Bringing in the Fences at Petco Park? Hooray! Says This Padres Fan

Carlos Quentin could be hitting a few more Home Runs per season if the fences are moved in at Petco. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-US PRESSWIRE

It has been as hot of a topic as any amongst us Friar faithful, and has been ever since the stadium was opened in 2004: Petco Park’s dimensions.  Love them or hate them, San Diego’s home ballpark is one of the most cavernous in the League in terms of its spacious nature.

Many fans, including some on this website, believe that moving in Petco’s fences to at least accommodate more Offense, and give Padres hitters more of a chance to succeed would be in the franchise’s best interest.  Well, for those on the “Move the Fences in” Bandwagon, you just might have your wish granted this offseason.

According to Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune, the Padres brass will be making changes to Petco’s ridiculously spacious dimensions.  While Center says that the changes will not be immense, changes will be occurring (possibly to left-center and right-center gaps) to bring the fences in and change the overall outfield space.  Center goes on to state that:

"A club official recently said changes to Petco Park’s dimensions could be made gradually over a couple of seasons as the club makes other changes while reviewing the impact of earlier dimension adjustments."

While it certainly does not appear that those in charge will be turning Petco into a “hitter’s paradise,” it is at least nice in my opinion to see that the club is making an effort to consider changes to the sometimes “too Pitcher-friendly” stadium.  Whether or not these eventual alterations will cause the Padres and their opponents to hit significantly better at Petco will be a mystery until they are implemented and sample-size statistics can be measured.  Regardless, the move towards bringing the fences in, no matter how small, makes this Friars fan happy as well as intrigued to see how the eventual changes are made as well as implemented.

Share your thoughts readers:  Should the fences be moved in at Petco?  If so, by how much?