Reds pitchers would appreciate it if Cincy took the opposite approach of the Orioles

One of the most beautiful elements of Major League Baseball is ballpark design. From ivy-covered walls to looming scoreboards, each park is unique, and that distinctiveness extends beyond style to actual outfield dimensions. At times, these discrepancies can be extreme and call for a redesign as the Baltimore Orioles are doing at Camden Yards. Given Great American Ball Park’s reputation as a hitter’s park, the Cincinnati Reds may want to make some changes of their own.

Since GABP opened in 2003, the Reds have given up significantly more homers at home than any other team in the majors. But it’s not that Cincinnati has had particularly homer-prone pitchers. At home, the Reds have given up 1.4 home runs per game since 2003, while on the road, they average just 1.09 home runs per game. Over 22 seasons, that comes to 545 more home runs given up at home.

Reds pitchers are paying the price for Great American Ball Park’s reputation

Of course, the Reds batters should also be benefiting from GABP’s dimensions. The problem is, the good doesn’t outweigh the bad. Since the park opened, the Reds rank third in home runs at home behind the New York Yankees and Texas Rangers, and they’re within a few homers of Toronto and Baltimore. Yes, the team that just moved its fences in already ranks fifth in most homers at home since 2003.

Reds batters are truthfully much better at home than away, where they rank 25th in homers, but they only average 1.28 homers per game at Great American as opposed to 1.02 on the road. This is where the most significant discrepancy lies.

The Reds simply aren’t built to take advantage of GABP’s hitter-friendly dimensions. The team has a .427 slugging percentage at home, 21 points behind the division-rival Chicago Cubs’ mark in Cincinnati. The Atlanta Braves, the best NL team in Cincinnati’s home park, average one homer every 20 or so at-bats at Great American.

The last time the Reds really felt like a home-run threat was 2021 when five players surpassed the 20-homer mark. Three players hit 30-plus that year. This season, having just three players hit 20-plus homers feels like a feat.

Terry Francona’s hitting philosophy will do little to change the trend that landed the Reds 36 points below league average in slugging. Instead, the Reds should focus on supporting a pitching staff that ranked third in the NL in ERA+, a metric that controls for ballpark factors. It’s time for Cincinnati to control its own ballpark and move the fences back.

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