Best and worst ballparks in baseball

[LightningStorm]

Since stadium architecture is something of interest to me, I'd be curious to here from you guys what you regard as both the best and worst ballparks in MLB. Pick a maximum of 10 in each category. Here's mine in no order:

Top 10
Camden Yards (Orioles)
Comerica Park (Tigers)
Coors Field (Rockies)
Minute Maid Park (Astros)
Oracle Park (Giants)
PNC Park (Pirates)
Petco Park (Padres)
T-Mobile Park (Mariners)
Target Field (Twins)
Wrigley Field (Cubs)

Top 3 for me are Camden Yards, PNC, and Petco. Minute Maid, Oracle, and T-Mobile are all close for which of those 2 rounds out the top 5. Now to the worst, which I have 4, and you already know the first 2, which I'm sure will be on all of yours too:

Worst
Oakland Coliseum (A's)
Tropicana Field (Rays)
Guaranteed Rate Field (White Sox)
Rogers Centre (Blue Jays)

Also, I think the Rangers Globe Life Field is ugly for a new stadium, though I don't know if it's bad enough for me to include it among the very worst.

Can't wait to see your lists of the best and worst MLB ballparks.

Click to read more...

 

[Fenway]

I haven't been to Oakland since 2006 and have zero desire to ever go back. It was horrific 17 years ago and I shudder to think what it is like now.

The Trop is a farce because of the catwalks............it was almost better as a NHL rink in the 90s. Fenway is a paradox - It has both the best seats in MLB and also the worst but along with Wrigley the history.

Rogers Centre is a 1970s cookie cutter that happens to have a retractable roof. It has aged badly in 34 years.

I despise Yankee Stadium III.

Comerica in Detroit disappointed me because they made no attempt to honor Tiger Stadium. Guaranteed Rate Field is underrated, I actually enjoy going there more than Wrigley.

PNC Park, Oracle Park, and Target Field got it right and Citizens Bank Park in Philly is close behind.

Dodger Stadium is a gem but a horror show to get in and out of.

 

[LightningStorm]

Fenway is a paradox - It has both the best seats in MLB and also the worst but along with Wrigley the history.

How do Fenway and Wrigley compare to each other?

I despise Yankee Stadium III.

What didn't you like about it? Seems like quite a bit of people find it mediocre.

 

[Fenway]

How do Fenway and Wrigley compare to each other?

What didn't you like about it? Seems like quite a bit of people find it mediocre.

Fenway and Wrigley are shrines. Wrigley does not have seats as bad as the right-field grandstand at Fenway or the 1934 wooden seats which are not comfortable. The Wrigley videoboards were not designed to blend in like the ones at Fenway do.

Every baseball fan should see a game at both parks.

Yankee Stadium III tried to replicate Yankee Stadium I and it failed - it simply does not have the atmosphere.

 

[southsideIrish]

Since stadium architecture is something of interest to me, I'd be curious to here from you guys what you regard as both the best and worst ballparks in MLB. Pick a maximum of 10 in each category. Here's mine in no order:

Top 10
Camden Yards (Orioles)
Comerica Park (Tigers)
Coors Field (Rockies)
Minute Maid Park (Astros)
Oracle Park (Giants)
PNC Park (Pirates)
Petco Park (Padres)
T-Mobile Park (Mariners)
Target Field (Twins)
Wrigley Field (Cubs)

Top 3 for me are Camden Yards, PNC, and Petco. Minute Maid, Oracle, and T-Mobile are all close for which of those 2 rounds out the top 5. Now to the worst, which I have 4, and you already know the first 2, which I'm sure will be on all of yours too:

Worst
Oakland Coliseum (A's)
Tropicana Field (Rays)
Guaranteed Rate Field (White Sox)
Rogers Centre (Blue Jays)

Also, I think the Rangers Globe Life Field is ugly for a new stadium, though I don't know if it's bad enough for me to include it among the very worst.

Can't wait to see your lists of the best and worst MLB ballparks.

I love Camden Yards. Great location, food, atmosphere when the O's are doing well. The architecture and the way they fit it into the harbor worked great. Although I wasn't thrilled with the hotel that was built recently that blocks some of the skyline.

Minute Maid is weird, but works. Good food. PNC Park is gorgeous. Didn't care for Target Field at all. I grew up in Chicago and remember Wrigley without lights. Now it just looks odd with video boards thrown up everywhere. Fenway is terrific but the seats are tight.

Agree 100% on Oak & TB. The W Sox park had the misfortune of being an ugly mess when it was built, then Camden Yards came a year later and people (rightfully) really started crapping on it. I will say the renovations they did a few years back helped - but it still was a miss. Good food though. Went to the SkyDome (Rogers) years ago and felt like I was in an empty, cold warehouse.

Haven't been to Globe but have heard it's great inside but looks like an airplane hangar on the outside. I liked the previous Rangers park a lot, the food and architecture were great but they badly needed some kind of roof.

 

[LightningStorm]

I love Camden Yards. Great location, food, atmosphere when the O's are doing well. The architecture and the way they fit it into the harbor worked great. Although I wasn't thrilled with the hotel that was built recently that blocks some of the skyline.

Love seeing the O's do well this season because I've always liked that franchise plus I like a good team playing in that amazing ballpark. Plus the obvious historical importance, with that being the ballpark that moved us into the retro classic era of ballparks and rendered the multi purpose concrete donuts obsolete.

Minute Maid is weird, but works. Good food.

Haven't been to Globe but have heard it's great inside but looks like an airplane hangar on the outside. I liked the previous Rangers park a lot, the food and architecture were great but they badly needed some kind of roof.

I once saw an interesting description comparing these 2 Texas ballparks that matched what I've seen in photos: that MMP has the roof tracks low and out of sight, while GLF is still above the stands, still making it fully enclosed when opened. This gives GLF that hangar feeling on the inside in addition to the exterior looking like one.

 

[Canes]

PNC, Wrigley, Petco, and Oracle are the best I've been to. I'm biased but I like Truist a lot as well but I realize its negatives to most baseball fans.

Tropicana is the only bad park I've been to.

 

[southsideIrish]

PNC, Wrigley, Petco, and Oracle are the best I've been to. I'm biased but I like Truist a lot as well but I realize its negatives to most baseball fans.

Tropicana is the only bad park I've been to.

Since moving to Atlanta I've been surprised with Truist, I do like it a lot, the sightlines are terrific, the food is pretty good, atmosphere is great esp. with the team doing well and the Battery and everything around it.

Main negative for me is getting out of there. Even paying for the high roller parking lots some of them you sit for a LONG time after the game trying to get out.

 

[John Price]

our bus passed by fenway (and yankee stadium) last saturday!

opacy is nice.

nationals park is good too

 

[Boris Le Tigre]

6. Olympic Stadium - Montreal
5. Oakland Coliseum- Oakland
4. Yankee Stadium II - New York
3. Fenway Park - Boston
2. Safeco Field - Seattle
1. Petco Park - San Diego

My ranking based on the ones I’ve been to.

 

[nilan30]

How’s Miller Park in Milwaukee for those that have been there? I’m going later this summer.

I’ve only been to Skydome probably 10 times and like it. The other I’ve been to is Target Field which is beautiful and definitely more of a ballpark feel. For some reason I really want to go to Cincy’s field. It looks nice

 

[No Fun Shogun]

I haven't been enough to really judge, but I'd readily say that the ballparks that I'm most interested in visiting are AT&T (or whatever the heck the Giants park is called now, literally don't care), Target, Camden, and Fenway.

Of the parks I've been to, I'll homer vote for Wrigley but also give high marks to Wrigley North and PNC. Great American (while cheap) and both Busch Stadiums are meh to me, New Comiskey was bad but they improved it a lot thanks to boatloads of renovations, and Comerica and Progressive were okay while I really only have a faint memory of Tiger.

To shout out minor league parks, AutoZone in Memphis was fantastic at least 20 years ago.

How’s Miller Park in Milwaukee for those that have been there? I’m going later this summer.

Pretty solid, no complaints.

 

[BigBadBruins7708]

My Top 3 are Fenway, Yankee Stadium (the real one) and Turner Field

Others are
Skydome (super cool place but a little too cavernous)
Nationals Park (too generic)
New Yankee Stadium (basically a shopping mall)
Camden Yards (really 3b for me, its great)
Chase Field (good overall but except upper deck)
Dodger Stadium (great older park)

Side note, I dont get why the Braves left Turner Field, granted I went there in like 2004 so things could've changed but it was a great park in the city. Truist feels like ownership wanted to boost their own worth with a shiny new real estate development, masqueraded it as building a new ballpark and pitched it all around the Atlanta area until someone said ok and cut them a check.

 

[Jovavic]

Was Tiger Stadium near a prison? I remember seeing "watch out for escaped convicts" on manhole covers talking to it but that was like 30 years ago (I saw Cecil Fielder hit a triple, big dude was hustling that day)

 

[Cas]

1. Oracle Park, San Francisco
2. Oriole Park, Baltimore
3. Citi Field, New York
4. Nationals Park, Washington
5. Oakland Coliseum, Oakland
6. Candlestick Park, San Francisco

I don't travel that much (at least not to places that have major league baseball).

Greater Nevada Field in Reno was nice enough, but the surrounding area is the only place I've ever been, in any capacity, where I was concerned for my safety. San Jose Stadium is old and shows it, but is a fine experience. I have fond memories of Salinas Municipal Stadium, but apparently it was a death trap that fortunately did not catch fire.

 

[LightningStorm]

Haven't been to Globe but have heard it's great inside but looks like an airplane hangar on the outside. I liked the previous Rangers park a lot, the food and architecture were great but they badly needed some kind of roof.

Forgot to mention in my original reply to you that The Ballpark in Arlington is probably the most tragic story of a stadium. A nice facility where the Rangers time there unfortunately had to end early cause, as you mention, the lack of a roof during those oppressively humid Texas summers. Glad they were able to reconfigure it into a football stadium so it didn't completely go to waste.

Unfortunate too that their new stadium is an imitation of Chase Field, which I find mediocre.

 

[Canes]

My Top 3 are Fenway, Yankee Stadium (the real one) and Turner Field

Others are
Skydome (super cool place but a little too cavernous)
Nationals Park (too generic)
New Yankee Stadium (basically a shopping mall)
Camden Yards (really 3b for me, its great)
Chase Field (good overall but except upper deck)
Dodger Stadium (great older park)

Side note, I dont get why the Braves left Turner Field, granted I went there in like 2004 so things could've changed but it was a great park in the city. Truist feels like ownership wanted to boost their own worth with a shiny new real estate development, masqueraded it as building a new ballpark and pitched it all around the Atlanta area until someone said ok and cut them a check.

Turner Field was in a pretty crappy part of the city, but you're pretty much spot on about ownership. Definitely very shady how it all went down. But the truth is most of the Atlanta area based fans are from the suburbs, the stadium and the real estate project have been a wild success, and not all of it is due to the recent success of the Braves, they were doing great numbers before World Series win #2.

I do miss the tailgating at Turner Field though, the new stadium is definitely not the same as they basically designate only one parking lot for it now.

 

[These Are The Days]

From a Rays fan. Tropicana Field is a joke boys. It needs to be purged with extreme prejudice. Steinbrenner Field where the Tarpons play is literally 500x better

 

[Vamos Rafa]

I remember the massive love Angel Stadium was getting during the honeymoon years of Arte Moreno in the mid-2000s. Now everyone knows it’s a dump.

 

[AdmiralsFan24]

How’s Miller Park in Milwaukee for those that have been there? I’m going later this summer.

I’ve only been to Skydome probably 10 times and like it. The other I’ve been to is Target Field which is beautiful and definitely more of a ballpark feel. For some reason I really want to go to Cincy’s field. It looks nice

You better hope the roof is open or you might as well go to a sauna. It would be colder.

 

[SJSharksfan39]

Based on the stadiums I’ve been to I would say Yankees Stadium was really disappointing. All that history and on the outside it’s just this bland wall structure. There is barely any color and the spacing left a lot to be desired. I also was disappointed in Tropicana, where the White Sox play, and the old ballpark in Arlington (haven’t been to the new one yet).

The ones I like other than Oracle were Comerica, Citi Field, and Great American Ballpark.

 

[Prominence Problem]

Roger center in Toronto this winter just completed the first of 3 stadium renovations.
They redid the OF and bullpens. Joe Kelly says Bullpens are now nicest in entire league.

I believe this winter they are redoing the infield seating and concourse.

Not positive the renovations the winter after, but I thought I remember them talking about redoing the playing surface?

 

[AtlantaWhaler]

PNC, Wrigley, Petco, and Oracle are the best I've been to. I'm biased but I like Truist a lot as well but I realize its negatives to most baseball fans.

Tropicana is the only bad park I've been to.

Since moving to Atlanta I've been surprised with Truist, I do like it a lot, the sightlines are terrific, the food is pretty good, atmosphere is great esp. with the team doing well and the Battery and everything around it.

Main negative for me is getting out of there. Even paying for the high roller parking lots some of them you sit for a LONG time after the game trying to get out.

Truist, the stadium itself, is nice, but not top-10. The surrounding development makes it a top-10 experience, but on stadium alone....it's nice. Same situation as Busch Stadium.

Nicest I've personally been to was AT&T or Oracle or whatever. But overall...can't beat a game at Fenway.

 

[Terry Yake]

I remember the massive love Angel Stadium was getting during the honeymoon years of Arte Moreno in the mid-2000s. Now everyone knows it’s a dump.

it's very much an outdated ballpark and the food sucks, but it's still a very comfortable and easy place to watch a game. getting in and out of there is a breeze and no need to worry about parking

 

[Vamos Rafa]

it's very much an outdated ballpark and the food sucks, but it's still a very comfortable and easy place to watch a game. getting in and out of there is a breeze and no need to worry about parking

Good luck remembering where you parked, though, as the lots don’t have numbers.