KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Royals have moved in the outfield fences at Kauffman Stadium for the first time in decades, a change that will debut when the team hosts the Twins on Monday, March 30.
The walls will be moved in 8 to 10 feet starting near each foul pole. The gaps will go from 387 feet down to 379 feet, but will taper back to center field, which will remain 410 feet from home plate.
The walls will also be lowered to 8.5 feet everywhere but center field, where the walls will remain 10 feet tall. About 150 seats will be added in left field, and about 80 new drink-rail seats will be added in right field due to the new dimensions.
Fair ballpark, not a bandbox
Royals General Manager J.J. Picollo said the changes are designed to create a fair ballpark.
“We’re not looking for something that becomes really offensive, and every ball that goes up in the air becomes a home run,” Picollo said. “It’s simply when a ball is hit well, you’ll be rewarded,” he said.
The decision was made by the organization for competitive reasons, including bringing Kauffman Stadium more in line with other MLB ballparks.
Analytics support the move
For years, Kauffman was one of the toughest parks in baseball to hit the ball out of, not just because of deep gaps, but also because of the wind.
Dr. Daniel Mack, the Royals’ vice president of research and development, said wind conditions make the park play even larger.
“It’s one of those ballparks where the wind, on average, hurts us,” Mack said. “It’s as if our park plays with the walls about five feet further back.”
The club’s analytics department ran years of batted ball and weather data through analytical models to project the impact. The Royals think the new dimensions would have resulted in about one more home run per series.
“That could have contributed to roughly 30 home runs, give or take,” Mack said.
The club’s research estimates the changes will take the run value of fly balls at Kauffman Stadium from the bottom third of MLB ballparks to the middle, primarily through more extra-base hits.
Offense expected to benefit more than pitching suffers
More home runs also mean more risk for Royals pitchers, but the front office believes their lineup will gain more than the pitching staff will give back.
“When we look at the projections, our offense comes out far ahead of maybe the negativity or the negative impact it could have on our pitchers,” Picollo said.
Over the last three seasons, the changes would have benefited the Royals overall, even accounting for more extra-base hits by opponents.
Former Royals pitcher and 2015 World Series champion Jeremy Guthrie said the new fence line will benefit players and fans.
“My reaction even as a pitcher was excitement,” Guthrie said. “I think for fans that come and watch the Royals and whether you watch them on TV or in person, I think it’ll be a more exciting game now with the fences moving in a little bit. Pitchers have always enjoyed a really big stadium here at Kauffman. I think this levels the playing field out.”
Guthrie said the slightly smaller ballpark could actually sharpen the staff’s skills.
“If you play in a ballpark that’s a little bit more offensive, as a pitcher, sometimes that’s an advantage because you have to focus more,” he said. “But perhaps we’ll even see a step forward with our pitchers saying, ‘OK, the fences are in a little bit. I got to be at my best every single pitch. I can’t take any pitches off.’”
Bobby Witt Jr. could benefit
The Royals feel their Bobby Witt Jr., who is widely regarded as one of the best players in baseball, may become even better.
“He was one of the players that was probably most negatively impacted by our ballpark when it comes to run production, fly ball run production,” Picollo said. “So we have reason to believe his production will go up.”
Witt led the MLB in hits in each of the last two years, in addition to winning the Silver Slugger Award at shortstop in 2024 and 2025.
More excitement
By dropping most of the fences from around 10 feet to 8.5 feet, the Royals also expect more chances for robbed home runs.
“Try to think of how many robbed home runs you’ve seen over your time here,” Picollo said. “It’s not many. I’m sure there’s been some, but now we have an opportunity to see that.”
Dimensions won’t change through end of lease at Kauffman Stadium
The Royals said the new dimensions are locked in for the next five seasons. The team’s front office believes Kauffman will still feel like the “Old K”, despite the shorter and lower fences.
“This is still going to be a very fair ballpark,” Picollo said. “It’s not going to be pop-ups that go up and go out. You’re going to have to hit them to get them out.”
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