Tucson – Rockies groundskeeper Mark Razum is no longer the Lawn Ranger.
As part of their strategy to help tame Coors Field, the Rockies kept their outfield grass longer than it’s ever been last season, something manager Clint Hurdle said will continue.
“We did talk to Raz about keeping it as long as we could with the ball still rolling true and not snaking,” Hurdle said. “We want our field to be the best-manicured, the most playable, but if there is an advantage to be had, we are going to have it.”
Since the 2002 advent of the humidor – a chamber where baseballs are stored at manufacturer’s specifications to keep from hardening – the franchise has openly sought ways to normalize the most offense-advantageous ballpark in major- league history. The infield grass also was kept taller a year ago, which benefited a staff full of sinkerball pitchers.
The subtle changes to the sod have not gone unnoticed.
“In the infield, you can really see the difference. The balls don’t skip anymore,” pitcher Jason Jennings said. “I am all for it.”
Aaron Cook made his debut in 2002, and recalled the outfield “playing like a (golf) fairway. It’s better now.”
The theory had long been to exploit Coors Field by making it a fast track. Opposing hitters used to refer to it as a pool table because of the skimmed infield and outfield. Teams tailoring fields to their strengths is nothing new – the Cubs are famous for long infield grass at Wrigley Field and the A’s of the late 1980s helped their hitters by hardening the ground in front of home plate to accelerate chopped groundballs.
“It’s a fine line because the field has to play fair,” said Razum, considered among the finest in the game. “But (Coors Field) is definitely slower.”
Opening day close
A year after the opening-day assignment created a mini-soap opera, complete with a surprise winner (Joe Kennedy) and genuine anger (from Jennings), Hurdle said he will name his top starter before spring-training games begin March 1. He will choose Cook or Jennings.
Cook emerged as the staff ace during the final two months last season, going 4-1 with a 3.76 ERA at home, where the Rockies open April 3 against the Diamondbacks. Jennings is the all-time wins leader at Coors Field and experienced his best three-week stretch as a member of the Rockies before breaking his finger on July 20.
“I am not concerned about it. If it happens, that’s fine,” Jennings said.
Footnotes
Jose Acevedo expects to be named to the Dominican Republic’s World Baseball Classic team today given health concerns surrounding Pedro Martinez and Bartolo Colon. “I know (the Rockies) were concerned (that) if I go, I wouldn’t get to pitch enough,” Acevedo said. “But I would go as a starter, me and (the Diamondbacks’) Claudio Vargas.”…Reliever Jose Mesa is expected to arrive today. Everyone else has reported.
Troy E. Renck can be reached at 303-820-5447 or trenck@denverpost.com.
