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Ross Baron receives turf manager award – again

Minor League Baseball has announced that Vancouver Canadians head groundskeeper Ross Baron is recipient of the Sports Turf Manager of the Year Award for the Northwest League.
Turf
Ross Baron: three-time winner.

Minor League Baseball has announced that Vancouver Canadians head groundskeeper Ross Baron is recipient of the Sports Turf Manager of the Year Award for the Northwest League. This is the third consecutive time the award has been given to the Vancouver Canadians, and all have been under Baron’s leadership.

Baron, 33, is a native of Gibsons who graduated from the University of Guelph with an associate diploma in Turf Grass Management. During his time at Guelph, Baron was added to the Washington Nationals Internship Program where he would work out at Nationals Park (2012).

“Every season presents any number of challenges and I am really grateful to work for an organization that believes our playing surface is integral to both the players well-being and the overall fan experience,” Baron said.

Baron has transformed Scotiabank Field into one of Minor League Baseball’s most talked about natural playing surfaces and started this project just a few years ago when he stripped the entire infield and irrigation system and built it back from scratch. From adding a higher performing sod and proper fertilization schedule to widening the warning track and laser levelling the playing surface, Baron and his staff have taken Nat Bailey Stadium’s field to new heights.

“The hours and work put in by our crew Steven Maisey, Chuck Kaisla and Koki Ogura all summer long are why we are receiving this honour,” added Baron. “This was a group that knew my wife and I were expecting our second child and they really stepped up to support us personally and never once took their eyes off the prize.”