3 changes to Comerica Park we’d love to see Detroit Tigers make in 2022

The Detroit Tigers are pondering ballpark enhancements; these three would heighten the fan experience

It’s difficult to believe that Comerica Park, home of the Detroit Tigers, is 21 years old. Perhaps even more difficult to fathom is that it is now tied as the 14th oldest ballpark in the league with Houston’s Minute Maid Park and San Francisco’s Oracle Park. This new age of stadium assembly via taxpayer dollars has taken storm nationwide with teams like Atlanta and Texas trading out sufficient set-ups for state-of-the-art.

Putting away the ire of how the organization handled Tiger Stadium, Comerica Park is a perfectly acceptable ballpark. The location is convenient, the carnival theme gives kids something to do, and the wide-open concourse offers a level of intimacy with the game that many parks do not boast.

Gripes about the park seldom come from the fans’ perspective, though. Throughout the park’s existence, most of the park’s problems were regarding the dimensions of the park; mainly, the 420 sign that exists halfway up the padded wall in dead centerfield. Juan Gonzalez infamously left due to the park’s dimensions. More recently, players like Nicholas Castellanos and Miguel Cabrera have stated their peace.

According to a report from The Athletic’s Cody Stavenhagen ($), the club is exploring the possibility of addressing centerfield as part of some improvements the organization is looking to make to the stadium. If this plan is executed, it likely would not be as simple as installing a gate across the large part of the park–meaning the change would likely also result in other adjustments to the park.

Let’s assume centerfield coming in is a given. But how is that executed? What about right-center? Could left field also be improved? We have some ideas.

1. Addressing centerfield

I still have memories of Jack Cust and JD Martinez helping baseballs disappear in the shrubs beyond centerfield. In JD’s case, he would sometimes even clear them:

Michigan is well-regarded for its nature; simply bringing in the shrubbery in center would offer continuity and an opportunity for some fun artistic designs while continuing to pay homage to the greenery across the state. The Houston Astros have shrubs that effectively serve as a batter’s eye, but with the Tigers’ vines, they wouldn’t need anything so extravagant.

Another possibility would be to create their own ‘Monument Park’ in center; a platform that would essentially link the statues that already exist in the left-center and right-center fields. Space is getting scarce for statues, and while the club doesn’t intend on retiring more numbers in the immediate future, there is a possibility that Justin Verlander, Miguel Cabrera, and Lou Whittaker will all need their real estate within the next 10 years.

I once felt having some seating there would offer a nice vantage to the game. However, hitters are becoming increasingly accustomed to their batter’s eye to help pick up the baseball out of pitchers’ hands. Creating seating there may only replace one complaint with another from hitters.

Detroit Tigers shortstop Zack Short mentioned on his podcast “The Compound” that the players have heard rumors about centerfield coming in around 390 or 400 feet, although he is not sure if it is true (December 14th episode around the 23-minute mark).

Regardless, centerfield doesn’t have to be anything fancy. Most teams, even those with modern ballparks, have minimal creativity with the space. A shorter fence would bring more home runs; thus creating a more entertaining product while also fostering a more level playing field for hitters.

3. Make Comerica Park retractable

Imagine having two professional sports stadiums right next door to each other. One has 81 home games where the weather can cause a game to stop or get canceled completely. The other stadium hosts 8-9 home games a year and weather is a non-factor in determining if a game gets played. Now imagine that both stadiums were constructed within three years of each other. Somehow, the one that gets a dozen uses out of the year total is the one that got the dome. Nonsensical.

I’ve heard wild rumors about the Lions and Tigers sharing a lid when these projects were in the planning stages; obviously, that never came to fruition. But given the unexpected weather patterns every Michigander has come to know and love, not having a retractable stadium for the Detroit Tigers is borderline inexcusable.

I highly doubt that any change of this magnitude is being discussed, but the Detroit Tigers had eight postponements in 2021; six of them home games–and this doesn’t even factor in delays. Weather delays and postponements are a debacle from every angle. It hurts TV ratings, causes frustration for attendees, and makes for a busy ticketing department to try to accommodate fans for a different day. Not to mention, ratings are likely lower for doubleheader days, too, as I can’t imagine the average person has five hours to dedicate out of their day.

If we take it a step further, though, even consider the uncomfortable days. A good portion of April is frigid, and even if it isn’t pouring rain, it can still be miserable to attend a baseball game. Getting fans to a game is simpler than getting them to go back. Freezing for three hours may leave a sour enough disposition in the casual fan that it halts the possibility for future attendance.

Again, I’m fully aware this is the Hail Mary of improvement proposals. I also am aware of the enhancements it would bring to the experience and overall product, and that shouldn’t be ignored.