Listed below is a "Cliff Notes" version of the ballpark rankings. From best to worst, here is a complete ranking of all 30 MLB ballparks. I am sure you won't agree completely with this list, but hopefully you will find these rankings to be at least somewhat informative as you plan your own ballpark road trip ...
| Rank | Ballpark | Home Team | Summary | Category Score (0 to 10) | TOTAL (0 to 50) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Location | Atmosphere | Food | Exterior Architecture | Interior Architecture | |||||
| 1 | PETCO Park | San Diego Padres | A large sandbox, grass-infused seating, a grassy slope and a T-ball field are just some of the highlights that provide a "coolness" factor that is tough to beat even for southern California. | 10 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 45 |
| 2 | Target Field | Minnesota Twins | Clean, crisp, and brand new. Great location in downtown Minneapolis. | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 43 |
| 3 | PNC Park | Pittsburgh Pirates | Fantastic view of the Pittsburgh skyline … and the ballpark isn't half bad either. | 9 | 8 | 5 | 10 | 10 | 42 |
| 3 | Yankee Stadium | New York Yankees | The stadium architects successfully preserved much of the mystique of the original Yankee Stadium. | 10 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 42 |
| 3 | Camden Yards | Baltimore Orioles | What is not to like about Maryland crab cakes? | 7 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 42 |
| 6 | Coors Field | Colorado Rockies | Breathtaking views of the Rocky Mountains, and a great location in the LoDo District of Denver makes this ballpark a must visit! | 9 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 41 |
| 6 | AT&T Park | San Francisco Giants | Arguably the most historic ballpark west of the Mississippi | 6 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 41 |
| 8 | Wrigley Field | Chicago Cubs | A truly iconic stadium with an unmatched atmosphere and location within Wringleyville | 10 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 40 |
| 8 | Citizens Bank Park | Philadelphia Phillies | Great food, great mascot and a descent stadium | 6 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 40 |
| 10 | Comerica Park | Detroit Tigers | The tiger statues (animals, not players) give this ballpark a uniqueness all its own. | 7 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 39 |
| 11 | Rogers Centre | Toronto Blue Jays | That is one large video screen! | 10 | 7 | 10 | 3 | 8 | 38 |
| 11 | Safeco Field | Seattle Mariners | Do you want to get within five feet of an MLB pitcher without paying hundreds of dollars for a field level seat? Check out the bullpen location before and during the game. | 5 | 6 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 38 |
| 13 | Busch Stadium | St. Louis Cardinals | A slightly impressive view of downtown St. Louis in the background with a cute gateway arch pattern in the outfield grass. | 7 | 10 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 37 |
| 14 | Citi Field | New York Mets | The area immediately surrounding the stadium needs a Mets-inspired facelift. The dilapidated auto body shops need to go! | 7 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 36 |
| 15 | Nationals Park | Washington Nationals | The makeshift bar equipped with cornhole boards in the parking lot was a nice touch. | 8 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 34 |
| 16 | Fenway Park | Boston Red Sox | Classic, gritty stadium with classic, gritty and uninspiring food. Pretzels and hot dogs anyone? | 10 | 10 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 33 |
| 16 | Turner Field | Atlanta Braves | Drive your Lexus to the ballpark and you can park in the Lexus only parking lot, right next to the stadium | 6 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 33 |
| 16 | Great American Ballpark | Cincinnati Reds | America's Greatest Ballpark? I don't think so. | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 33 |
| 16 | Miller Park | Milwaukee Brewers | Home to arguably the best ballpark attraction, the Klement's Sausage Race. | 4 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 33 |
| 16 | US Cellular Field | Chicago White Sox | Eh .... | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 33 |
| 21 | Progressive Field | Cleveland Indians | The Indians Hall of Fame in centerfield was cute … I guess. | 8 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 32 |
| 22 | Angel Stadium of Anaheim | Anaheim Angels | Like everything in SoCal, the ballpark is only accessible by car. | 4 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 6 | 28 |
| 23 | Minute Maid Park | Houston Astros | Really?! A hill in straight-away centerfield? | 8 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 26 |
| 23 | Chase Field | Arizona Diamondbacks | Phoenix is hot. Unfortunately, Chase Field is also kept uncomfortably hot. | 7 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 26 |
| 25 | Rangers Ballpark in Arlington | Texas Rangers | Slightly uninspiring and unoriginal. Although the awe-inspiring "House That Jerry Built" is located across a parking lot. | 2 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 7 | 25 |
| 25 | Kauffman Stadium | Kansas City Royals | At least you have Arrowhead Stadium to view from across the parking lot, and lots of fountains. | 3 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 25 |
| 27 | Dodger Stadium | Los Angeles Dodgers | Even the font on the Dodgers sign looks dated and aged. | 4 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 23 |
| 28 | Tropicana Field | Tampa Bay Rays | I'm just happy my car was not stolen during the game. | 2 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 19 |
| 28 | Oakland Colesium | Oakland Athletics | The barbed wire outside of the stadium is a nice touch | 6 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 19 |
| 30 | Sun Life Stadium | Florida Marlins | Marlins' fans need only put up with this sad excuse for a baseball stadium for one more season | 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 12 |
No comments:
Post a Comment