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. The Royals returned to the stadium’s original dimensions in 2004, and over the past two decades have seen ball after ball die on the warning track, prompting Picollo this spring to finally approach owner John Sherman and ask permission to authorize a study on the effects of a potential modification.
Given the go-ahead, Picollo tasked Dr. Daniel Mack, the Royals’ vice president of research and development and an assistant GM, to consider all the factors and make a recommendation. Mack, who has a Ph.D. in computer science and earned a master’s with a concentration in machine learning, had the benefit of a far more robust set of data than was available even 10 years ago, with detailed information on wind and temperature information capable of being factored in.