Twins opt for safety with new netting at Target Field

The Twins organization is trying to increase fan safety at Target Field.

The trick is doing it without compromising experience and entertainment.

Workers began installing nets Tuesday extending to the far end of both dugouts at the 6-year-old ballpark. The nets reach 7 feet above the top of the dugout, and Matt Hoy, the Twins' senior vice president, estimates they will cover fans more than 100 feet from home plate.

The Twins made the decision after Major League Baseball recommended in November that each stadium have some form of protective barrier for fans between the near ends of each dugout and within 70 feet of home plate.

Seats at Target Field are closer to the action than any venue in the league (the closest one is only 59 feet from home plate), but the field's netting system already met MLB's recommendation.

Regardless, club officials decided to go a step further, and teams including the Rangers, Royals and Nationals have followed the Twins' lead.

"We just felt like now that we've had all this discussion, we've thought about it, if we don't do it … If somebody got hurt or got killed, we'd carry that for the rest of our lives, and we're not going to do that," Hoy said.

In June, a Red Sox fan spent seven days in the hospital after a broken bat struck her in the head at Fenway Park. In 2015, Bloomberg News estimated 1,750 are injured each year at major league parks.

One of the dangers for fans today is the increased emphasis on social media.

"Now we're trying to get you to do the app and pay attention to this and everyone's texting and taking pictures and putting them on Instagram," Hoy said. "As all of this is going on, wait a minute. A 95 mph fastball is coming to that guy's bat. Things have changed. There's stuff that goes back historically as long as I can remember as far as seeing injuries happen, but now people are distracted."

Hoy said the organization has reached out to every season-ticket holder in the specific seating areas and will let fans preview their seats in the coming days. Twins President Dave St. Peter said most fans seem to understand the decision, but he estimated about six fans already have asked for a change.

"We'll work with our season-ticket holders," Hoy said. "If there's somebody who decides they don't like it, we'll certainly have alternative locations for them."

Twins officials hope fans will feel better after seeing the netting in person. From home plate, it's almost invisible.

Target Field is using Dyneema netting, which features an intricate weave rather than a knot at each corner. Along the dugouts, the netting is 1.2 millimeters thick. The Twins also are replacing the net directly behind home plate with a Dyneema net, that one with a 1.8-millimeter thickness.

But another problem is the fact that higher-priced seats often come with the benefit of more player-fan interaction. St. Peter said Twins players usually sign autographs down the foul lines before games, which won't change.

The nets, however, will prevent fans from tossing items to player to sign while in the dugouts.

But the Twins don't expect the nets to stop players from tossing balls to fans on the way in from the field or prevent soft-hit pop-ups from going into the stands for potential souvenirs.

"This is a decision that has been made in the interest of safety," St. Peter said. "It's also a decision that has been made with the understanding that we have a high level of sensitivity and respect for our season-ticket holders."