I kind of started getting used to, ‘Okay, I might lose the ball a little bit in this area of the roof if it’s hit over here I can see it better.’ … I think it could give us an advantage, in terms of teams coming in here, not being used to that roof, not being used to the sunlight coming through the top of the roof. That’s why it was so important training, the last two months, being here. “It’s a little tough to get used to that, a little bit. “I think the roof is going to be the toughest part,” the slugging outfielder admitted on Saturday. We’ll see how the night games play starting tonight, but for Gallo, at least, the day games have provided a bit of adventure. It’s less “sentimental anticipation” and more “creeping dread” /IiRtougjfa Not the emotions I expected to feel while watching batting practice for the first time at this place. As you can see in this photo, the mid-day sun provides some interesting lines on the field, though they do disappear by mid-afternoon (pardon the existential caption)… The surface is great.” How is the roof?Īnother big change from last year is the roof.
“I want to take about 30 or 40 balls and just roll ’em down the line see how it plays in a bunt situation, or see where the lip is, how many times that ball hits the lip - is it going to bounce high, or is it just going to glide through? But, yeah, it’s playing smooth. “It’s playing pretty smooth,” was the reaction of third baseman Todd Frazier, back on July 5. But from the time I’ve been here, I do like it.” When games and intrasquads start, we’ll see how it really plays. I think it might play a little fast, just being that turf surface. Sometimes you get turf that’s really bouncy, which is sometimes good and bad, depending on how the ball bounces. I’m a little more used to it, I’d say, than guys who maybe never played on it,” Solak began. So far, so good, says Nick Solak, who has been playing primarily in the outfield this season. But the Globe Life Field turf uses ground-up coconut shells to more closely simulate dirt. One of the enduring problems with turf is that the tiny rubber pellets used in place of dirt make the ball bounce higher. Growing up playing on grass, you are concerned, but I don’t think this will cause any problems. This feels very normal, and I actually like it a lot. “The turf feels different than Arizona,” said Joey Gallo last week. Would the team be able to keep natural grass healthy? If not, would they be able to find turf that played fair and the players didn’t hate? Skepticism was warranted, but by all accounts, the Rangers seem to have made good on their promise to improve on the turf that the Diamondbacks play on in Chase Field. How is the turf?Īlmost before the words “retractable roof” cleared the mouths of Rangers’ spokespeople, the question about the playing surface sparked to the top of discussions. The new stadium is set to open in March 2020.Instead, in addition to the workouts that players were allowed to do in the weeks leading up to the grand re-opening of baseball, they’re getting 21 days, with at least some semblance of a game on 20 of them (yesterday’s workouts were optional, and no scrimmage was played).Īs we blow past the halfway point, it’s worth checking in to see how the players feel about a few key aspects of Globe Life Field. “Make it feel like an open air facility minus all the heat or rain,” Matwick said. The design seemingly provides plenty of light to support a grass field. No decision has been made yet on whether it will be real grass or artificial turf.
The other big concern with the new stadium is the field itself.
“We’ll play the game, start on time, play without interruption, a benefit for fans and eliminate the consideration of whether or not the game is gonna be played on a given night,” said Rob Matwick, Rangers Executive Vice President of Business Operations. Rangers officials hope it will be a big draw.
The retractable roof was the big selling point when Arlington voters approved the $1.2 billion ballpark in 2016. Over the next six to seven months, fans will also notice giant trusses spanning the entire field. “If you’re a fan and driving or walking by, you will start to see a big track, literally a railroad track,” said Jack Hill, Rangers Sr. The Rangers said they opted for a single-panel roof because it will avoid leaks when it rains. Construction on the roof is underway and will be finished in October.
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