Toronto Blue Jays to get dirt infield for 2016

[mikecubs]

Blue Jays’ infield getting a dirt makeover

The changes keep on coming for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Following their upgraded level of play in the 2015 season, and the recent rehaul of upper management, the infield at the Rogers Centre will also be undergoing a makeover.

According to the Blue Jays’ senior-vice president of business, Stephen R. Brooks, the Rogers Centre will be getting an all-dirt infield.

The news broke in an unexpected fashion.

London, Ont. native Andrew Goodfellow asked Brooks on Twitter when the team would be switching to a dirt surface.

Andrew Goodfellow @goody0602
Hey @sbrooksbaseball any idea when we might know if @rogerscentre will have a dirt in-field in time for next season?
4:34 PM - 16 Dec 2015

Brooks then responded.

Stephen R Brooks @sbrooksbaseball
Plan to start in Feb.

…

An all-dirt surface will help make the ballpark more aesthetically-pleasing but could also have an impact on the Jays all-star infielders.

Having dirt underfoot in the infield may be easier on the body for third baseman Josh Donaldson and shortstop Troy Tulowitzski, potentially preventing injuries. The new dirt surface could also be less painful to slide on.

The installation of the dirt infield may be one of many renovations in the next few years. The University of Guelph signed a contract with the Blue Jays in February to research different strains of grass under lighting similar to the artificial light in the Rogers Centre.

Out of all the stadiums with retractable roofs, only the Rogers Center still maintains an artificial surface.

An all-dirt surface will help make the ballpark more aesthetically-pleasing but could also have an impact on the Jays all-star infielders.

Having dirt underfoot in the infield may be easier on the body for third baseman Josh Donaldson and shortstop Troy Tulowitzski, potentially preventing injuries. The new dirt surface could also be less painful to slide on.

The installation of the dirt infield may be one of many renovations in the next few years. The University of Guelph signed a contract with the Blue Jays in February to research different strains of grass under lighting similar to the artificial light in the Rogers Centre.

Out of all the stadiums with retractable roofs, only the Rogers Center still maintains an artificial surface.

globalnews.ca/news/2412522/blue-jays-infield-getting-a-dirt-makeover/

[mikecubs]

This is a great move for the Blue Jays. It shouldn't cost too much and will help with injuries and make the park look a little bit like an actual park.

Photo shopped pic of what it will look like other than the baselines.

[mikecubs]

Now for the bad news!

Grass to be weighed against other Rogers Centre renovations

Installing a dirt infield at Rogers Centre is possible for the 2016 season but retrofitting the aging domed stadium to support natural grass will be weighed against other needed renovations, according to Toronto Blue Jays president and CEO Mark Shapiro.

Under former president and CEO Paul Beeston, the team commissioned experts at the University of Guelph earlier this year to examine the feasibility of a grass field with an eye toward switching to a natural surface in 2018.

Shapiro, speaking Thursday at the annual meeting of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America’s Toronto chapter, didn’t completely kibosh the plan, but made it clear that it wasn’t the be-all, end-all for a stadium in need of a major renovation.

"My opinion is we don’t need (natural grass)," he said. "My opinion is clearly it would be better, it’s just a question of alternatives and what we’re going to have to choose between."

Shapiro is working on what he described as a "comprehensive plan" of building needs, from basic infrastructure requirements such as fortifying the dome’s concrete, keeping the roof working, renewing seats and updating the scoreboard to fan-experience details such as how the seating bowl is configured and improving other amenities.

"We’re going to have a capital project list that deals with how do we renovate Rogers Centre," Shapiro explained. "We’re going to have to prioritize. It’s like anything in life, you’re not going to be able to do the entire laundry list. On that list likely will be grass once we are certain it can be done and understand the cost-implications of doing it.

"Watching from a distance, the way the new turf played it doesn’t detract from the game. It’s obviously a game that’s more fun to watch with natural grass, but being a dome, I think the turf plays extremely well right now."

Assistant GM Tony LaCava added the dome’s new turf, installed last season, has reduced the toll on players’ bodies and that complaints have been reduced dramatically. That, coupled with the building’s many other needs and the evolution of sports watching, appears to be altering the club’s perspective.

"Ballpark experiences now need to be compelling, they need to draw people out of their home," said Shapiro.

A budget has yet to be set for the renovations, although estimates have ranged from the $200-$400 million range.

"We need to come forward with a comprehensive plan of what the building needs are and where we think the highest impact for our fans and the highest impact for our players (are) for scope of projects that exist," said Shapiro.

Meanwhile, general manager Ross Atkins said the Blue Jays continue to hunt for pitching to bolster the club, adding that discussions are ongoing both in trade and free agents.

"Really it’s just pitching in general," he said. "More likely it will be a bullpen add but we’re going to stay open-minded and if there’s a way we can create it, just add depth to our pitching and fortify our pitching staff. It’s definitely not limited to the bullpen, I just think it’s more likely that’s where we can add."

LaCava said the Blue Jays will also soon have a series of minor-league signings to announce.

www.sportsnet.ca/baseball/mlb/grass-to-be-weighed-against-other-rogers-centre-renovations/

[mikecubs]

So to recap the Jays get a dirt infield probably cheaply which is good. The bad is they are going to spend $200-$400M just to bring the park back to it's 1989 standards and won't even get grass. YIKES! The Jays and Shapiro are getting killed in comment sections/Jays message boards. Most of the fans think Shipiro/Rogers are part of an evil American plot to kill MLB in Canada. I don't think that is true but they are sure idiots. A new park should be constructed on the site of the Dome and the Jays should play in Montreal a few years. A lot of Jays fans have come up with/supported this idea.

[Lions67]

Big deal.
This is hockey season!

[wolfmannick]

Dec 21, 2015 23:36:16 GMT -6 mikecubs said:

So to recap the Jays get a dirt infield probably cheaply which is good. The bad is they are going to spend $200-$400M just to bring the park back to it's 1989 standards and won't even get grass. YIKES! The Jays and Shapiro are getting killed in comment sections/Jays message boards. Most of the fans think Shipiro/Rogers are part of an evil American plot to kill MLB in Canada. I don't think that is true but they are sure idiots. A new park should be constructed on the site of the Dome and the Jays should play in Montreal a few years. A lot of Jays fans have come up with/supported this idea.

I don't think one or two lame duck seasons in Montreal would work. The big O is a dump and people wouldn't go to games when they had a full time team. Would it be possible for them to play at BMO field or something like that for a year or two while a new park is being built?

[mikecubs]

BMO is way way too small field wise. It would never work. Olympic Stadium would work for a couple seasons. Yes it's a horrible dump but Montreal has been without baseball so long people would come for a couple seasons bad stadium/bad location and all. It would be a win win. Montreal could prove itself further, Jays get a real park.

The Big O did draw great from 79 through 83 and even from 84-94 they did average over 20,000. It was the last 10 years when they knew a new park wasn't coming and the Expos were going to Washington is when it totally fell apart. With the excitement of the exhibition games the Jays would do ok a few full seasons.

[mikecubs]

Another photo shopped pic

[mikecubs]

It's now 100% official that the jays are getting a dirt infield. Besides being safer and looking better here is how else it will make a difference.

Blue Jays to add dirt infield for 2016 and what it may mean

Toronto Blue Jays ✔ @bluejays
We are pleased to announce that work will begin the week of Feb 8 to install a regulation dirt infield in time for the 2016 regular season

So this is interesting. In an attempt to look and play like the other infields around the majors, the Toronto Blue Jays will have a new dirt infield for 2016. Instead of just the cutouts around the bases, the field will now have dirt extending all around the basepaths, with the interior remaining turf. (Unlike some fields in Japan, where the entire infield is dirt.)

What are the ramifications? I have to think Blue Jays infielders like Josh Donaldson and Troy Tulowitzki will be happy, no longer having to make as many plays on the concrete turf there.

Will there be a larger affect? Will this lead to more or fewer hits? I would assume turf is faster than dirt, so presumably it would lead to a lower batting average on groundballs. In 2015, the American League hit .242 on groundballs, ranging from the Tigers' .263 mark to the White Sox's .228 average. The Blue Jays hit .232 on groundballs. To see the potential influence of a home park, let's look at each team's difference between home batting average on groundballs and road batting average:

Yankees: +.043

Tigers: +.040

Mariners: +.037

Indians: +.034

Twins: +.028

Orioles: +.028

A's: +.027

Red Sox: +.023

Astros: +.021

Angels: +.021

Royals: +.012

Rangers: +.002

White Sox: -.003

Rays: -.005

Blue Jays: -.023

As you can see, nearly every team hits better on groundballs at home. Collectively, the AL hit .252 at home on grounders and .233 on the road. Yes, the road numbers include pitchers hitting in National League parks, but this influence is almost zero. Blue Jays pitchers had just 21 at-bats in 2015 and seven of those were strikeouts.

So what causes this the home-field advantage? I'm not quite sure. In general, all players hit better at home: They're more rested, more familiar with the environment, and so on. But maybe they run a little harder at home? Maybe managers are more apt to play a bench player -- and thus a lesser hitter or inferior fielder -- on the road?

The Blue Jays, however, were the worst team in the league in groundballs at home, 23 points lower than on the road (.220 versus .243). Their pitchers, meanwhile, allowed a .196 average on grounders at home (second-lowest in the AL behind the Astros) and .245 on the road. So maybe the turf at the Rogers Centre isn't concrete but is actually slow.

It's also possible that 2015 was just a weird aberration. In 2014, the Blue Jays hit .277 at home on grounders and .232 on the road. The year before it was .239 at home and .219 on the road. Here's the five-year data since 2011:

Blue Jays hitters on groundballs

Home: .245 (.243 league average)

Away: .225 (.231 league average)

Blue Jays pitchers on groundballs

Home: .220 (.232 league average)

Away: .236 (.242 league average)

Conclusion: I'm not sure the turf had any sizable impact. Blue Jays hitters were a little better at home but a little worse on the road. Blue Jays pitchers were 12 points better at home compared to six points better on the road. Maybe the turf was slightly slower than a traditional dirt infield. If so, we could expect the new all-dirt infield to generate a few more hits. Last year the Blue Jays hit 933 groundballs at home; a five-point increase in batting average -- from .220 to .225 -- would lead to 18 additional hits at home over the season. Of course, keep in mind that the Blue Jays' batting average at home last year was low; they were likely to hit for a higher average on groundballs no matter the infield configuration.

Anyway, we know this: The all-dirt infield will look better and Troy Tulowitzki's knees are probably happy as a result.

espn.go.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/id/68053/blue-jays-to-add-dirt-infield-for-2016-and-what-it-may-mean

[delicategenius]

[mikecubs]

They've started breaking concrete to make the dirt infield.








A mock up by the head groundskeeper of what the finished product will look like