MLB is 'keeping an eye' on effect of new turf at Rogers Centre
MLB is "keeping an eye" on the new turf surface at Rogers Centre and the impact it is having on play.
By
Mike Axisa
•
1 min read
The Blue Jays have only played three games at home at the Rogers Centre so far this season, but MLB is already monitoring the new state of the art turf playing surface according to John Lott of the National Post. The new turf is very soft and ground balls have died on the infield rather than hop through for base hits.
Lott hears from a source that MLB is "keeping an eye" on the way the new surface affects play. The league is not concerned right now but they are monitoring the situation the same way they would monitor any ballpark change that could impact play. Here's more from Lott:
Give it time and more games, and the field will play faster, AstroTurf vice-president Kenny Gilman said in an interview. And the complicated process of removing the artificial grass between Blue Jays homestands might also help to make the field play faster, he said.
The removal machinery applies “extreme pressure” to the turf when it is rolled up, helping to stabilize the rubber pellets that form the infill and flatten the synthetic blades of grass, Gilman said. Over time, playing on it will do the same thing.
“I think both AstroTurf and the Blue Jays feel it’s a little slower than we thought it would play,” he said. “But it’s brand new and it will definitely speed up.”
Having watched the last few games, there were definitely some ground balls that looked like they would go through the infield off the bat only to slow down on the turf. There have also been some weird bounced and bad hops.
But, more importantly, a game earlier this week was delayed when Rays shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera got one of those little rubber pellets in his eye after fielding a ground ball. Cabrera was fine, but still, that's dangerous.
The new turf was installed this winter. The Blue Jays are hoping to install a natural grass surface in time for the 2018 season, but engineers are reportedly having a tough time developing an irrigation system, among other things.
