Bullpen Dimensions

[Megobee]

Ok- more field questions-
1) what kind of width should you provide for a comfortable single lane bullpen? I planned on 10' but due to a tight spot with an existing condition, the town (who is running the project) is suggesting 8'-0". 8' seems wide enough but if you have 6' fences all around it might "feel" tight. thoughts?
2) we will have a 6'-0" high fence on the field side, but how do you feel about a low fence or no fence on the "spectator side"
thanks!

 

[Eric F]

Make it as wide as you can make it. If all you can get is 8', take all 8'.

 

[Northball]

Pitchers won't feel pinched by 8', but the wider the better. Maybe you can talk them into an even wider bullpen for two lanes. Tell them it's a safety issue to get the four pitchers off the sides of the infield warming up before the game and what a no-man's land the backstop area is behind those four warm-up catchers.
I would go with a fence on the spectator side, you don't want a pre-schooler running in there at the wrong time.
Side note, it's rare to find a dugout that is deep enough and the openings are wide enough. Good thing you have two openings.

 

[Lemond]

Would be nice to have a gate on the side closest to the dugout. Inevitably, someone will want/need to make it from dugout to the pen or vice versa during an inning, so nice to have the shorter path to get there.

We travel to a field every yr that has a short fence on the spectator side, and like North said, it is good for keeping the riffraff out of the way. Having it higher did not seem necessary.

 

[bobbyb]

We went big..12 foot wide 8 ft fence all around but we wanted enough room for the girls to slip out there and hit into a net.

I would think 8 foot wide is not a cramped feeling with a 6 ft fence...although that would be the minimum I would want for just pitching. Aesthetically our group didn't want one fence side high and one low and as mentioned...for safety we wanted a fence all around.

 

[Megobee]

Good info, thanks! Is 8’ wide enough to hit into a net?

 

[bobbyb]

Personally... I would want your 10ft as a minimum for swinging.

 

[Eric F]

Personally... I would want your 10ft as a minimum for swinging.

For hitting, 10' isn't really enough. I built a 10' wide batting cage in my backyard. It only works because we offset the plate more to one side to allow space for my DD to swing without getting caught in the net. To be able to use both sides of the plate, you need 12' minimum.

 

[bmakj]

For hitting, 10' isn't really enough. I built a 10' wide batting cage in my backyard. It only works because we offset the plate more to one side to allow space for my DD to swing without getting caught in the net. To be able to use both sides of the plate, you need 12' minimum.

moveable HP, or dual HP, would resolve this.

 

[riseball]

I think 8 feet wide is fine for pitching. However, I would go longer. Currently you have 8 feet behind the pitcher which is minimal if you consider walk throughs. That said, if at some point the distance changes to 46' now you only have 5 feet behind the pitcher. Since fencing is typically installed in 8 foot increments I would go with 64 feet total length (8 sections @ 8 feet each) and provide 12 feet behind the pitcher. Then in the event the distance does go to 46 feet you will still have 9 feet behind the pitcher instead of 6 feet. I would also move the entry to the bullpen to 4 feet from the back wall by the catcher. That way your battery can duck in and out of the bullpen quickly and not have to traverse the full length of the bullpen while on the field of play just to get in and out. FWIW you never want to install a gate as shown. Adding a 4 foot section with a right angle will provide more stability to the design.

Also, a low fence on the spectator side is fine, but you must have a fence! Otherwise you will constantly have to shoo spectators out of the bullpen along with their chairs, coolers and umbrellas during a game.