The Arizona Diamondbacks have teamed up with Banner Health, Arizona’s largest employer and health system, to become a powerhouse leader in the sports medicine and performance industry. As part of the ground-breaking partnership, the D-backs’ team-specific facilities at the award-winning Spring Training complex at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick will be renamed the Banner Sports Medicine Performance Center and will expand a close partnership between the organizations to collaborate and provide the best possible technology and advancements in the field of sports medicine.
Earlier today, executives from the D-backs and Banner Health unveiled the newly named complex – the Banner Sports Medicine Performance Center – as pitchers and catchers took to the field for the first time in the 2020 season.
“Banner Health is a leader in the healthcare industry and we are proud to begin this exciting partnership,” said D-backs President & CEO Derrick Hall. “As players report for Spring Training, a focus on strength and conditioning is of utmost importance to ensure that our players are physically prepared for the grueling baseball schedule. This collaboration with Banner Health will allow our sports medicine and performance staff to work closely with experts and have access to the most up-to-date, cutting-edge technology and advancements in the sports medicine and performance industry.”
The Banner Sports Medicine Performance Center houses the Arizona Diamondbacks year-round, featuring offices, state-of-the-art training facilities and Major League and Minor League clubhouses. The center includes six full-size practice fields, including one with the same dimensions of Chase Field and another with the same dimensions of the main stadium at Salt River Fields, two half fields, an agility field and expansive batting cages and bullpen areas for both the Major League and Minor League sides of the D-backs’ complex. The Major League half field and agility field both feature Shaw B1K synthetic grass, the same high-performance playing surface featured at Chase Field prior to the 2019 season. The 80,000 square-foot building serves as the office headquarters for D-backs’ baseball operations, sports medicine and performance, analytics and player development departments and contains state-of-the-art weight rooms on the Major and Minor sides, eight clubhouses and two cafeterias.
The Center serves as the hub for all D-backs Spring Training workouts as players prepare for the 2020 season while the facility is also used year-round for a wide variety of organizational uses. Players at all levels of the D-backs player development system use the Center, ranging from players selected in the annual First-Year Player Draft through Major League players recovering from injury. The Rookie-Level, Arizona League D-backs also play their home games on Field D1 (Whirlwind Field) each summer and games are free to the public.
The Center is the annual home to D-backs Fantasy Camp, the Native American Inter-Tribal tournament and various D-backs Baseball Academy youth baseball and softball camps. The Center has also served as the home for international spring trainings such as the Kia Tigers (KBO) and the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters (NPB) and hosted World Baseball Classic workouts for Team USA in 2013 and Team Netherlands in 2017. The Salt River Rafters of MLB’s Arizona Fall League, featuring top D-backs prospects, also routinely use the Center, capturing league championships in 2011, 2014 and 2019.
“We are thrilled to partner with the D-backs to offer this state-of-the-art training facility for its players,” said Banner Health Chief Strategy & Growth Officer Scott Nordlund. “Banner Health is committed to delivering the highest level of sports medicine care for our Arizona athletes and their biggest fans.”
As part of the comprehensive partnership, the seating area along the main concourse between left and center field at Chase Field will be known as the Banner Health Centered Field. With a focus on a healthy lifestyle, the area will be host to special events and large groups at D-backs games throughout the season.
