With championship turf in place, Legacy Field unveiled by MLB, Rangers

DALLAS -- A field for champions.

Just 20 minutes away from its original home in Globe Life Field, players of the Rangers MLB Youth Academy will be stepping on the same turf that the Rangers stepped on when they won their first World Series in 2023.

“It’s truly the meaning of legacy,” said April Brown, the senior vice president of social responsibility at MLB. “This field will live on here for generations of youth to be able to have access and to play our sport.”

MLB and the Rangers unveiled the completion of the renovated “Legacy Field” at the Rangers MLB Youth Academy at Mercy Street Complex on Friday as part of the All-Star Legacy program ahead of the Midsummer Classic. The highlight of the project was the installation of repurposed turf from Globe Life Field that was used during the 2023 Fall Classic.

“This fully turfed state-of-the-art field is going to allow us to have an enhanced and continued programming here for the community,” said Juan Garciga, the senior director of the Rangers Youth Academy and Baseball Development. “It’s a wonderful celebration of youth baseball and the hard work and efforts that have been put in by so many people behind the scenes."

The goal is to limit the amount of canceled games and provide a safe environment for participants to play more consistently. Last year, the academy lost more than two months of play due to rainouts. The field was also divided into three, with two mini fields in the outfield corners so the U9 and U12 players could benefit as well.

“We heard that we were going to change out the field for the All-Star game and immediately that was a dream wish of ours, because the [Legacy Field] was a beautiful grass field, but the reality is Texas weather is unpredictable,” said Karin Morris, the executive director of the Texas Rangers Foundation. “... Working with Mercy Street, we went and scouted fields that have three 12U fields and thought, ‘This is our time, this is our moment to get our dream fulfilled.’”

Along with the turf installation, the initiative included field leveling and the installation of new fencing, netting, scoreboard, shade over the existing bleachers and dugouts to improve the quality of the field.

The program has an ongoing enrollment of 5,000 participants and 125,000 since it opened. Now, current and future participants who play on “Legacy Field” will be able to share with their friends and family their experience playing on the same turf as Marcus Semien, Corey Seager and the rest of the Rangers’ World Series team.

“It’s a great story to tell. The kids knowing that they are stepping foot on the field where the Rangers won their first World Series Championship, it’s a cool story to tell,” Garciga said. “The kids get a kick out of it, but I think the parents get more excited.

“It just continues to tell the story that this is a Major League facility in the heart of West Dallas that is available and accessible to all the young people in the community at no cost.”

The first to be able to do so were the Nationals and Rangers Youth Academy teams, who christened the field by playing their first game of the All-Star Commissioners Cup. The contest was underway following the ceremonial first pitches caught by Rangers alumni Mark McLemore and Darren Oliver.

“That’s what it’s about,” Garciga said. “... The idea is that 15 minutes after we announce it, cut a ribbon. We have a high-quality, competitive baseball game happening here with the kids in great uniforms, with great umpires and just great people all around. It’s a celebration of the game and that’s what the All-Star experience is all about. It’s about celebrating baseball.”