First Impressions of Citi Field - MLB

I made the trek up the East Coast this weekend to see the Mets’ road
spring training lineup take on Josh Johnson and the Marlins. With the
exception of Fernando Martinez’s first hit, double and RBI, there
wasn’t much to crow about as the Marlins won the game handily 7-3.
However, Saturday marked my first chance to catch a game at Citi Field.
So besides telling you that braving the line at Shake Shack is worth
it, here are a couple initial impressions which may or may not be
original thoughts.

1) The Fanwalk is cool: In
2007, fans had an opportunity to purchase engraved bricks with a
customized message that would sit on the plaza outside the entrance to
the Jackie Robinson Rotunda. I had no idea how cool this would be until
I saw it and now I regret not getting one. For a stadium that is
largely a building at this point and not a “Mets” building, the brick
walkway puts a real personal touch on the history of the franchise and
their fans.

2) The Jackie Robinson Rotunda is underwhelming:
I’m all for Jackie Robinson. Aside from Michael Jordan, he was my
favorite person to write a biography about in elementary school. I
completely understand the impact he has had on our game, but the
grandiosity of the rotunda was lost on me. Do you really want the first
thing people see when they walk in a Mets’ ballpark to be a person in a
Dodgers’ uniform? Where’s the Mark Carreon Rotunda? Give me some
history! The whole thing left me feeling cold.

3) Lack of foul territory:
Sure there are the obvious quirks of the fences, cut-outs and all, and
The Pepsi Porch that hangs over the playing field, which is where I
sat, but there is considerably less foul territory here as opposed to
Shea Stadium. It’s one thing to see it on television, but it’s hard to
feel the gravity of it until seeing it in person. For all the talk
about this being a pitchers’ park, opposing batters will certainly get
a few extra swings here. I suppose it counter-balances in some weird
way. As for down the lines, I can’t wait to see a “Bartman moment” in
this place. It’s bound to happen. You know, probably on October 4th
against the Astros with the Phillies and Mets deadlocked in first
place.

BALTIMORE — The Baltimore Orioles signed outfielder Aaron Hicks less than 24 hours after Cedric Mullins went down with a strained right groin.

Mullins went on the 10-day injured list, but the Orioles are hoping Hicks can help defensively in the spacious outfield at Camden Yards. Hicks was released last week by the New York Yankees with more than 2 1/2 seasons left on his contract.

“We had noticed that he was a free agent even before the injury,” Orioles general manager Mike Elias said. “When the injury occurred and it became pretty clear this was going to be an IL, it seemed like a good fit even more so at that time.”

The Orioles are responsible for paying Hicks just $483,871, a prorated share of the $720,000 minimum salary. The Yankees owe him the rest of his $10.5 million salary this year, plus $9.5 million in each of the next two seasons and a $1 million buyout of a 2026 team option.

The 33-year-old Hicks hit just .188 in 28 games for the Yankees this year.

“We have stuff that we look at from a scouting and evaluation perspective,” Elias said. “It’s very different from just looking at the back of a baseball card, and we hope that we get a bounceback from anyone we bring here.”

Hicks batted .216 last season.

“Hopefully that’s a good thing for him,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said of the Baltimore deal. “A lot of time here and a lot of good things happened for him here. I know the last couple of years have been a struggle. But hopefully it’s a good opportunity for him and certainly wish him well. Not too well being in our division and a team we’re chasing, but hopefully it’s a really good fit for him.”

Mullins left a loss to Cleveland after he pulled up while running out an infield grounder. Outfielder Colton Cowser – the fifth pick in the draft two years ago – is hitting .331 at Triple-A Norfolk, but he went on the IL in the past couple weeks.

“Certainly he was building a case towards promotion consideration prior to his injury and prior to Cedric’s injury,” Elias said. “We’ll just see where we’re at.”

Hicks was active for the game but not in the starting lineup. Austin Hays, normally Baltimore’s left field, was in Mullins’ usual spot in center.

When the wall in left at Camden Yards was pushed significantly back before last season, it made left field a bigger challenge defensively.

“In this park … you really need two center fielders,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “Aaron’s got a lot of center-field experience. Played left field here before also. Brings the defensive aspect and then the switch-hitting.”