Sources: Royals to move in fences at Kauffman

Key Highlights

• I watched it for years and years and years, and I just felt like this is the time to try to push it and see if everything we felt for however many years is accurate."While the Royals will keep center field at 410 feet, they plan to taper in the fences starting in the power alleys, which will be shortened from 389 feet to 379, sources said.
• The fences will continue on that path, 9 to 10 feet shorter, nearly all the way to the corners, where the 330-foot foul poles will remain.
• The height of the fence will also be shortened from 10 feet to 8½. Kauffman has played as a slightly above-average offensive park because the size of the outfield -- which was second only to Coors Field -- promoted more doubles and triples.
• The distinct suppression of home runs, however, left the Royals concerned that hitters were changing their approaches on the road, consciously or subconsciously, and that altering the dimensions for the 81 games played at Kauffman without turning it into a bandbox would aid in Kansas City's efforts to build a perennial playoff contender."It's not that we're trying to jump-start our offense," Picollo said.
• "The more neutral it is at home, the better success we think we'll have overall."Kansas City has modified its fences in the past, moving them in 10 feet between 1995 and 2003 and seeing it play as a slightly above-average home run park.