The Astros on Thursday confirmed that the planned $15M renovations of the center-field area of Minute Maid Park "are scheduled to begin immediately following this season and slated to be completed in time" for the '17 season, according to Angel Verdejo Jr. of the HOUSTON CHRONICLE. The renovations "include a field-level club section, mezzanine seats and a redesigned concourse in center field that will feature concession areas." Astros President of Business Operations Reid Ryan said, "When we looked at the real estate in Minute Maid Park, the only area that we really hadn't maximized was the center-field area." As part of the renovations, the Astros "will remove Tal's Hill." This season, the Astros "have hit about 10 balls to Tal's Hill that resulted in extra bases but would have been home runs with the new dimensions." After the renovations, the Astros "will have the sixth-deepest center field" in MLB. Ryan added, "At the end of the day, the overall consensus was that we were better off utilizing that space, improving the fan experience and giving players a distance, which at 409 is not short" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 8/12).
