Since opening in 2000, San Francisco’s scenic bayside ballpark has been widely acclaimed as one of the best venues in baseball, if not in all of sports. In fact, it’s almost transcended sports and earned a place in broader popular culture as a Bay Area destination, similar to Chicago’s Wrigley or Boston’s Fenway. Could previous …
Home plate club seats – think those “moats” separating the unwashed masses from the corporate crowd at new car season ticket prices – have been a fixture at MLB ballparks throughout the 21st century. While they are a massive source of stadium revenue, easily bringing in eight figures per year in not only ticket receipts …
The Coolest Seats in Baseball? 1914 Club at Wrigley Field Review Read More »
I try to revisit each MLB park at least once every 3-4 years, but for whatever reason, I’ve neglected to see the Mariners’ ballpark recently. In fact, I hadn’t attended a game at the Ballpark That Saved Baseball in Seattle since 2011, in what was by far my longest ballpark drought. So naturally, it made …
12 Things You Must See at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park Read More »
An out-of-towner’s experience at a ballpark can vary significantly based on what games they attend. The vibe for a Tuesday in early April can’t compare to that of Fourth of July weekend. For my MLB ballpark revisits—my game count for the average stadium is now approaching the mid-high single digits—I’ve been trying to make a …
Ballpark Revisit: Miami’s LoanDepot Park for the 2023 World Baseball Classic Read More »
Welcome to Ballpark Ratings’ new website and blog! Finally. This site was launched years ago as a fun little exercise in ranking and “rating” MLB ballparks. Given my exposure baseball and travel at a young age, I found (and find) it an intriguing project after seeing all 30 MLB parks on many occasions. But Ballparkratings.com …
By: Cole ShoemakerApril 1, 2021 Many have lamented the demise of everyday social interactions during Covid—the handshakes, the hugs, the impromptu chats with neighbors—but I mostly just miss the crowds. Particularly when cheering at a live event, that celebratory collective effervescence brings us all together. As the pandemic endlessly wound on in 2020, those communal …
Best and Worst Features of Each Major League Ballpark, with Rankings Read More »
By: Cole ShoemakerMarch 5, 2021 Note: For obvious reasons, 2021 spring training will be unlike any year before. This piece might be of interest to those select spring training fanatics particularly excited to finally return to the ballpark after a year out of action, but it does not especially focus on Covid restrictions. For those …
Best and Worst Feature of Each Spring Training Ballpark Read More »
By: Cole ShoemakerAugust 24, 2020 For all that I relished about annually revisiting baseball’s cathedrals, namely meeting new fans and discovering ballpark changes, I truly miss the joy of having a high-quality snack at a ballgame. It’s no secret that baseball’s variety and quality of concession stand food has improved dramatically in the last 20 …
Best Foodie Ballparks: The Definitive Guide and Ranking of All 30 MLB Stadiums by Food Read More »
Ballpark Trends of the 2010s: A Decade in Review By: Cole Shoemaker 12/30/19 Huge structural changes in Major League Baseball are often synonymous with each passing decade in the minds of generations of baseball fans. The breaking of the color barrier is associated with the 1940s, relocation and expansion captures the 50s …
Ballpark Trends of the 2010s: A Decade in Review Read More »
In a national landscape of highly acclaimed ballparks with well-positioned skyline panoramas, captivating water views, and sweeping mountain vistas, so much of our attention is devoted to the interior aesthetics of America’s great baseball cathedrals. Grand aesthetic visions are mostly framed by the inside, namely through a ballpark’s contextual integration of its environment, one of …
Ballpark Architecture: Ranking all 30 MLB Stadiums, based on Exterior Architecture Read More »
Ballpark Preview: Braves New Spring Training Complex, CoolToday Park And a Word on the Demise of Champion Stadium at Disney World By: Cole Shoemaker 3/14/19 When the Braves christen CoolToday Park on March 24th before moving in full time for 2020, it will mark the end of what was supposed to be the most …
Ballpark Preview: Braves New Spring Training Complex, CoolToday Park Read More »
In Defense of my Comerica Park Ranking: Why I Think the Park is Underrated By: Cole Shoemaker Published August 21, 2018 I felt compelled to write this addendum to my feature ranking and rating the MLB ballparks (part 1, part 2) because Detroit’s Comerica Park is the one park where my assessment significantly deviates from …
In Defense of my Comerica Park Ranking: Why I Think the Park is Underrated Read More »
In a long overdue effort to provide up-to-date content not specific to one ballpark review, I will be writing more blog style articles in 2018 consisting of news, features, rankings, comparisons, special profiles, and more. I’ve realized long 10-15,000 word in-depth reviews simply aren’t optimal for dispensing, consuming, and sharing information in today’s social media …
In a long overdue effort to provide up-to-date content not specific to one ballpark review, I will be writing more blog style articles in 2018 consisting of news, features, rankings, comparisons, special profiles, and more. I’ve realized long 10-15,000 word in-depth reviews simply aren’t optimal for dispensing, consuming, and sharing information in today’s social media …
In a long overdue effort to provide up-to-date content not specific to one ballpark review, I will be writing more blog style articles in 2018 consisting of news, features, rankings, comparisons, special profiles, and more. I’ve realized long 10-15,000 word in-depth reviews simply aren’t optimal for dispensing, consuming, and sharing information in today’s social media …
Comparing Florida and Arizona Spring Training Ballparks Read More »
In a long overdue effort to provide up-to-date content not specific to one ballpark review, I will be writing more blog style articles in 2018 consisting of news, features, rankings, comparisons, special profiles, and more. I’ve realized long 10-15,000 word in-depth reviews simply aren’t optimal for dispensing, consuming, and sharing information in today’s social media …
By: Cole Shoemaker Note: Written in 2012. Here is the updated version ranking and rating all spring training parks. The ballparks in the Valley of the Cactus League are generally considered the gold standard of spring training, generations ahead of more intimate yet basic facilities in Florida, often lacking the 360-degree open concourses, outfield berms, …
By: Cole Shoemaker Written in 2011 It was not the demand for charming architecture, fan friendly amenities, or intimately scaled seating that drove the ballpark building boom, but the need for revenue generating premium seating. For better or for worst, it is a fact that we would not have these ballparks if not for the …
Examining the Criticism By: Cole Shoemaker Written in 2011 [Editor’s Note: Click here for a full analysis of all MLB ballpark exterior architecture] In recent years, it has become popular amongst ballpark aficionados, fans, and architectural critics to bash HOK (Populous) and some of the new retro ballparks, as the style has become more blasé. …
By: Cole Shoemaker Written in 2011 One of the primary complaints regarding some of the new ballparks is the lack of cantilevering. Cantilevers are the long projecting beams underneath the upper decks that support the extension of the decks farther out, closer to the field, above the lower deck. Some decks today only have …
A general review By: Cole Shoemaker Written in 2011 The so-called “retro movement” not only had architectural implications, but functional ones as well. It is important view these trends as an evolution, not a revolution started by one ballpark, specifically Camden Yards. While Camden is seen as the starting point for the evolution …
By: Cole Shoemaker Written in 2011 Despite the possibility of fielding outdoor baseball and growing real grass, traditionalists and ballpark critics alike have criticized some of the new retractable roof ballparks. Every modern retractable roof ballpark, except Safeco Field, has routinely landed at the bottom of the ballpark rankings. Safeco gets a pass because it …
By: Cole Shoemaker Written 2010-2011 After witnessing the building boom of the 90s and 2000s, where owners and architects followed the retro aesthetic like sheep, why wouldn’t we have another building boom in the next 15 years, when another trend catches on? Most of these ballparks used Camden Yards as a template, breaking little new …
Timelessness of a Ballpark: Future Historic Shrines Read More »
By: Cole Shoemaker Written in 2011 Angling the seats down the lines with a combination of bowl geometry and reoriented seating is a priority in new modern ballparks. All seats should be pointed toward the infield. Effectively angled seats in Petco Park Generally, there are two ways of doing this. Most of the new …
By: Cole Shoemaker Written in 2011 When I look at the 20-plus new ballparks constructed since the opening of Camden Yards, I see three distinct strands. Each strand represents the general sentiments of ballpark architects at the time. From my analysis, when comparing each movement, I see the architectural merits gradually worsen. Of course, …
Three Movements in New Retro Ballpark Construction Read More »
By: Cole Shoemaker Written in 2011 In terms of interior design, one of the most common and overused buzzwords we hear from critics is “contrived” or “gimmicky”. As I’ve touched upon in multiple articles, some of the new retro ballparks added gimmicky features to superficially distinguish the design because of underlying similarity. It can apply …
Interior Design Topic: Faux Retro Ballpark Contrivances and Gimmicks Read More »
Discussion of seating structures, concourses, standing room areas, split upper decks, intentional gaps in grandstand design, and the neighborhood seating concept By: Cole Shoemaker Written in 2011 Based on my readings and experiences, I have made some general observations on the functional evolution of the new ballparks. I cover specific topics, such as sightlines …
