As they continue to plan the upcoming Globe Life Field, the Texas Rangers are evaluating whether to install a natural grass or artificial turf playing surface.
Globe Life Field is currently under construction, and is set to open in 2020. One area that the Rangers will have to decide during the construction process is whether the ballpark will include a natural grass or artificial turf playing surface.
Earlier this year, the Rangers indicated that they had not made a final decision and were still considering both artificial and natural grass as options. It appears that the team is still evaluating both possibilities, as indicated recently in comments by vice president of business Rob Matwick. More from SportsDay:
“We’re still studying both,” Matwick said of the grass vs. turf debate. “It’s on everybody’s minds. The only reason we are studying turf is that there have been some real advancements in it. We are still considering both.”
There is no timetable on this decision but given the Rangers’ poor start and relative lack of tradeable commodities, the grass vs. turf question might be the most-anticipated Rangers’ decision of the season.
Matwick knows he’s going to get the question whenever he speaks publicly. He explains that the stadium construction, from glass plate placement to the positioning of the field is all being done with the idea of growing grass. There is some degree of confidence that Paspalum grass, which isn’t a very high maintenance variety, could be grown. It’s the current grass of choice in the retractable roofs of Houston, Miami and Arizona, the three retractable roofs in climates closest to that of Arlington.
Once it does open, Globe Life Field will replace Globe Life Park in Arlington as the Rangers’ home. Globe Life Field is slated to be the first new ballpark to debut in the majors since SunTrust Park opened for the Atlanta Braves in 2017, and MLB’s first new retractable-roof venue since Marlins Park in 2012.
Rendering courtesy HKS and Texas Rangers.
RELATED STORIES: Globe Life Field Construction Making Progress; Rangers Planning Globe Life Field Seating; Rangers Considering Natural Grass Playing Surface at Globe Life Field; Time-Lapse Camera Installed at Globe Life Field Site; College Football at Globe Life Field Discussed; Ground Broken on Live! by Loews-Arlington; Rangers Break Ground on Globe Life Field; Concerns Expressed Over Globe Life Field Design; New Texas Rangers Ballpark Renderings Released; AT&T Stadium Refinanced to Help Pay for Globe Life Field; Rangers Secure $600M in Financing for Globe Life Field; Globe Life Retains Rangers Ballpark Naming Rights