Texas Rangers Prince Fielder, Cole Hamels help break ground on youth fields in Dallas

Texas Rangers designated hitter Prince Fielder remembers his days playing youth baseball and the difference he felt playing on a well-manicured field as opposed to some lesser-kept diamonds.

Playing on a nice field made the game more enjoyable, he said, and helped motivate his desire to play.

That’s one of the benefits of the Texas Rangers Major League Baseball Urban Youth Academy, a baseball complex being built in West Dallas. Fielder, along with Rangers pitcher Cole Hamels, general manager Jon Daniels and a host of club personnel helped break ground on the five-field, 17-acre facility. The Rangers, along with the MLB, the MLB players association and Dallas-based Mercy Street are jointly building the facility, which will provide free (or reduced costs) year-round baseball.

Fielder and Hamels are donating funds to the project, along with Los Angeles Dodgers ace and Dallas resident Clayton Kershaw, who was also on hand for Friday’s groundbreaking. Fielder’s contribution will go to build the Prince Fielder Batting Cages. The Hamels Foundation’s contribution will go to supporting the Academy’s future classroom programming.

As part of the project, The Texas Rangers Johnny Oates Youth Ballpark, which opened in 1999, will be rebuilt as professional-sized show field with seating for about 750 fans, according to the Rangers’ release. The indoor building will include a turf professional-sized infield, six batting/pitching cages, classrooms and a weight and nutrition room.

“This is how you’re able to play the game of baseball. It’s not that type of game where it’s as easy as basketball, where you can put a net anywhere, and soccer you can put anywhere,” Hamels said. “You have to have fields, and that’s how you’re able to progress and to get better at the game. In order to get everybody involved, you have to be able to do this in every community.”

Kershaw’s foundation, Kershaw’s Challenge, donated a significant amount several months ago. His name will be on one of the fields. He has worked with Mercy Street West Dallas, a Christian-based non-profit that aims for community restoration.

“It’s just really cool when a lot of people can get together to do something great for a community,” he said. “Mercy Street has been one of our beneficiaries for Kershaw’s Challenge for a few years now, so we’ve been raising money for this, so now the donors can really see what they’ve made, they’ve made a baseball field, they’re going to see kids playing on it, and that’s really the most important thing.”

This story was originally published January 22, 2016 at 5:58 PM with the headline "Texas Rangers Prince Fielder, Cole Hamels help break ground on youth fields in Dallas."