SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - You might notice something different about six of the 10 Cactus League stadiums this spring. HohoKam, Scottsdale, Tempe Diablo, Maryvale, Goodyear and Surprise Stadium are all extending the safety netting to at least the end of the player's dugouts.
"Maybe you notice it - the first time you go to a game you will notice it, and then after that I think it's something you won't even notice," says Andrew Bagnato with the Cactus League. The initiative was taken by each individual team, as the Cactus League itself has not directed its ballparks to make the change.
"It's our understanding that eventually they will all be suited that way," Bagnato said about the other four parks making a change next year.
All 30 Major League Baseball ballparks will extend their netting over the dugout seats starting on Opening Day 2018. This initiative by baseball is to prevent fan injuries from bats or balls coming into the stands.
Three fans, including a 2-year-old girl, were severely injured at Yankee Stadium alone during the 2017 season.
"You want to watch the game, but you want to make sure your kids are safe, so it's good to know they are protecting everybody," Devan Soto said while holding her son Jase at Scottsdale Stadium.
Soto feels much safer at the games thanks to the new nets, but critics complain about paying top dollar for seats with an obstructed view.
Either way, it's becoming the new norm for professional baseball in 2018, and it's a move for safety.
