Citi Field: First Impressions (Baseball Prospectus Unfiltered)

I reviewed the Yankees’ new place, so now it’s the Mets’ turn:

First, some caveats: Citi Field is a typical HOK Populous modern stadium, with all that goes with that: Field-level seats close to the action, a wall of luxury/club seating in the middle, an upper deck that’s higher than you’d expect at old-time ballparks, overly quirky outfield dimensions, more places to buy overpriced food than some (present company included) might think necessary. The Mets owners have been fond of comparing their new taxpayer-aided home to Ebbets Field; the comparison doesn’t hold much better here than it did for Miller Park, which made the same claim.

That said, it’s immediately clear that the Mets got most of the details right here, especially compared to their rivals across the East River… [read more]