The Rays swapped out their old FieldTurf and replaced it with Shaw Sports Turf. While most have been focused on how it looks and how it will affect the ball, it turns out there is another unforseen impact: the stadium just looks brighter with the new turf.
Obviously, part of the issue is the absence of the dark patches, which gave the old turf its “watermelon” appearance. But also, the light patches just seem to reflect light more.
While we have to take photos from different cameras with a small grain of salt, here is the difference between the new turf (top) and the old turf (bottom) from Associated Press photographers.