park ranked 19th with a 99 rating. The fences will be moved in by 9 to 20 feet and the height of the fences will also be reduced.

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“Given the uncertainty of the game, offensive environments, etc., it became apparent to us over three years of lived experience that it was a directionally correct move, but we overcorrected,” Elias said.

Switch hitter Anthony Santander led the Orioles with 44 home runs last season, but only 12 of those came while batting right handed.

Ryan Mountcastle is the Orioles most notable right-handed power hitter, and he suffered badly after the original move. He blasted 33 home runs during the 2021 season, but once the fences were moved back, he never hit more than 22 home runs. The 2024 season was somewhat disastrous for Mountcastle as he hit just 13 home runs during the regular season.

The move will help all right-handed hitters — including visitors — and one of the beneficiaries could be Aaron Judge. The New York Yankees slugger and likely 2024 Most Valuable Player called the original move a travesty. Judge hit 10 home runs in Baltimore during the last three seasons. He hit 5 at Oriole Park in 2021 when the fences were significantly closer.