Photo of the San Francisco Giants' bullpen at AT&T Park.

Image Credit: Aunti Juli - Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

Last month, outfielder Mac Williamson of the San Francisco Giants tripped over a bullpen mound at AT&T Park and was diagnosed with a concussion. The Giants’ front office immediately tried to fight off the flood of requests to move the ballpark’s bullpens to the outfield. However, the team doesn’t have the space to accommodate a relocation of their two bullpens. The site AT&T Park is located on is only 12 ½ acres so the ball club is hard pressed for room as it is.

Even the small garden in centerfield is unable to be torn out because the space serves as storage for equipment and concession items. The only other Major League Baseball teams that feature bullpens on the playing field include the Oakland Athletics and Tampa Bay Rays. The Chicago Cubs moved their bullpens from the playing field to underneath the Wrigley Field bleachers last season. Nearly all Major League Baseball teams have built their bullpens in the outfield of their home stadiums.

The Seattle Mariners have perhaps the best bullpen setup coming from a fan experience perspective. The Mariners' bullpen has space that allows for baseball fans to stand next to the bullpen and watch pitchers warm up. It's a popular congregation spot for small children that want to seek autographs and watch their favorite pitchers warm up.

 

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