The Mets detailed the changes they’re making to Citi Field:

The walls will be uniformly lowered to eight feet, with a new wall of that height being placed in front of the current 15-foot wall in left field, which some people have come to call the Great Wall of Flushing. About 100 seats will be placed in the gap between the walls in a design that would seem to mimic the several rows of seats that now sit atop the Green Monster in left field in Fenway Park.

In right-center field, the fences will be moved in so the distance from home plate will be 398 feet instead of 415. And in right field, the gimmicky Mo Zone cutout will be eliminated, which will shorten the distance there to 375 feet. A picnic area will go in the area no longer in play.

Lowering the fences gives outfielder a chance to rob hitters of home runs, always an exciting play. Otherwise, the park is losing quirkiness.

The Wilpons blamed the original dimensions on Omar Minaya and credited Sandy Alderson with the new ones.  I don’t remember Sandy having trouble finding sluggers for the big park in Oakland, but then again, they didn’t have trouble finding substances to help them slug.