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Thomas Boswell and Keith McMillan of the Washington Post recently ranked all 30 ballparks in Major League Baseball. The duo set out to make the project part interactive checklist, part travel guide and part ranking. The writers referred to their Washington-Post co-workers that were also very knowledgeable about Major League Baseball to help complete the list. They included Adam Kilgore, Dave Sheinin, Chelsea Janes and Lacey Lusk.

All 30 Major League ballparks were placed into four categories by the Washington Post staff; “great ballparks”, “excellent ballparks”, “very good ballparks” and “ok to poor ballparks”. Only six ballparks were put into the “ok to poor ballparks” category. Our staff disagreed with a good bulk of the comments and some of the rankings. The Washington Post staff could have put much more effort into this list than what was done. Especially for the what they considered to be the worst ballparks in Major League Baseball. For some reason, they couldn’t tell you why ballparks like Oakland Coliseum and Tropicana Field were so bad. It was clear that the authors were especially favorable of their hometown Nationals Park and biased towards other ballparks in the league. What are your thoughts? Comment below.

 

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Great Ballparks

1. PNC Park, Pittsburgh Pirates. Comments: beautiful view of the Pittsburgh skyline. Clemente Bridge outside of the ballpark is a unique experience.
2. AT&T Park, San Francisco Giants. Comments: field dimensions are misshapen. Not much to see on the lower level of the ballpark; view of the bay from the upper level seats are spectacular.
3. Fenway Park, Boston Red Sox. Comments: lots of awful seats in the right field bleachers and down the right field line but coming to Fenway Park never gets old.
4. Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore Orioles. Comments: most influential ballpark in Major League Baseball history although not as much history as Fenway Park.
5. Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles Dodgers. Comments: needs more money devoted to it. Has excellent architecture.
6. Wrigley Field, Chicago Cubs. Comments: The biggest ballpark disappointment. Dingy with mundane panoramic views. Ivy, brick and scoreboard are like going back in time.
7. Yankee Stadium, New York Yankees. Comments: will never be as good as the old Yankee Stadium although it still feels like old Yankee Stadium with the façade. Caters to wealthy fans and gives up too many cheap home runs to right field.
8. Busch Stadium, St. Louis Cardinals. Comments: upper deck seats are much closer to the field than in other ballparks. The view of the Arch beyond the outfield is a nice touch.

 

 

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Excellent Ballparks

9. SafeCo Field, Seattle Mariners. Comments: great views of Puget Sound and downtown Seattle from the upper deck. Didn’t like the retractable roof although it’s necessary in rainy Seattle.
10. Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia Phillies. Comments: great view of the Philadelphia skyline in the distance. You’ll forget there is nothing outside of the ballpark with the exception of the stadiums for Philadelphia’s other sports teams. A cozy and warm ballpark.
11. Petco Park, San Diego Padres. Comments: no comments on Petco Park. Went off on a wild rant about how great Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. is.
12. Nationals Park, Washington Nationals. Comments: has perfect dimensions. Surrounded by a beautiful waterfront and affluent neighborhood. Upper deck has views of the Potomac, D.C., Maryland and Virginia.
13. Target Field, Minnesota Twins. Comments: good architecture and a beautiful view of downtown Minneapolis. The outfield grandstand is steep which can create a claustrophobic feel. Target Field has no connection to a waterfront; the Mississippi River is ten blocks away.
14. Coors Field, Colorado Rockies. Comments: very pretty stadium and in a nice part of downtown Denver. Because of Denver’s high altitude, the home run fences are too far out which impacts the view of the field for the fans seated in the outfield. Can see the beautiful Rocky Mountains from the upper deck seats on a clear and sunny day.
15. Minute Maid Park, Houston Astros. Comments: liked Minute Maid Park more than most people seem to. Also enjoyed the train atop the ballpark, retractable roof and Crawford Boxes.
16. Progressive Field, Cleveland Indians. Comments: classy and stands well with time. Has nothing ugly in view but offers no memorable panoramas of the ballpark.

 

 

 

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Very Good Ballparks

17. Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City Royals. Comments: Kauffman Stadium was destroyed when they re-designed the outfield water/fountain features and outfield architecture after their most recent renovations.
18. Great American Ballpark, Cincinnati Reds. Comments: an enthusiastic ballpark that gives up a lot of home runs. The stadium has an open feel to the sky, weather and views of the Ohio River.
19. Citi Field, New York Mets. Comments: has a nice rotunda with lots of unsightly signage in the outfield. Citi Field is surrounded by an industrial area of auto body shops with not much else outside of the ballpark.
20. Comerica Park, Detroit Tigers. Comments: has a decent view of the downtown Detroit skyline although you’re staring at a few eyesores. Has beautiful tiger statues outside of Comerica Park. Comerica Park suffers when compared to the old Tiger Stadium.
21. Miller Park, Milwaukee Brewers. No comments.
22. Angel Stadium of Anaheim, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Comments: in the middle of nowhere with easy access to Disneyland. Enjoyed the fake rocks and water display in left center field although most people don’t.
23. SunTrust Park, Atlanta Braves. Comments: staff hasn’t visited yet. Yet somehow it’s their 23^rd best ballpark in Major League Baseball? Interesting.
24. Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas Rangers. Comments: outfield grandstands have a traditional feel. Looks tasteful compared to AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, next door.

 

 

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OK to Poor Ballparks

25. Marlins Park, Miami Marlins. Comments: not “Miami Style” or “Miami Architecture”.
26. Chase Field, Arizona Diamondbacks. Comments: tolerable as long as the retractable roof is open.
27. Guaranteed Rate Field, Chicago White Sox. No comments.
28. Rogers Centre, Toronto Blue Jays. No comments.
29. Oakland Coliseum, Oakland Athletics. Comments: Mount Davis in center field does not belong in a baseball stadium.
30. Tropicana Field, Tampa Bay Rays. Comments: go ahead and demolish this place.

 

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