Comparing MLB to Minor League Playing Surfaces

[@jefforta4989]

Very informative. I was expecting Matt to tell us horror stories of a low A or rookie ballpark similar to the one in Brewster's Millions where a freight train was running through the outifeld.

[@isaiahpeters8160]

Love the content! Currently I work at the collegiate level doing sports field maintenance (grounds keeping) and we are fortunate enough to have the budget for multiple people taking care of our natural grass fields. All the stuff you mentioned about the consistency of the playing surface, knowing what the ball is going to do every single time , those aspects and more are what we strive to provide for our athletes and coaches every day

[@shaodynasty1017]

"strive to provide for our athletes and coaches every day" lmao are you describing your job, or trying to get a raise from your boss haha that sounded pretty nerdy. but informative none the less!

[@isaiahpeters8160]

@@shaodynasty1017 what can I say, when your job is to take care of a playing surface that brings in millions of dollars of revenue per year, you work hard to get the details right

[@almostfm]

Funny that you mentioned Dodger Stadium-back before about 1980, the infield was composed of about 70% crushed brick. It was beautiful to look at, but by all accounts, it was really hard. When they finally went to a more standard infield mix, a player from another team was told in Spring Training that they'd softened the infield at Dodger Stadium. His question was "What did they do-pave it??"

[@jkatz1303]

I interned in Willliamsport, PA last summer with their minor league team. Bowman Field is also the host site of the MLB Little League Classic. Because of this we had to keep the field at “MLB Standards” the entire year with regular check-ins from MLB themselves to see how the field held up. Keep in mind we kept this standard with only a 3-man crew consisting of the head groundskeeper, and 2 interns. I was actually the one to design the mowing pattern in the outfield for the MLB game

[@michaeljuran633]

Historic Bowman Field in Williamsport, Pennsylvania used to be a Short Season A field (NY-Penn League, now MLB Draft League.). Due to being used for the annual MLB Little League Classic, it has a major league surface.

[@PhantomSoldier07]

I had the opportunity to step on the double A field for the cubs in Tennessee and that field was the best field I have ever seen or have gotten the privilege to step on. Maybe it’s just me because I’ve played on not so great fields my whole life but it was fantastic.

[@Brashnir]

Re: Nationals Park - I've lived my whole life in Northern Virginia, just across the Potomac, and the region is famous for having a lot of red clay in the dirt. The clay packs together very tightly, and with the high rainfall in the region, even if you try to dig it up and turn it to soften it, it binds back together quickly after a few rainfalls. I'm sure the grounds crew at Nats Park put a softer type of dirt on the infield surface, since it's obviously not the same color as the local dirt, but it's likely sitting on a bed of the region's natural clay, which is probably what makes it bouncy.

[@bobanderson6656]

Late to the party. I grew up playing in the Piedmont of VA. Lot of red clay in our soils. Yeah, it packs up hard. Plays fast. If you have the money, you can put sand on the field to soften it up.

[@gregthegroove]

I got to walk out onto the field after a game with my kids after an Oakland A’s game and it was so nice. The grass was like a beautiful rolled out carpet and the dirt was pristine clay type dirt. The warning track at least. The infield is patchier but man, beautiful!

[@danger170388]

I worked on a minor league field, Golden Park in Columbus, GA. Sometimes it's the type of grass. Columbus used Bermuda grass which grows faster and thicker, so it does slow the ball down

[@billspenc4]

2:18 No wayy Thank you For the shoutout!! Current Grounds Crew Guy Lake Elsinore couldn't agree with you more the field is beautiful!!

[@AntonelliBaseball]

That’s awesome! Great work!

[@higginscountyhi]

Love this video. Hard day today, I needed some just baseball stuff. Thanks man.

[@markyuen2312]

Reno Aces field (Reno, NV) the field starts out great. But, once the summer hits (HEAT), the grass starts to turn brown and the the dirt (infield) starts to turn into cement.

[@stephenjessicatiefenthaler6537]

Was an amateur player in Milwaukee and got the chance to play an All Star Game in Miller Park (American Family Field). It was a world of difference from the county parks I played on. Fastest infield dirt I ever played on. Perfectly flat and smooth. Sliding on that infield dirt was like sliding on field turf. Sliding on the dirt on the county park fields in the summer was like sliding on concrete.

[@bucksdiaryfan]

Excellent vid Matt! Please keep posting on your business development... I love those videos! And they're probably a helpful tutorial for anyone else trying to navigate the bureaucratic steps necessary to advance your business

[@grantbrinton1024]

Nomar Garciaparra played for Red Sox and dodgers, and his time with LA was some of the highest fielding percentages of his career. This really could be because of the playing surface, especially because he was out of his prime when he made it to LA.

[@MH3GL]

Eric Hansen was one of the best 👍

[@k9spjack]

You mean when he stopped using steroids when he came to Los Angeles! As the lack of unnatural muscle mass made him more limber.

[@zachtwillman6292]

I used to work for the Orioles and within the transition zone where Baltimore resides is extremely hard to maintain grass. It’s hot enough in the summer months to have Bermuda grass so the bluegrass is difficult to keep growing strong during a busy season but it also gets cool enough weather for the bluegrass to do well which is what they went with. Although across the parking lot at M&T for the Ravens they have Bermuda instead of bluegrass.

[@baileysmith4744]

whats the pay like for grounds-crew workers?

[@MH3GL]

What year(s) were you there?

[@MH3GL]

@@baileysmith4744 Most are seasonal or interns going to school for this type of work, so you're looking at minimum wage, most likely. Now, if you have a degree/certification in turf management, and are full time.... Probably will start around $35K as an assistant. If you're a Head Groundskeeper at the MLB level, you're making 6 figure - but remember: There's only 32 of those jobs available (so it's one of the rarest jobs in the world). Good luck if you choose to venture down the turf management path 👍

[@baileysmith4744]

@@MH3GL, im not venturing down that path, i was just curious to know what the pay was like

[@Flyersfan28]

Great video! What is the atmosphere in the locker room like during a losing streak and does it impact players play on the field?

[@joe_sindell]

He made a video about that a while ago

[@jeremyramey7291]

I’m not in grounds but have worked for 2 MiLB clubs (still do) and it’s not that they don’t care to work on the field it’s the resources they have available. I’ve been in Low A and Triple A and in low A it was a Spring Training stadium as well the county would do everything they could for 2 months then it would be really 1 or 2 guys the rest of the year. In triple A we have about 4-5 in the off season and 7-9 in season

[@MH3GL]

Bingo 👍

[@SteelersCardinals1]

That's a lot of folks for AAA in my experience. We have 3 all year. Then, if we're lucky, another 4 or 5 guys show up to help a few hours before gates on game days.

[@timmensch3601]

the dirt in dodger stadium comes from quarries in Ventura County or corona California and they sift the sand down to 2mm, so it is consistent

[@gregthegroove]

There are times I’ve shown up to my kids 4th grade little league game where the field is probably a step ABOVE some like urban city high school field that are terribly kept.

[@l.s8404]

How did you like Camden Yards?

[@blacjackdaniels200]

I have a special request/favor. I have a simple question. What are hitters always looking back at after they strike out and are walking back to the dugout? They do it 100% of the time. Are they grilling the pitcher?, looking at the replay? The scoreboard for the MPHs? Anyway Love the content. Can’t get enough of these videos. I had a choice just now between having breakfast with My Wife and listening to her talk about her sister and her grocery list or You taking about the quality of dirt in different ballfields..Clearly I made the right call

[@deusvult6920]

Worst field I ever played on was in South Korea on an army post when I was in high school. There were potholes in the infield. Someone would hit a grounder to short and it would suddenly be a line drive

[@brianmoore6724]

I wish Lake Elsinore was still High A......but yes what a field!!!!

[@meowmeow-wc8ru]

I don't know if you've done a video on this but you should do a video on how walk up songs work

[@tomkmb4120]

Hey Matt - Have you ever heard of or seen the documentary 'A Player to be named later'? It was made in like 2005 and is about life in the minor leagues, I'd love to know how true to your experience it was.

[@joe_sindell]

Did you play at Dr Pepper Ballpark in Frisco, TX? I heard that stadium has a lazy river in the outfield.

[@Ean9881]

Oh damn it’s crazy how bad field conditions can be so dangerous!! Babe Ruth ball our infield was seriously a half step up from concrete! All dirt infield, the ball didn’t slow down AT ALL on its way and more often than not it would hit a stray rock and I’d take one off the chest or kneecap, or even the throat once or twice! Awful!

[@Strosfan85]

What did you think of Wolff Stadium in San Antonio?

[@LtDansLegs69]

I miss the videos like this.

[@yogaflame30]

I love your content, Matt! One question not related to this video. What determines in what level you play in in professional baseball. So what is expected of if you if you play Rookie Ball vs A Ball vs AA etc. Obviously in all leagues pitchers throw 90+ and batters are able to hit that. So for examples do organizations have a matrix which shows for example that in AA Ball, pitchers need to throw 3 pitches for strikes and hitters need to be able to drive the ball consistently opposite field etc.? Greetings from Germany!

[@bobanderson6656]

You're actually mistaken about northern areas being hard to have good grass. Cool climates make it easier to have cool season grasses like bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, and fescue on the field. Everybody that can have it uses bluegrass. It's difficult to have bluegrass in southern areas. Dodger stadium and Petco almost certainly have bermudagrass - nice, but not as pleasant to look at as bluegrass.

[@AntonelliBaseball]

I think I meant just harder to have a nice playing surface I’m general, but the grass part is interesting. I always loved the grass in southern CA

[@MH3GL]

@@AntonelliBaseball it's not harder to have a nice playing surface, just a different approach. The quality of your playing surface is all about moisture management - whether it's the skin or the turf. In So Cal, you're basically in a desert - low humidity - so you have more forgiveness, as water gets absorbed into the air more readily. So, if you over apply, it gets corrected fairly quickly. With northern fields, the humidity is higher, which means you have to be more careful with how much water you apply, and when. Once you have a feel for your surface, it's not an issue, but Mother Nature is always testing you...

[@sidneymartell4372]

Hi what s the secret to baseball card collect ING?

[@14JoeThompson]

Hey Matt, love hearing your thoughts and opinions! Would you mind sharing your thoughts on stadiums that are labeled offensive parks like in Colorado vs defensive parks like in St. Louis. Thanks!!

[@edtignor4235]

Ever play in Nashville? If so, Greer Stadium or First TN Park?

[@SteelersCardinals1]

I believe Matt played at Greer a few times based off of what I've heard him say in videos. The new ballpark was built a few years after he retired.

[@cantrell0817]

I suspect climate is a secondary factor. The primary factor is skill of the head groundskeeper and resources available

[@aljohnson5601]

Did you have a preference between astroturf or natural grass?

[@majestigs]

Same question came to my mind instantly...

[@tomdavis6371]

I'm curious. When I was a kid playing high school ball our fields were crap. They doubled as practice fields for football in the fall and as a result they were torn up and full of ruts, at least in the outfield. Needless to say I witnessed several teamates suffer sprained ankles. And one field I played on was built on a former garbage dump and there was a significant dip right in the shortstop area of the dirt which filled up with arain and became a massive puddle. Today, however, I see high school players playing on synthetic surfaces which appear to be beautiful. Having never played at any professional level, how would a minor league field compare to what I just described? Oh, and as a high school Junior I was able to attend a game at Wrigley Field one day against the Braves and my teamated and I got to tour the visitors clubhouse and dugout as well as go out on the playing field prior to anyone else being in the park. My coach knew somebody who arranged this. I have to say, I never played on any surface anywhere near as nice. I have no idea where Wrigley rates compared to other facilities.

[@danarrington2224]

It seems like a lot of new minor league stadiums are being incorporated into the downtown area of their city. Even low A teams are getting some pretty decent facilities these days. Compare that to the old stadiums from the late 80's and early 90's and it's night and day. I've played in some of the older stadiums (not professionally) like War Memorial Stadium in Greensboro and the old Durham Bulls stadium and back then they were horse tracks. Seriously, there were high school fields that were better than them back then. If you had to earn your keep on those fields, you have my respect.

[@MH3GL]

Eric Hansen (LA Dodgers) and Luke Yoder (SD Padres) were two of the best. If you played on their fields, you experienced perfection of the highest caliber.

[@jonheredia8789]

Sacramento river cats triple A the field is immaculate

[@anthonypang7927]

I remember for the melbourne aces in the abl, one season in the showgrounds, it was an absolute minefield, there was no such thing as a routine infield play! It got ridiculous

[@baileysmith4744]

now its just turf with dirt patches around the bases. the warning track is still rough

[@realld50]

Did you ever play in the Pioneer League?

[@matthewspringer3984]

Did you get to play in the new stadium in Fort Wayne? Without a doubt one of the best in the minor league circuit.

[@stevetee5076]

Never considered type and length of the grass could impact infield conditions.

[@Noah-ys6xl]

Bring back the live streams!!!

[@SteelersCardinals1]

One difference between MiLB and MLB is that MiLB teams will allow the events manager to schedule any old concert or non-baseball event every off week which will tear up the field and ruin it. MLB has the power and money to get the field back in a playable condition before the next home game, but some places, even in AAA, don't do anything to hold the outside event folks accountable.

[@TheMrsLehman]

Crushed brick infields

[@Mike1614YT]

How 'bout college? and are all BB fields real grass?

[@Mike1614YT]

@araparseghian2 Thanks. are all the MLB fields 100% grass?

[@tomober2889]

Nice you finally said “everyone” at the beginning haha

[@jonheredia8789]

Oakland athletics field is very nice

[@positively_broad_st3780]

California League is Low A West now...

[@johnharris6655]

I think Kevin Costner explained the difference between the Majors and Minors in Bull Durham."You hit white balls in batting practice. And the women all have long legs and brains."

[@bryanrmcnair01]

Myrtle Beach Pelicans have good field...but they back by alot ot tourists money from the city!

[@eleminohpee9078]

Mexicans. The grounds keepers in SoCal are mexicans and they know how to landscape!

[@ricky5369]

do the grounds crew get paid more than minor league lol