Texas Rangers: How MLB could play the 2020 season at “neutral” sites
By Cody Smith
Major League Baseball has been looking far and wide for ways that it can play the 2020 season with as many games as possible. One of their ideas involves the Texas Rangers.
A lot of different ideas have been floated throughout baseball regarding how MLB deals with the lockdown caused by COVID-19. And the most recent speculation has landed with the Texas Rangers hosting a MLB version of the “Texas League.”
Traditionally, the Texas League involves AA minor league teams that play in the state of Texas, thus the name. But with the MLB looking everywhere for ways to play the upcoming season, they could potentially settle with having a league in the state of Texas.
The idea honestly makes sense. If they are looking to have an additional location or two instead of Arizona, as the state of Texas is ideal because it has two MLB stadiums and both have roofs overhead.
First, let’s start with the city of Houston. They could ideally get in three, maybe four games per day in at Minute Maid. Then MLB could look to outsource other games to possibly college stadiums in the area, as there are three NCAA Division 1 baseball teams in the city. If the MLB decided to play at college stadiums, they may have to do some slight modifications to the dimensions of the outfields, but besides that, most of them should be good to go, weather permitting.
The MLB could also look to reach a deal with the Sugar Land Skeeters on their stadium to have some games played there as well, since they are a part of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. The league is not affiliated with the MLB, but it requires that their stadiums be maintained at or above the same level as AAA affiliates of MLB teams.
So assuming all of those modifications and deals can be made, there are five stadiums in the city of Houston that can be utilized to play baseball, which means ten teams could technically play in Houston in one day at each of the stadiums.
Now on to DFW…
The new home of the Texas Rangers, Globe Life Field, is ready to rock and roll for whenever baseball starts. And like Minute Maid, it can potentially play three to four games per day. Then in the area the Rangers AA affiliate, the Frisco RoughRiders, play a little ways down the road. It is an outdoor stadium, but is capable for two to three MLB games per day. Maybe just one in the morning and one at night because of the Texas heat.
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Still in the DFW area there are three or four Division 1 baseball programs that come to mind, that would be the same situation as the Houston area colleges. Fort Worth also has LaGrave Field, where the Fort Worth Cats used to play. That stadium would need some work because it has been abandoned, but could potentially be suitable, depending on how much work is needed for it.
If LaGrave does not need too much work, then DFW would have probably five or more suitable fields to play baseball on, and help the MLB make the season happen in 2020.
Honestly, if the MLB wanted to, they could put the National League in Houston with the Astros, and the American League in DFW, with the Texas Rangers. They could let them play that way, and bump Houston to the National League for 2020 to make the sides even-numbered, and force their hitters to bat as a further punishment for cheating. A morning and night game can be played at the outdoor fields, then three or four can be played at the indoor stadiums, and the afternoon at the outdoor stadiums can be blocked out for double headers caused by bad weather.
Having the entire MLB in Texas could honestly be a suitable idea for the league to pursue in 2020, and although it is probably unlikely, it would be fun to see this state be a baseball hub for the year, even if fans are not allowed at any of the games.