{"id":665083,"date":"2026-04-05T19:05:13","date_gmt":"2026-04-05T19:05:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/665083\/"},"modified":"2026-04-05T19:05:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-05T19:05:13","slug":"rangers-slugger-jake-burger-test-driving-amber-contacts-for-unique-purpose","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/665083\/","title":{"rendered":"Rangers Slugger Jake Burger Test-Driving Amber Contacts for Unique Purpose"},"content":{"rendered":"

ARLINGTON, Texas \u2014 When the Texas Rangers<\/a> are in Seattle in a couple of weeks and Jake Burger\u2019s eyes look amber, the TV set is fine. Those will be his eyes.<\/p>\n

For the past couple of days at batting practice the Rangers<\/a> first baseman has been testing out amber colored contacts. He doesn\u2019t wear contacts day-to-day \u2014 Burger has 20\/20 vision \u2014 but he\u2019s looking for ways to pick up the baseball better at ballpark with less light at Globe Life Field. <\/p>\n

\u201cHouston\u2019s dark,\u201d Burger<\/a> said. \u201cSeattle, Milwaukee, inside the Trop [Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg], Arizona. The Trop, if the sun is out, is great.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not the easiest look to get used to. He chatted with Cincinnati\u2019s<\/a> Graham Ashcraft, who was taken aback when Burger wore them on Friday. His wife, Ashley, does not like them. He hasn\u2019t Face Timed with his son, Brooks while wearing them because \u201cI don\u2019t want to freak him out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jake Burger\u2019s New Look Has a Purpose<\/p>\n

Jake Burger is testing out amber contacts with the hope they will have a brightening effect and help him see the ball better in darker ballparks like Seattle and Houston. They also look a little frightening. pic.twitter.com\/i7lVBKdNRE<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Laura Stickells (@LauraStickells) April 4, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

The amber-colored contacts are a prototype, Burger said. He tried amber tinted sports glasses but said he doesn\u2019t like the nose piece while hitting them. He couldn\u2019t remember the company that made the. One company, Altius<\/a>, makes an amber-colored contact for baseball that it says \u201cfilters out blue light, sharpening the contrast between the white ball, its red seams and the surrounding environment.\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019s using them in batting practice for now. If he gets comfortable with them, he hopes to use them in Seattle when the Rangers play the Mariners on April 17.<\/p>\n

He said that Globe Life Field and his former home, loanDepot Park in Miami, are two of the best lit parks he hits in. His goal is simple \u2014 pick up the ball better in those parks where he has trouble. <\/p>\n

The ballparks he mentioned featured wild statistical swings for him in 2025. In Houston at Daikin Park he batted .091. At Seattle\u2019s T-Mobile Park he batted .273. At Chase Field in Phoenix, he batted .333 in two games. If there\u2019s any common thread, it\u2019s that he didn\u2019t hit a home run in any of those parks. In fact, aside from the seven home runs he hit at Globe Life last season, the rest of his home runs were in outdoor parks. <\/p>\n

He\u2019s like more consistency. He would also like to get better at putting in the contacts. For someone that has never needed them, it\u2019s a challenge. <\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t realize how hard putting in contacts was,\u201d Burger said. \u201cThe first day it took an hour. Second day it took like 50 minutes. I\u2019m under 20 minutes now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Burger\u2019s hot start has tapered a bit in the past few games, though he\u2019s still slashing .333\/.371\/.576 with two home runs and six RBI. He\u2019s one of the holdover players that has responded to the new focus on getting on-base and doing multiple things at the plate. <\/p>\n

As it turns out, Rangers manager Skip Schumaker wore different types of lenses a player. He said he would use them in Milwaukee to help pick up the baseball better.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just another way to figure out shadows or domes with dark places,\u201d Schumaker said. \u201cI haven\u2019t seen contact lenses like that, other than maybe Halloween.\u201d<\/p>\n

If this doesn\u2019t work out, at least Burger has that holiday covered. <\/p>\n