FIELD OF THE YEAR PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL
I have thought about applying for this award for as long as I have been with the West Michigan Whitecaps , but it was only going to be for the right reasons . Now is the time that this very old field gets the recognition that it deserves . This field has taken on a great deal of abuse — not just from baseball games but special events . Looking back over the last year — and even the last 30 years — the field has endured countless football games , concerts , Nitro Circus , banquets and corporate events , and it somehow comes back for more . This field has time and again performed at the highest of quality for the Detroit Tigers organization and the other affiliated teams that have come through its gates . I pushed this field to get the last little bit out of it . My staff bought into the process , believed and did the very same thing . Their countless hours of perfecting this old surface should be celebrated with this award . Believing that a field should be aesthetically pleasing but also the safest possible for any baseball player has been the team motto since day one . Every groundskeeper — past and present — who has spent time with this old field should be able to say they were part of this award . This field is 30 years old with a full field renovation on the horizon in the fall of 2024 . The best way for this field to go out is with the SFMA Professional Baseball Field of the Year award .
— Mitch Hooten , head groundskeeper sportsfieldmanagementonline . com March 2024 | SportsField Management
11