The Charlotte Knights (Class AAA; International League) have launched an extended netting project at BB&T Ballpark, with the work to be completed prior to the 2020 season.
Through a series of posts on social media Thursday–including the construction photo seen above–the Knights revealed some details on the project. Protective netting at the ballpark will run farther down the base lines when the project is complete, spanning from Section 120 down the third-base line to Section 103 along the first-base line.
Work is underway to extend our protective ballpark netting. pic.twitter.com/nG6njt3U1l
— Charlotte Knights (@KnightsBaseball) January 16, 2020
With work underway, the project should be completed well ahead of BB&T Ballpark’s first games this spring. More from WBTV.com:
“Naturally, this has been a discussion over the last year, even longer,” explained [Knights COO Dan] Rajkowski Thursday.
He said the additional netting will extend down the right field line and the left field line and will protect about 90 percent of the patrons that are sitting behind home plate and both dugouts. Rajkowski said the netting will be 34 feet high, but he isn’t worried about it obstructing any views of the field.
“I’d rather protect you and have you a little uncomfortable in your view than have you hit by a bat or a ball,” said Rajkowski.
There has been a wave of extended netting projects across professional baseball since last season, coming on the heels of a May incident in which a young girl was injured by a foul ball at Houston’s Minute Maid Park. This is continuing into 2020, as Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred said last month that all 30 teams will have extended netting of some sort at their home facilities by the upcoming season, and several clubs around MLB either made changes to netting at their ballparks during the 2019 season or have announced plans to do so for 2020.
Within affiliated Minor League Baseball, several teams either extended netting during the 2019 season or are moving ahead with netting projects at their ballparks for the coming season. More of our extended netting coverage can be found here.
Image, tweeted on January 16, courtesy Charlotte Knights.
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