Target Field is ready for October baseball, let alone April.
"We have the infrastructure now to successfully host the World Series," said Gary Glawe, senior director of facilities for the Minnesota Twins.
Glawe was joking; Target Field's always been ready for the cooler part of the Twins' schedule. But the team, coming off a hot 2019 on the field, used the offseason to add heating elements to concessions areas, restrooms and both the main and upper concourse. Until now, Glawe and his staff had to drain toilets and pipes when temps flirted with freezing.
Hockey needed the heat, too. The National Hockey League's Winter Classic is coming to the outdoor ballpark on Jan. 1, with the Minnesota Wild taking the ice as the home team.
Offseason enhancements and adaptations have become standard for the team since the ballpark opened for the 2010 season. This year's changes, all paid for by the Twins, focus on back-of-the-house functions instead of the flashier fan-facing amenities of recent years.
In addition to the heating, which will keep both workers and pipes warm, the team upgraded the ballpark's Wi-Fi, renovated a few suites, and added canopies and heat to the bullpen.
It created a quiet room for fans with sensory concerns, and a meeting room for the pitching staff and manager Rocco Baldelli's postgame news conferences.
Minnesota Ballpark Authority (MBA) executive director Dan Kenney, who oversees the publicly owned facility on behalf of the public, approved of the changes the Twins made.
"It's a great venue in a great neighborhood," he said.
Matt Hoy, the Twins' senior vice president for operations, said funds for the changes came from the team's account.
"We haven't asked the ballpark authority for anything; we're saving it up for the scoreboard," said Hoy, who added that the original scoreboard and electronics will need to be replaced in the next couple years.
The electronics will cost a hefty coin, but the MBA oversees a public-private capital reserve fund for building renovations that has a balance of $15 million.
Fans who use personal electronics will get an unseen boost with Target Field's new Wi-Fi 6. The ballpark will be one of three in the major leagues to get Wi-Fi 6 (Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles and Coors Field in Denver are the others).
Several suites behind home plate were revamped for the high-rollers who use them. Under the seats near the home team dugout, the Twins removed a switchback ramp that led to the clubhouse and built a meeting room next to the batting cage. The pitching staff will use it for the meetings they hold before every series; previously, pitchers used a less hospitable room outside the clubhouse enclave.
Baldelli also will use the new room for his pre- and postgame media sessions. Until now, reporters and Baldelli jammed into his personal office for the Q&A.
Pitchers who aren't in the starting rotation will get some relief at Target Field this season. Canopies were added in the bullpen for both the home and visiting teams. They're also getting radiant heat for those chilly nights and days waiting for the call from the dugout.
Like the Minnesota Vikings did at U.S. Bank Stadium, the Twins created an autism room for fans, a quiet space for those who need respite from the noise and busyness of the ballpark. The space is along the third base line under the seating in an area that will typically require staff escorts to reach.
"The goal is to help Target Field be a more inclusive ballpark and enhance the experience for all fans," team spokesman Matt Hodson said.
The addition of heating elements makes Glawe's job a little bit less stressful in April. But he will have shovels ready.
"I really don't ever get comfortable until the second week of May," he said.
Rochelle Olson • 612-673-1747
Twitter: @rochelleolson
