MLB notes: One writer’s ranking of every ballpark he’s visited so far

A multitude of of my majority cherished memories as a youth involved traveling to see MLB ballparks during family vacations Now as a baseball writer one of the biggest perks of my job is getting to do so for work from time to time This year I had the opportunity to check two new ballparks off my list Globe Life Field in Texas and Rogers Centre in Toronto bringing me to ballparks total including three that are now defunct One day I hope to visit them all but as we look ahead to the World Series allow me to take you all down memory lane by ranking the ballparks I ve seen so far This list obviously does not include the parks I haven t been to yet which are Dodger Stadium Los Angeles Target Field Minnesota New Busch Stadium St Louis Progressive Field Cleveland Kauffman Stadium Kansas City Comerica Park Detroit American Family Field Milwaukee Great American Ball Park Cincinnati Angel Stadium Anaheim and Chase Field Arizona Related Articles Red Sox Review Card Aroldis Chapman Garrett Whitlock earn top marks Analysis What Alex Bregman s opt-out decision means for Red Sox Three Red Sox players broadcasted as Gold Glove finalists Document Red Sox B Alex Bregman to opt out test free agency Analysis Red Sox lose another front office executive to Washington Nationals Oakland Coliseum This place was a dump I had the chance to visit over April vacation when I was in high school and let s just say it was a notable step down from seeing the Giants beautiful park earlier in the week Even in the big concrete monstrosity was long past its expiration date and the biggest shame is that when the Coliseum was first built it had one of the bulk beautiful views in baseball looking out across the nearby Oakland Hills But with Mount Davis blocking the view in center field the only thing there was to see when I was there was tarp-covered seats in the upper deck Tropicana Field My first and so far only experience at Tropicana Field was close to a best-case scenario It was during the playoffs so the typically sparse stands were packed with fans and the ecosystem under the dome was genuinely electric That obviously isn t how it typically goes there so it was nice to see what the place could be like at its full foreseen But even still the Trop is weird It looks like a giant spaceship landed in the middle of downtown St Petersburg and the inside is a mishmash of concrete and loud aquatic colors It s good that the Rays will get their old ballpark back next season after spending stuck in the Yankees spring training complex but the sooner the club s new ownership group can get a new stadium built the better Rate Field My family visited Chicago in April and in retrospect we couldn t have picked a better year to see the White Sox who d go on to end the franchise s -year title drought But the ballpark Utterly unremarkable Rate Field is perfectly serviceable but utterly lacks any distinguishing character that sets the match s best ballparks apart There s no memorable view the architecture is soulless and years later the thing I remember the greater part about my visit was the bland music and in-game presentation It felt like being at an open- air NBA encounter Shea Stadium I visited Shea Stadium in its final season in and while it was objectively a worse facility than Rate Field it at least had particular character The home run apple in center field the blue and orange seats little touches like that can really make a park stand out There were also a couple of places in the park you could walk and see a great view of the New York City skyline and even though it was a concrete cookie-cutter I remember leaving with a good impression Herald Red Sox writer Mac Cerullo attended a match at the old Busch Stadium in St Louis as a kid back in the summer of Mark McGwire hit the th of his then-record home runs during the first inning against San Francisco Giants starter Orel Hershiser Mac Cerullo Boston Herald Old Busch Stadium This was the first road ballpark I ever visited and remains a core childhood memory I was eight years old and in the summer of my father whose company was doing business with a St Louis-based firm at the time took my family out to see the Cardinals during the height of Mark McGwire s historic home run chase For a kid named Mac who played Little League ball for the Cardinals getting to see Big Mac was a huge deal Obviously McGwire s record and that whole summer didn t age particularly well but seeing McGwire take Orel Hershiser deep in the bottom of the first sailing over Barry Bonds head in left field was something I ll never forget I don t remember much about the ballpark specifically other than thinking it was cool they had a Big Mac Land section in left The canopy rounding the upper deck also stood out and in retrospect helped differentiate Old Busch from other cookie-cutters of its day and the display of championships and retired numbers represented as pennants effectively conveyed the Cardinals long and storied history Nationals Park Nationals Park is boring There isn t really anything about it that stands out other than the party section in center field The view is also nothing but condos and office buildings though in fairness to the Nationals a lot of those were built after the ballpark and blocked what I understand used to be an awesome view of the U S Capitol The park is easy to get to and has great restaurants in the surrounding neighborhood so if you re in town it s still worth a visit loanDepot Park Like Tropicana Field I saw the Marlins ballpark under the best workable circumstances a World Baseball Classic tournament between the Dominican Republic and Venezuela It was an all-time atmosphere easily among the craziest I ve ever seen for any sporting event and far beyond anything this facility typically experiences That declared this ballpark isn t perfect The retractable roof box-style ballpark is inherently limited and all three that I ve visited are more or less the same loanDepot Park is possibly the blandest of the three though it does fit in architecturally with the surrounding neighborhood and at least attempted to try something different from the retro parks of the s and s By the time I visited it had already been sanitized with the original garish colors and artwork replaced by toned-down blues If they change things up again the Marlins might want to try to find a middle ground to help give this place certain more life Daikin Park Formerly known as Minute Maid Park the Astros home is functionally similar to loanDepot only with loads more character Houston s old Union Station was built into the design and incorporates a working train in left field there is a manual scoreboard under the Crawford Boxes in left and all over the park are little nods to Houston s history and Texas values The one challenge I have with this place is they should open the roof more I was here for the ALCS and they kept the roof closed even when the weather was perfect outside no doubt to help make for a louder rowdier playoff atmosphere But after Competition they opened up the roof and even with nobody left in the building it was striking how much nicer it was The Red Sox and Rangers take the field on Opening Day at Globe Life Field this past March Mac Cerullo Boston Herald Globe Life Field The new home of the Texas Rangers is similar to Daikin Park and loanDepot only bigger Much much bigger The concourses are wide and spacious there are concessions and clubs everywhere inside and outside the ballpark and the place even features a speakeasy behind home plate It s definitely not as aesthetic as the old Ballpark in Arlington across the street but I imagine it s a lot more reassured having the roof closed during the blazing summers One thing I noticed with Globe Life and Daikin is both Texas parks spend a lot of time prompting fans to get up and cheer Globe Life even has cheerleaders Definitely a bit of a practices shock compared to Fenway where the fans are trusted to do their own thing Yankee Stadium I never got to visit the old Yankee Stadium but I ve been to the new version several times and they certainly went the extra mile filling this place with tributes and callbacks to Yankee history But the new stadium is also kind of a Potemkin Village with a huge and imposing facade obscuring what is ultimately a monument to corporate power and the almighty dollar Also the ballpark s music and sound effects are really loud Like distractingly loud Citi Field Citi Field is a huge upgrade over Shea Stadium and gets a lot of things right The exterior facade is a nice tribute to Ebbets Field and there s a huge variety of concessions and other amenities especially for kids The main two drawbacks aren t really the Mets fault either One this place is eye-wateringly expensive even by MLB standards but then again so is everything else in New York City And two the main view if you re sitting behind home plate is LaGuardia Airport so the constant wave of planes landing and taking off can be a bit distracting Rogers Centre I ultimately got to check this one off my list last month and it didn t disappoint While the exterior isn t anything to write home about they ve put a ton of money into the interior and it really shows Fans will appreciate the new video board and amenities like the WestJet club in center field but what really stood out to me was the Blue Jays home clubhouse which was by far the nicest I ve seen in MLB so far Also while the ballpark is great even with the roof closed it s spectacular with the roof open The adjacent CN Tower looming over the first base line is an amazing visual unlike anything else I ve seen at a big league ballpark T-Mobile Park Known as Safeco Field when I visited with my family in the Seattle Mariners home was among the nicest I d ever seen up to that point and from what I hear still holds up well The ballpark threads the needle between having a retractable roof while still feeling like an authentic open-air facility and as we ve seen this postseason T-Mobile can produce particular unbelievable crowd noise when it s packed Citizens Bank Park This park is awesome Citizens Bank perfectly nails the modern retro aesthetic and includes several distinctly Philadelphia flavor like the home run bell and the authentic cheesesteaks There is also a great view of the Philly skyline out past the center field stands and several statues honoring former Phillies legends like Steve Carlton and Mike Schmidt I have nothing bad to say about it and if you have a chance to go there for the All-Star Tournament I d highly recommend it Truist Park Truist Park far exceeded my expectations when I visited with a friend back in The place is loaded with amenities and The Chophouse in right field is an incredible spot for fans Plus all of the seats are close to the field and the Monument Garden display behind home plate is a cool walk through the Braves history dating back to their days in Boston The Battery rise adjacent to the ballpark was also as good as advertised and it s no surprise every MLB club wants its own Coors Field It says a lot about how great Coors Field is that the Rockies were able to draw nearly million fans this past season despite fielding one of the worst teams in newest MLB history Coors Field is an absolute gem and even if Colorado s altitude makes playing here kind of funky the stadium remains one of the sport s best even years after its opening Want great views Coors has it Want beautiful modern retro architecture Coors has it Want amenities and vibes Coors has it No trip to Denver would be complete without a stop here just make sure you plan on visiting when an captivating opponent is in town Lord knows the Rockies themselves aren t worth watching Petco Park I haven t definitely gotten to see a challenge here yet but I took a ballpark tour during the Winter Meetings a sparse years back and loved what I saw The Western Metal Supply Co building being incorporated into the ballpark is one of multiple brilliant design touches and the contemporary architecture is a refreshing contrast to all of the other modern retro designs of its era It s also right downtown in the vibrant Gaslamp Quarter and has nice views of the surrounding San Diego skyline I d love to get back and see it with a full crowd from everything I hear it s truly a top-notch ballpark experience Camden Yards Camden Yards has a compelling incident for being one of the bulk iconic and essential ballparks in MLB history It started the modern retro craze when it opened in and even after more than three decades the Orioles home still stands out as an absolute gem It s pretty much flawless and while other parks like Citizens Bank and Coors have nailed it too features like the B O Warehouse and Eutaw Street help elevate the ballpark to another tier Oracle Park Similar to Camden Yards Oracle Park is a phenomenal ballpark that has that little something extra that sets it apart In this affair it s McCovey Cove Being able to watch a event and enjoy that view of the San Francisco bay just beyond the right field wall is an experience you can t get anywhere else One other thing you won t get from watching on TV the smell of freshly cooked garlic fries wafting throughout the park The view of the Pittsburgh skyline as seen from the PNC Park press box prior to a Red Sox vs Pirates battle in Mac Cerullo Boston Herald PNC Park This place rules The view of the Pittsburgh skyline the Allegheny River and the Roberto Clemente Bridge out beyond center field is in my opinion the best in baseball by a huge margin and the ballpark itself is perfect The architecture is distinctive and aesthetic it s easy to get to and the place is loaded with great food drinks and nods to Pittsburgh It s a shame the Pirates haven t been willing to invest enough in its roster to field a band worthy of its gorgeous home ballpark Wrigley Field While Camden Yards Oracle and PNC all perfected the modern retro design there s no beating the real thing Wrigley Field boasts an unparalleled baseball experience and the Cubs have done a great job investing in the century-old ballpark to ensure it remains fresh and vibrant for years to come Covering a Red Sox and Cubs series here a couple of years ago was a bucket list item and I hope to make it back again as soon as achievable Fenway Park There s no place like home While it s inevitably a treat to visit a new park Fenway is truly one of a kind