KSHB 41 reporter Claire Bradshaw covers eastern Jackson County, including Blue Springs and Grain Valley. Share your story idea with Claire.
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The biggest change at Kauffman Stadium this year is the outfield walls. The walls were moved in nine to 10 feet, and the height was reduced from 10 feet to 8 1/2 feet.
The overall goal was to modify the dimensions to help the park play more consistently with the rest of the league. When the change was announced, the Royals' vice president of research and development said the team was in the bottom third of the league when it came to run value per fly ball.
The team hopes this will allow them to keep the same hitting approach no matter where they play. The lower outfield wall should also potentially bring more defensive highlights with at-the-wall catches.
The stadium's grounds team worked during the offseason to make sure the field adapted. Trevor Vance, senior director of grounds and landscape at Kauffman Stadium, said his team had to cut out grass and realign irrigation to help bring the wall in.
Chances are you'll notice a difference on the scoreboard and on the field.
"A lot more Royals home runs. That's what we're hoping, Royals home runs, and that our pitching staff keeps [the other team] from hitting home runs," Vance said. "But it's going to have a new look. It'll have a little more wall padding out there. The normal fan, they probably won't notice it, but those that have been out here, well, they're going to see a whole different field."
It took Vance and his team since January to complete the work and make sure the field looks how it does today.
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