What’s new at Truist Park for Braves’ 2023 season?

One notable change to the home schedule will be the Braves’ opponents. Thanks to MLB’s reconfigured schedule, each team in both leagues will play each other in at least one series. For instance, that means every other year, American League teams such as the Yankees, Red Sox and Astros will play at Truist Park.

This season, AL clubs visiting the Braves include the Astros, Orioles, Red Sox, Mariners, Twins, White Sox and Angels. The schedule alterations mean it’s likely MLB stars (if healthy) will visit each market over a two-year period, which should only help in marketing the sport.

Players such as Seattle’s Julio Rodriguez, Baltimore’s Adley Rutschman, and the Angels’ Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani rarely would visit Atlanta under the previous format (though Ohtani faced the Braves at Truist Park last summer – Braves fans could see the two-way sensation again during the first week of August).

The on-field product also will be different. MLB created a handful of new rules that’ve trimmed game times. The likelihood of sitting in the heat for a 3-1/2-hour game, or trying to stick with a slow-paced contest deep into the night, has dropped dramatically.

There’s a pitch timer that has reduced the downtime that sometimes would make the games feel like slogs. The defensive shift was eliminated, which results in more hits and action. Bigger bases have encouraged more stolen-base attempts. Early in the season, the average game time is roughly a half-hour less than last season.

The Braves’ team itself looks formidable once again. They won 101 games last season and return the core of that team (sans shortstop Dansby Swanson). The Braves have been the betting favorites for the National League East title, and they’re among the favorites to win the World Series.

Beyond all that, here’s a look at some of the new features at Truist Park. The ballpark is starting its seventh season as the Braves’ home, believe it or not.

The unis: The Braves introduced their city connect uniforms in March, modeled after the blue-and-white uniforms that the franchise wore during Hall of Famer Hank Aaron’s playing days. It took three years for the look to come together and it honors Aaron in numerous ways. The Braves will debut the new alternate uniforms April 8. Players are said to adore the look.

“We love the way they turned out; it’s an homage to Hank Aaron and the ‘74 uniforms,” Braves CEO and President Derek Schiller said. “Some people were asking why they look like ‘74. Remember that due to rule changes that Major League Baseball implemented, there are less uniforms that we can have, less variations of uniforms that we can have, over the past couple years. In one way, by creating this type of uniform, it’s a way for us to preserve and protect the look of the ‘74 uniform. We will wear that over the course of this year and hopefully over years to come.”

The field: Truist Park’s field now uses a hybrid Bermuda overseed with perennial Ryegrass that’s grown in South Georgia. The field is made of 100,000 square feet of new grass.

LED matrix boards: The Braves have installed several new LED matrix boards at Truist Park, including an updated fascia board on the Terrace Level that will “display videos, full-color animations, scores and other interesting content,” according to the team.

Blooper’s Clubhouse: Kids will love this one. Fans can meet and interact with Blooper, the Braves’ jolly mascot, inside a newly designed space in Hope and Will’s Sand Lot (on the outfield concourse). His scheduled appearance times will be posted each game inside his clubhouse, according to the team.

Braves of the World Exhibit: Located in Monument Garden, the Braves created an exhibit to honor their players from around the world. The team said the Braves have had 262 international players from 23 countries during their existence.

Concessions and food: Everybody wants to eat at the ballpark, right? There are several new concessions, including five self-checkout locations. The Crown Royal Walk-off Market, located in section 130, allows fans to enter by scanning their palm or using their credit card, then they can take their items from the shelves and exit.

There also are new food selections under Executive Chef Louis Martorano, including the Cleanup Burger and The Closer. Details on the updated food items can be found here.

Fresh faces: Kevin Kraus is the new public address announcer who’ll be welcoming fans to the ballpark and introducing their favorite players. Otis Maher is the new in-stadium host, who will lead the charge on pregame and between-innings entertainment, and Lauren Hoffman is the new Plaza pregame host.

Threads in The Battery Atlanta: The Braves will open Threads, a retail store and merchandise line, by their clubhouse store in The Battery Atlanta. The new location will “celebrate casual and super fans who are looking for elevated, player-inspired merchandise that is influenced by popular fashion trends seen around the world,” per the team. The store’s address will be 900 Battery Ave. SE, Suite 1010.

Other places coming to The Battery include:

Battle & Brew: This venue will offer a “robust” dining and spirits menu. It will have gaming systems for guests to enjoy, from Nintendo to PlayStation to Xbox to PC.

Cultivate Food & Coffee: The Braves described this new venue as “a trend-forward brunch and coffee concept built on a foundation of fresh from scratch farm-to-table culinary principles, truly world-class customer service and an aesthetically positive experience for all customers.”

National Anthem: Located inside the Omni Hotel, National Anthem will feature seafood, steaks, burgers and cocktails under chef Nick Badovinus’ image of “what American food means.” This is the second National Anthem opening following the original Dallas, Texas, location.

“We continue to make The Battery bigger and better,” Schiller said.