TORONTO — The Blue Jays' new AstroTurf playing surface at Rogers Centre is so thick and soft that players believe it's going to suck up a lot of would-be base hits and turn potential doubles and triples into singles in the gaps.
During Toronto’s home-opening series this week against Tampa Bay, Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista told Sportsnet, “It feels like there are no balls that are going to get to the wall.”
When a group of Braves took early batting practice Friday afternoon before a series opener, they came away with the same impression.
“Oh my God, this is awful,” third baseman Chris Johnson said. “This is the slowest field I’ve ever seen.”
Responding to complaints and questions, an official with the turf manufacturer said the field would become faster after the turf gets settled.
Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said, “We were out here doing early hitting, and the ball hit the ground and never made it to the warning track. If you split a gap and it hit the ground, it never made it to the wall. I read a couple of things today, I don’t know whether it’s just going to take a couple of months to settle down or settle in, but it’s noticeably slow. So we’ll see how that plays for us….
“If I was a fast guy, I’d be using it to my advantage, because for the third baseman to stop me (on a bunt), he would have to play, like, even with the pitcher.”
Johnson was asked if it might affect defensive positioning.
“Well, maybe,” he said. “Because if there’s a guy in scoring position you might have to play in some, because on a ground ball through the hole…you watch BP, the ball doesn’t get to the outfield. It just dies. Stops. It’s so thick. Balls are just stopping in the middle of the outfield, just sitting.”
Braves DH plans: With the designated-hitter rule in use for interleague series in American League ballparks, the Braves used Chris Johnson to DH in Friday's series opener, with Alberto Callaspo at third base. Gonzalez said right fielder Nick Markakis would DH in Saturday's day game following the series-opening night game, and first baseman Freddie Freeman will DH in Sunday's series finale. Johnson will shift from third base to start at first base Sunday.
