The first month of the offseason always leaves me in a reflective mood. It's been 5 years since I last listed my favorite ballparks, so I thought this blog was well overdue for a comprehensive review to date. You can review my original post to see how things compare. Since the 2007 tour, I have added 41 parks to my list for a grand total of 107, including all 5 new major league parks to stay current with the 30 teams.
MLB (subjective)
1. PNC Park, Pittsburgh
I like PNC best for the outstanding view, 360º navigation, the surrounding area, great view to the field, great food, and the understated aesthetics. The only real complaint anyone can ever have with this park is the attendance.
2. Target Field, Minnesota
3. SAFECO Field, Seattle
4. Fenway Park, Boston
5. Camden Yards, Baltimore
6. Comerica Park, Detroit
7. Citi Field, NY Mets
8. AT&T Park, San Francisco
9. Coors Field, Colorado
10. Great American Ballpark, Cincinnati
11. Jacobs Field (Progressive Field), Cleveland
12. Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia
13. Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City
14. Miller Park, Milwaukee
15. PETCO Park, San Diego
16. Nationals Park, Washington
17. Rogers Centre, Toronto
18. Minute Maid Park, Houston
19. Turner Field, Atlanta
20. Marlins Park, Miami
21. Yankee Stadium II, NY Yankees
22. Rangers Ballpark, Texas
23. Chase Field, Arizona
24. US Cellular Field, Chi White Sox
25. Wrigley Field, Chi Cubs
26. Dodger Stadium, LA Dodgers
27. Busch Stadium III, St Louis
28. Angel Stadium, LA Angels
29. Tropicana Field, Tampa Bay
30. McAfee Coliseum (O.Co Coliseum), Oakland
MLB (objective based on 1-10 ranking system in 14 categories)
1. PNC Park [7.93]
2. Progressive Field [7.64]
3. Camden Yards [7.43]
4. Target Field [7.36]
5. Coors Field [7.14]
6. Miller Park [7.00]
7. Comerica Park [6.86]
8. AT&T Park [6.86]
9. Minute Maid Park [6.79]
10. SAFECO Field [6.71]
11. Fenway Park [6.71]
12. Citizens Bank Park [6.71]
13. Wrigley Field [6.64]
14. PETCO Park [6.57]
15. Nationals Park [6.36]
16. Turner Field [6.36]
17. Rangers Ballpark [6.36]
18. Busch Stadium III [6.36]
19. Angel Stadium [6.07]
20. Rogers Centre [6.00]
21. Citi Field [5.86]
22. Chase Field [5.86]
23. US Cellular Field [5.64]
24. Yankee Stadium II [5.57]
25. Great American Ballpark [5.29]
26. Kauffman Stadium [5.29]
27. Tropicana Field [5.21]
28. Marlins Park [4.71]
29. Dodger Stadium [4.57]
30. O.Co Coliseum [3.79]
Spring Training / GCL / AZL / AFL Top 5
1. Camelback Ranch (Cactus)
2. Salt River Fields at Talking Stick (Cactus)
3. Tempe Diablo Stadium (Cactus)
4. Goodyear Ballpark (Cactus)
5. Maryvale Baseball Park (Cactus)
MiLB Top 10
1. Parkview Field, Fort Wayne (low-A)
I like Parkview best for the amazing concessions and team store/branding, beautiful masonry work, its use as year-round facility, and its function as an urban development catalyst. Miles ahead of #2 on the list, a must-see.
2. Louisville Slugger Field, Louisville (AAA)
3. Richmond County Bank Ballpark, Staten Island (SS-A)
4. AutoZone Park, Memphis (AAA)
5. Modern Woodmen Park, Quad Cities (low-A)
6. Isotopes Park, Albuquerque (AAA)
7. Fifth Third Field, Dayton (low-A)
8. Philip B Elfstrom Stadium (Fifth Third Bank Ballpark), Kane County (low-A)
9. Historic Grayson Stadium, Savannah (low-A)
10. Bricktown Ballpark, Oklahoma (AAA)
Independent / Amateur Top 5
1. Haymarket Park, Lincoln (AA)
2. Bosse Field, Evansville (Frontier)
3. Silver Cross Field, Joliet (Northern/Frontier)
4. Wildwood Baseball Park, Sheboygan (NE Wisconsin)
5. The Corn Crib, Normal (Frontier)
NCAA / Summer Collegiate Top 5
1. Warner Park, Madison (Northwoods)
This is my favorite ballpark to attend, on any level. Best atmosphere in all of baseball.
2. Witter Field, Wisconsin Rapids (Northwoods)
3. Copeland Park, La Crosse (Northwoods)
4. Wade Stadium, Duluth (Northwoods)
5. Marge Schott Stadium, University of Cincinnati
Favorite Ballpark Cities
1. Seattle, WA
2. Memphis, TN
3. Toronto, ON
4. Boston, MA
5. Savannah, GA
6. San Diego, CA
7. Duluth, MN
8. Vancouver, BC
9. Milwaukee, WI
10. Cincinnati, OH
**I will post Erik's list when available.
touch with baseball when his childhood heroes Robin Yount, Paul Molitor, and Jim Gantner retired but the Great Home Run Chase of 1998 reignited his passion. As a student at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Erik became involved with the campus chapter of Habitat for Humanity. With this group Erik traveled to Portland, OR and Baltimore, MD to work on construction projects and help the group raise $25,000 to partially sponsor a house in Milwaukee. Also at UWM, Erik met Peter Nagel. The two attended their first Brewers game together during Opening Weekend 2003. Despite their failure to ignite the coals at their first tailgate, the two had a blast and were soon making weekly trips to the ballpark. Erik has gone on to several colleges and changed careers several times, and has moved all the way out to New Hampshire, but has always stayed true to his baseball roots by holding part-time stadium usher jobs. To this day he looks back fondly on his incredible cross-country journey.
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