With the World Series officially over and the MLB offseason ready to run its course, Orioles news has slowed down a bit as we await an eventful free agency period.
With that being said, it’s a good time to look into the monstrosity that is Waltimore and its effects on how the game is played at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
For anyone who doesn’t know, Waltimore was constructed over the 2021 offseason and debuted on Opening Day 2022. The left field wall was moved 26.5 feet back and raised from seven feet, four inches to 13 feet.
The idea behind these changes was to make Camden Yards a more neutral field instead of its historic bias to hitters, especially those who are right-handed.
Did the Orioles have a point in wanting to make this change? Well, to determine that, we wanted to use a statistic from Baseball Savant called park factor.
Park factor is a statistic that essentially quantifies the hitter or pitcher friendliness of a ballpark. A factor of 100 would be considered average or neutral to both hitters and pitchers. A score of 105 would mean a park produces runs 10% more than average, making it hitter-friendly.
So, going off of that, here are some of the Orioles’ ranks in park factor.
For both right and left-handed hitters:
- 2019-2021 (before wall was adjusted): 105 park factor, 5th in MLB
- 2022-2024 (after wall was adjusted): 99 park factor, 21st in MLB
For right-handed batters:
- 2019-2021 (before wall was adjusted): 105 park factor, 4th in MLB
- 2022-2024 (after wall was adjusted): 99 park factor, 20th in MLB
For left-handed batters:
- 2019-2021 (before wall was adjusted): 104 park factor, 8th in MLB
- 2022-2024 (after wall was adjusted): 100 park factor, 13th in MLB
A similar statistic, home run factor uses the same numerical scale as park factor but instead looks at the rate a park prodcues home runs, rather than just runs scored. Here are the Orioles’ ranks in that statistic.
Both right and left-handed hitters:
- 2019-2021 (before wall was adjusted): 124 home run factor, 3rd in MLB
- 2022-2024 (after wall was adjusted): 93 home run factor, 20th in MLB
For right-handed batters:
- 2019-2021 (before wall was adjusted): 125 home run factor, 1st in MLB
- 2022-2024 (after wall was adjusted): 79 home run factor, 27th in MLB
For left-handed batters:
- 2019-2021 (before wall was adjusted): 122 home run factor, 8th in MLB
- 2022-2024 (after wall was adjusted): 111 home run factor 13th in MLB
The main takeaway from these numbers is that while offense at Camden Yards went down overall, left-handed batters have a huge advantage, especially when it comes to the long ball. The major issue with that is how it affects roster construction.
The Orioles have spent years building their roster to best suit the playing conditions at Camden Yards, spending draft capital on lefties like Gunnar Henderson, Heston Kjerstad, Colton Cowser and Jackson Holliday. Even Adley Rutschman is a switch-hitter who we predominantly see batting left-handed.
The problem with this is that it makes the O’s lineup pretty one dimensional and allows opposing managers easy lanes with their starters and bullpens when navigating Baltimore’s lineup.
Obviously, Baltimore still boasted one of the league’s better offenses, but their struggles against left-handed pitching were evident, especially down the stretch of last season.
The easiest solution would be to supplement their lineup with power-hitting right-handed hitters to give manager Brandon Hyde more flexibility with his lineups.
But as stated earlier, Camden Yards is one of the least conductive home run ballparks for right-handed batters in all of Major League Baseball, which could be a very interesting wrinkle if the team decides to look into someone like Teoscar Hernandez Jr., Mark Canha or J.D. Martinez.
Now, it’s not all bad news. The antithesis to a ballpark that punishes right-handed batters is that it’s paradise for left-handed pitchers.
A lefty throwing at Camden Yards is essentially a double-edged sword for opposing managers. You either stack your lineup with righties and live with the disadvantages of Waltimore or combat that with lefties and have the handedness disadvantage.
Orioles GM Mike Elias hasn’t really landed his big lefty starter yet, but with a market set to feature Blake Snell, Max Fried, Yusei Kikuchi, etc., Baltimore will have a step up on a lot of the market.
To wrap this up, we wanted to throw in some of the players around the league who have expressed their opinions on the infamous wall in left field.
“To me, I feel like it ruins the park,” said Yankee slugger Aaron Judge. In response to Judge, former Oriole Trey Mancini even backed it up, stating, “Several players have been unhappy. No hitters like it, myself included.”
Another former Oriole in Austin Hays chimed in with, “I feel like I have to get all of the ball and hit it at the perfect angle to hit a homer.”
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Orioles lefty reliever Keegan Akin came to Waltimore’s defense, stating the wall was an ally in certain situations.
“I’m able to be competitive in 2-0 or 3-1 counts,” said Akin. “Hitters give it their all and still can’t hit it out.”
None of these statements come as much of a suprise, as no right-handed hitter really ever wants to deal with the likes of Waltimore, and obviously, it’s every pitcher’s dream.
The Orioles will really have to prioritize drafting and developing right-handed hitters because they will be tough to come by in free agency. On the other hand, don’t be surprised if pitchers, especially lefties, are lined up out the door to make themselves an Oriole.
As we say in Charm City: The wall giveth, and the wall taketh away.
How do you feel about Waltimore? Is it ruining Camden Yards, or is it another fun Easter egg that makes baseball that much more unique? Let us know in the comments below! Make sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook, Twitter (X) and TikTok, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!
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