Inside: Triples Alley won’t be quite as far from the plate this season.
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. » The dimensions of Oracle Park are changing, but not in a way that will suddenly turn a pitcher’s paradise into a hitter’s haven.
Triples Alley will remain intact, but the fence that stood 421 feet from home plate will now come in two yards to 415 feet. There are a few other adjustments coming to a ballpark that was largely unchanged for two decades, but the Giants and new manager Gabe Kapler know that runs will still be at a premium when the team plays home games.
“One thing we’re thinking about is just being opportunistic,” Kapler said. “So when we have an opportunity to play for one run and that might be with a sacrifice bunt or moving the runner over, we might take that approach. Then there are going to be other times where we can’t afford to give away an out.”
Kapler points out that big innings win ballgames, but at a park where home runs are harder to come by, there’s value in taking an early one-run lead or playing for a critical insurance run late in a game.
Managing at Oracle Park will be different than managing at Citizens Bank Park for Kapler, who spent the last two seasons with a Phillies team that plays home games in environment conducive to scoring in bunches.
Kapler knows he’ll be evaluated on situational awareness and micro decisions, but president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi will also play a role in shaping the Giants’ in-game approach. It’s up to Zaidi and general manager Scott Harris to construct the roster and they were responsible for signing free-agent center fielder Billy Hamilton to a minor league deal.
One of the fastest players in baseball has had trouble getting on base in his career, but when he is aboard, he wreaks havoc. If Hamilton makes the Opening Day roster and Kapler chooses spots to use him wisely, the speed might turn out to be more valuable at a stadium such as Oracle Park where one run tends to make a bigger difference.
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WILMER FLORES TRADE THAT NEVER HAPPENED » In July, 2015, the New York Mets agreed to a trade that would have sent pitcher Zach Wheeler and infielder Wilmer Flores to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for outfielder Carlos Gomez.
Giants director of pro scouting Zack Minasian was an executive with the Brewers at the time of the deal and recalls how a front office dinner at Carnevore in downtown Milwaukee turned into a celebration over the trade. During the dinner, however, former Brewers general manager Doug Melvin took a phone call from Mets GM Sandy Alderson and the deal fell apart over concerns regarding Gomez’s medical history.
Flores was informed of the potential trade during a game against the Padres and after grounding out in the seventh inning, he shed tears in front of Mets fans who gave him a standing ovation.
“I got emotional and when I came in they told me I was not traded,” Flores told reporters that night.
Flores wasn’t the only person who became emotional about the deal, though. Minasian said that after the trade was called off, he slammed his plate and broke it in half at the restaurant before food had even arrived at the table.
He was furious the deal didn’t go through, but the next day, Milwaukee traded Gomez to the Rangers in a deal that brought All-Star reliever Josh Hader to the Brewers. That seemed to work out well.