Report: Phillies Trying to Get that Sweet, Kentucky Bluegrass to Slow Down Ground Balls
A few years ago, the field surface at Citizens Bank Park was Kentucky Bluegrass, the most popular playing surface in baseball. After the Winter Classic, CBP switched to Riviera Bermudagrass in an effort to have the surface “hold up better in both the cold and hot extremes of Philadelphia.” Riviera Bermudagrass, according to the official website for bermudagrass, has “excellent divot recovery rate,” and is “significantly more cold tolerant” than other strains of bermudagrass. Cool. But Bluegrass, which is in 16 parks compared to Bermudagrass’ eight, “takes an extremely long time to take root, sometimes as long as a year.”
That isn’t stopping Andy MacPhail from wanting to make the switch (back) in the infield, at least according to Howard Eskin. MacPhail reportedly wants a slower infield, which should lead to more outs off of ground balls, which is just smart baseball. Common sense says you’d rather have hitters hit grounders than liners or fly balls. Advanced statistics back it up, even for players known for their speed.
It’s a small thing, for sure, but the sort of extra 2% edge the Phillies never sought under Ruben Amaro. And they are now an organization that in the weeds far enough to consider grass changes for actual baseball reasons, not just because it’s easier to maintain and the NHL is paying for it.