Johnny Franco, the new senior manager of field operations at Oracle Park in San Francisco, on Wednesday, March 25, 2026.
Carlos Avila Gonzalez/S.F. Chronicle
Major League Baseball’s Opening Night showcased Oracle Park looking its very best, with gorgeous weather, packed stands and McCovey Cove filled with kayaks.
The field itself looked marvelous, and, more important still, it played well, thanks to brand new infield dirt. That was a major relief for Platinum Gold Glove third baseman Matt Chapman, who’d told the Chronicle in September that he’d repeatedly torn his palms on the surface last season and it got in his mind to the point that it had impacted his defense. His left hand had such a large raw spot, it affected his ability to swing a bat.
After taking grounders on the new infield this week, Chapman said, “It felt good, and I never thought it was bad. It was just for some reason really hard last year, maybe it was just ready for some more love.”
Article continues below this ad
When Johnny Franco became the Giants’ head groundskeeper after last season — promoted after Greg Elliott left for the Earthquakes — he got right to work on the infield issue as soon as some offseason events on the field, such as some Super Bowl tie-ins, were over in February.
The Giants completely replaced their infield dirt during the winter, more than 300 tons’ worth.
Courtesy Johnny Franco/San Francisco Giants
Knowing that Chapman had been less than thrilled with the infield, Franco went right to the source.
“I really extended my efforts early on to really present what we’ve done with these changes to Matt and gather what he’s looking for, what will make him comfortable,” Franco said. “Matt’s been great in that process, fantastic. I went to visit him in spring training, I spoke with him again the other day — the communication is really a large factor in that whole thing.
Article continues below this ad
San Francisco Chronicle Logo
Make us a Preferred Source to get more of our news when you search.
Add Preferred Source
“I want him to know that I’m a teammate of his, ultimately, and that’s why I’m here, to be a resource for what the players need, the entirety of the roster. But we certainly place a little bit more emphasis on the guys that we know are impactful and who are going to be in the organization for a number of years. We’ve started a really collaborative relationship here, and that’s the key, because it will never be perfect — that’s just normal.”
Chapman is a stickler when it comes to all things defense, so weighing in on the infield’s quality means a lot to him. He said he and Franco had great conversations about how to keep the surface soft enough to prevent injuries.
“I didn’t want to scare him off,” Chapman said. “I don’t want him to think I’m some sort of prima donna or something. I wasn’t trying to create a big stink about this whole thing. I was just trying to stay on the field.”
San Francisco Giants’ Matt Chapman wipes blood on his pants after cutting his hand during a fielding play in 8th inning against Seattle Mariners during MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Sunday, April 6, 2025.
Scott Strazzante/S.F. Chronicle
What had happened last season, according to Franco, was that the dirt was coming to the end of its useful life. Dirt, it seems, needs to be replaced periodically. The best comparison is a car; a lot of extra care can extend usage, but even the best and most diligent of treatments won’t keep it out of a landfill (used dirt often goes to such a facility if a local baseball or softball field is not in need of a donation).
Article continues below this ad
The dirt can become ever more compacted — and hard.
“Longterm treatment of the old mix had changed the complexity in the layering a little bit,” Franco said. “You can extend the life of the infield a little with grading work and tilling, but what we ran into at the end of last year was just that the conditions had changed over time.
“So much of the game is played on the infield, from the back arc in, it’s like 70% of the game play, so we spend close to that amount of time treating it.”
MLB teams have many advanced tools to measure the clay’s moisture and they do daily impact testing. Special events, though, can have an outsized effect on the state of the infield. An audio tower, for instance, is positioned right about third base for concerts at Oracle Park and grass covers the infield for soccer games. It’s not the recipe for an ideal surface, but such events do help teams afford a higher payroll, or so goes the argument, anyway, and it’s well over most employees’ pay grade to complain about.
The groundskeeper prepare the field for the MLB Opening Night game between the San Francisco Giants and the New York Yankees at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Wednesday, March 25, 2026.
Santiago Mejia/S.F. Chronicle
“It’s just really difficult when you’ve got to go in front of your owner and say, ‘Hey, we don’t want you to make money this way,’” Franco said. “‘When they opened this place in 2000, they said, ‘Nothing but baseball,’ and within, like, five years, we were hosting more events than anybody else.
Article continues below this ad
“It’s a challenge, but that’s what we do. It’s all about planning — we know what’s coming. Our goal is always to turn things back over to baseball with as little impact as possible.”
In mid-February, with that in mind, more than 300 tons of carefully formulated dirt — roughly 66% sand, 18% clay and 15% silt, according to Franco — arrived at Oracle Park in 25-ton dump trucks. Duraedge, which provides dirt for 28 teams, customizes the mix with some particularly absorbent clay harvested in Pennsylvania, then the company installs the dirt and grades it.
“It compacts really well, that’s why the tonnage,” Franco said. “It’s a great process, and a huge team effort.”
With fresh dirt and three-week-old grass, the field was beautifully telegenic for Opening Night on Netflix — and things were set up just as well for the Giants’ own “Opening Day” on Friday afternoon. All the hoopla Wednesday made for a memorable debut not just for new manager Tony Vitello but also for Franco, who along with his crew — six assistants, 55 part-timers — has babied the new turf along.
Johnny Franco, the new senior manager of field operations at Oracle Park, center, with his team taking care of the infield before the San Francisco Giants played the New York Yankees at Oracle Park in San Francisco, on Wednesday, March 25, 2026.
Carlos Avila Gonzalez/S.F. Chronicle
“The timing was a little tight,” Franco said, “but it’s done well. The last week of 80-degree weather every day really has helped us, that really triggered” the growth.
Article continues below this ad
Franco described Opening Night and Opening Day as more like parades than baseball games, with all of the ceremonies beforehand. Netflix added a little wrinkle, too, because the streaming service was broadcasting its first game so Franco and the grounds crew provided a hand with things such as the in-ground cameras and microphones near the bases.
For a baseball fan from South San Francisco, this is the life, though, no matter the degree of difficulty on a given day.
“Just working here is an honor for me,” Franco said. “I grew up a Giants fan, I live in the city, it always means a lot to me to showcase this place at any time that we can, it’s something my staff and I take so much pride in. But it’s not just Opening Day — each and every day really does matter.”
Matt Chapman (26) targets a pop fly in the first inning as the San Francisco Giants played the New York Yankees in their 2026 Opening Day at Oracle Park in San Francisco, on Wednesday, March 25, 2026.
Carlos Avila Gonzalez/S.F. Chronicle