The Frederick Keys (High A; Carolina League) have announced Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium improvements for 2019, highlighted by a local craft beer stand and extended netting. Frederick’s 4 ½ Taphouse, a local craft brewery stand, will open in May and be located on the third base concourse. Other additions include extended ballpark netting, concourse speaker movement and the addition of a new warning track.
“To make each season the best possible experience for our fans, we need to be re-evaluating and looking for ways to improve our ballpark each season,” said Keys General Manager Dave Ziedelis. “Frederick’s craft beer season is outstanding and adding this new stand will showcase that. We also want to ramp up fan safety-especially in regards to foul line drives hit down the lines.”
The 4 ½ Taphouse is expected to open in early May, while the area is named after the number of innings required for a regulation baseball game. It will feature 24 taps from local breweries, including many new ones in the Frederick area. Taps will range from lagers to IPAs and many more as well as Nymeo Field staples Flying Dog Brewery, Brewer’s Alley and Monocacy Brewing Company. This space replaces Hot Dog Nation on the third base concourse. More details will be released as the area gets closer to completion.
Netting down each foul line will be extended to the back corners of the first and third base dugouts starting this year. In addition, starting this season, speakers will be placed under the concourse. This is intended to make it easier for fans to hear the public address announcer, improve communication during rain delays, and add to the overall fan experience.
Other ballpark improvements include newly installed catwalks on the back of the scoreboard and videoboard. These will assist with periodic ballpark maintenance. On the field, a new warning track has been installed to improve player safety.