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DiVito named head grounds pro for Twins
10 Mar, 2009 Athletic Turf NewsLAWRENCE, KS – Larry DiVito becomes only the second head groundskeeper for the Minnesota Twins, and will be in charge of field maintenance for the team's
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new ballpark (Target Field) when it opens in downtown Minneapolis in April 2010. According to MLB.com, DiVito is only the second Head Groundskeeper in the history of the Twins. The other was STMA Founder Dick Ericson, hired in 1961 to oversee Metropolitan Stadium. DiVito is a board member of the Sport Turf Managers Association (STMA), which Ericson help found more than 30 years ago. The Twins have played on a synthetic surface in the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome since 1982.
The Twins received more than150 applications for the opening of head groundskeeper before narrowing the search down to 10 finalists, and then finally selecting DiVito. “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to build another field at the MLB level. Opening Target Field and bringing big league baseball back outside in Minnesota for the 2010 season is going to be exciting for all of the fans in Minnesota Twins’ territory,” DiVito said.
DiVito, entering his 15th year in professional baseball, comes to the Twins from the Washington Nationals, where he spent the past three years as Head Groundskeeper for the team. After two seasons at RFK Stadium sharing the surface with D.C. United of Major League Soccer, DiVIto was instrumental in the planning and construction of the field at Nationals Park.
Prior to taking the job with the Nationals in 2006, he worked as the grounds crew supervisor for the Los Angeles Dodgers for four seasons. He began his career in professional baseball in 1995, when he took over as head groundskeeper for the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox in Rhode Island.
Originally from California, DiVito is a 1993 graduate of San Francisco State University with a B.A. in Sociology/ Urban Studies. He currently serves as the STMA Director who represents facilities used by professional athletes. He chairs the Scholarship Committee and co-chairs the Conference Off-Site Workshop and Tours subcommittees.
DiVito says, “I appreciate the impact that STMA has had in helping me to grow my career opportunities. Our association is in a position to educate people at all levels of our specialized industry and improve playing conditions across the country.”
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