The Kansas City Royals are updating a key part of Kauffman Stadium, as the club is installing LED lights prior to the 2018 season.
With this project, the Royals will make a significant change at the ballpark. The process will reportedly involve the removal of 600 “halide” lights, allowing for the installation of 412 LED lights.
Ballparks at the major and minor league levels have been turning to LED lights as an upgrade in recent years, and Kauffman Stadium is now in line to see that improvement. The Royals believe that the new lights will offer several advantages, including the ability to power off and on more quickly than the team had used previously. More from The Kansas City Star:
“We don’t know that it will be noticeable for the average fan, but it will be a big deal for the players and umpires,” said Toby Cook, the Royals’ vice president of publicity.
“The big deal with LEDs, I’m told, is that we can turn them off and on with a push of a button.”
The old lighting system took about 15 minutes to completely turn on.
Cook added that the lights can be programmed to flash or be synchronized to music. That would allow the team to incorporate turning out the lights into a celebration.
This is not the only improvement that the Royals are making at Kauffman Stadium over the offseason. Recently, the team began the process of replacing the playing surface.