One of the biggest hazards in baseball, yet often the most overlooked, is the diamond itself.
Sprinkler heads and gopher holes in the outfield can can cause players to slip, leading to sprained ankles, twisted knees or torn knee ligaments, while balls hitting pebbles on the infield can bounce up and hit a player in the throat [1], face, eyes, or head.
If a chain-link fence is curled up and the grass becomes high, an athlete, not noticing the hazard, may sustain a laceration to their hand when reaching down to pick up a ball.
Parents can't count on the umpiring crew which, while usually the one responsible for inspecting the field before a game begins to ensure that it is in a playable condition, all too often barely arrives at the field in time for the game itself (if he or she shows at all!) and assumes that the coaches have inspected the field!
Parents can't even count on the coaches, who are probably so busy getting their team ready to play and giving last minute instructions that they also don't have time to check the field for holes, puddles, broken glass, stones or other debris. Most coaches are happy to leave this task to the umpire, so they don't bother to check the field themselves.
The solution? Set up a field detail:
Source: American Academy of Pediatrics; AAP Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness, Policy Statement: Baseball and Softball. Pediatrics. 2012;129(3):842-856. (doi: 10.1542/peds.2011-3593)(accessed February 26, 2012)
Updated May 15, 2018
Links:
[1] https://www.momsteam.com/node/3489
[2] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7EEkFBDSYA
[3] mailto:delench@MomsTeam.com
[4] https://www.momsteam.com/5-7/baseball-softball-most-popular-among-safest-youth-sports
[5] https://www.momsteam.com/health-safety/throat-injuries-often-overlooked-risk-in-contact-sports
[6] https://www.momsteam.com/health-safety/ankle-sprains-parents-role-in-treatment-recovery-and-return-to-play
[7] https://www.momsteam.com/health-safety/general-safety/injury-prevention/athletic-fields-are-an-overlooked-safety-hazard