Member of the Atlanta Braves are reportedly considering appealing to the MLB players’ union over the poor conditions of the infield at Turner Field.
According to ESPN’s Doug Padilla, there is a belief that, with the stadium in its final season of use, the field is not being treated with the same care as it has been in the past, with the grass being uneven and the turf meeting the grass is characterized as “unpredictable.”
The hope of the Braves players is reportedly that the union will pressure the Braves into doing something about the infield.
The impacts are obvious. Erick Aybar, a former Gold Glove winner, committed two errors in the first four home games. On April 9, the Braves at St. Louis Cardinals combined to make six errors. The Los Angeles Dodgers are currently in town and have made four errors in two games.
“This is a tough infield,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “You look at Dodger Stadium vs. this field, and this field, the guys talk about it around the league that it is not the best infield as far as playing.”
Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal admitted that the playing surface was a factor.
“We talked about it,” Grandal said. “Behind home plate, I felt it was very soft. But then again, it’s not our home field. It all depends on how the infielders like it here. We just have to adjust to every playing field we go to and make plays. Obviously it was a little hard for us the last two days, making a couple of errors, but that’s all right.”
The Braves are bad enough this year. It’s worse that their infield is unplayable. You can bet this guy is happy to be out of there.
