A Critique of Turf Baseball Fields

     Turf Baseball Fields are vastly different compared to a grass and dirt field. In my opinion, turf fields bring more negatives than positives to the table. Turf fields bring an increased risk of injury, playability issues, lack of aesthetic appeal, and lack of adaptability to extreme weather situations.

    Increased risk of injury can be a big problem with turf baseball fields. One of the most significant concerns with turf fields is turf burn, as well as added stress on joints and muscles. Baseball players are always sliding from base to base when stealing, or diving in order to catch a flyball. When you dive onto a grass field, you'll most likely get grass stains and some redness. However, with a turf field, a player will most likely get turf burn when sliding or diving which is a very painful rash as a result of the friction. Turf fields also tend to be firmer than a grass field. Surprisingly enough, this can cause unnecessary stress on joints and muscles that players don't need more of especially when playing at a professional level. 

    Turf baseball fields also come with a good amount of playability issues. Grass on a baseball field is important, since it slows down the ball. When the entire field is turf, the ball doesn't get slowed down nearly as much, making playing much more difficult. Just picture this, you're an infielder, and the batter hits a ground ball with moderate speed. That ball will be a routine field for you if there was grass. However, if the field is all turf, suddenly, that ball is coming at you much faster. This not only makes fielding and making plays more difficult, but also much harder to do. When playing on a turf field, is it important for each player to get used to the faster paced play of how the game is going to be.

    When playing baseball at a high school, college, or professional level, typically you and the organization you play for want the field to look nice and represent your school. Well with a turf field, there isn't really much to maintain, which some might see as a positive. I, however, think this is a negative. From my time playing baseball in high school and attending several college and professional baseball games, I think having a grass field that is maintained is a much better look. Also, from my time playing in high school, after every home game, our coaches would make us do maintenance on the field, so it was ready to go for the next home game. I enjoyed dragging the field and making sure no dirt chunks got into the grass, because it made our field look neat and clean. To me, a grass field will always be more aesthetically pleasing.

    The last critique I have about turf fields is their lack of adaptability to extreme weather. Turf fields are praised for their ability to withstand muddy conditions as well as heavy rain. The one thing they aren't praised for is extreme heat. Turf fields can become extremely hot in the summer or direct sunlight, which can sometimes mean the turf field is actually hotter than the surrounding area. When a turf field gets this hot, it becomes dangerous to play on, or just make the field outright unplayable. A traditional grass baseball field may get muddy, but that's why you have extra dirt and rakes around, to make the field playable. Grass fields also don't get dangerously hot.