Ranking all 30 MLB Ballparks

Ah, the ballpark. The mighty cathedrals where America’s favorite pastime is played. One of my favorite aspects of baseball is its stadiums, because much more so then any other sport, MLB stadiums have unique characteristics like their architecture, features, size, etc that gives teams a unique look. With that said, here are my rankings of all 30 active MLB ballparks, from worst to first. WARNING — SNARKY COMMENTS AND BAD JOKES LIE AHEAD, SO READER’S DISCRETION IS ADVISED.

30. Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays — It should be no surprise that baseball’s lone remaining domed stadium is dead last. I mean, just look at the place, it looks an over sized-warehouse that has a baseball field in the middle. An outdoor ballpark in the beautiful Florida gulf coast has so much potential, but its wasted with this barren wasteland. Florida baseball is better then this.

29. Oakland Coliseum, Home of the Oakland Athletics — In many respects, the Coliseum its actually worse then Tropicana Field: Football is still played there, even the new scoreboards are microscopic by today’s standards, and its former name was perhaps the worst in sports history. However, give the A’s credit, they are at least outside, under the always beautiful northern California skies. Billy Beane and Co. owe the Rays organization a steak dinner for making their dungeon of a stadium look good.

28. Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks — Chase Field’s retractable roof is a modern marvel of engineering and architecture. It also looks like crap. Really look at the image above. Doesn't it still feel indoors, even though its clear that the roof is open? Arizona’s ballpark has always seemed like a step backwards to me, as if its trying to be like antiquated domed stadiums of the 70’s and 80’s. I get that the indoors is necessity to brave the Arizona heat, but that doesn't mean the place has to look like a airplane hangar. Its saving grace? The pool is sorta neat, I guess.

27. Kauffman Stadium, home of the Kansas City Royals — Come at me, haters. So many people I’ve talked to consider this aging slab of concrete as a decent ballpark, and rank it far away from their bottom 10. What fools. “The K” was built in 1973, so its in a weird point in ballpark history — too old to be visually stunning or groundbreaking, yet also too young to be considered historic or classic. To me, it just looks like a charmless stadium with no originality or character, except the vaguely cool looking crown scoreboard (The fountains are totally overrated in my book). In a way, Kauffman Stadium is good representation of Kansas as a state: No thrills and in the middle of nowhere, but I guess its not the absolute worst. Except the stadium is actually in the Missouri side of KC. Crap.

26. Turner Field, home of the Atlanta Braves — I’ll give props to the Braves, for having their bland, retro-classic ballpark in the home of ’96 Olympics in downtown Atlanta annnnddd they're moving in to the suburbs next year. The Braves are treating this mediocre ballpark like a pile of poo that they need to get rid of immediately, so I think I’ll treat Turner Field the same way. The place has little character, its filled with distracting corporate sponsorship, and the stadium still showcases the racist “tomahawk chop”. Oh, and there’s a large, tomahawking Chik-Fil-A cow in left field. Try to find all the racism/homophobia in that sentence.

25. US Cellular Field, home of the Chicago White Sox — “The Cell” has a bit of an unfortunate history: It opened in 1991, exactly one year before Orioles park at Camden yards opened, which totally changed modern ballpark architecture. Boy, talk about bad timing. As a result, the White Sox play in a bland, sterile ballpark that has some charms (the pinwheels in center field are kinda fun), but will always be unfairly compared to Chicago’s much more iconic Wrigley Field. Look on the bright side, White Sox fans — at least you guys won a world series in the past 100 years!

24. Rogers Centre, home of the Toronto Blue Jays — Much like US Cellular, the Rogers Centre was built in 1989, just a few years before the retro-classic movement in ballpark architecture began. The big claim to fame here is that this was the first stadium to successfully have a retractable roof (Montreal’s failed miserably), and the place still has a modern vibe to it (There’s a hotel inside the park!) that’s actually refreshing in MLB today. That being said, the place hasn’t aged terribly well, as ballparks like Safeco Field and Minute Maid Park have made retractable roofs much more attractive. That’s I why think I respect the Rogers Center more then I actually like it.

23. Marlins park, home of the Miami Marlins (Big shock, right?) — Trying to figure out Marlins Park is like a pre-schooler trying to figure out calculus. I appreciate the Marlins for trying something new, as no other ballpark has yet to try the “contemporary” look that the marlins are going for here. I also think the Marlins did something right for Florida baseball: having a creative retractable roof, so the place looks tolerable even when the roof has to be closed for the daily Florida thunderstorms/surface of the sun heat. Marlins Park doesn't look like any other stadium of any sport in America, and I’m not sure if that’s good for being so original, or bad for doing something totally crazy.

22. Great American Ballpark, home of the Cincinnati Reds — I don’t know what it is, but something about this place just rubs me the wrong way. There’s a lot to like about this place (I love the riverboat feature, a tribute to Cincy’s history of riverboats on the Ohio River), but it just doesn't do for me. I think the whole park looks kinda empty, especially the outfield. I get that they're showcasing the Ohio River view, but it just doesn’t look attention grabbing enough to draw me in. Plus, the new right field video screen blocks a good deal of the view. GABP is not horrible, or even bad, just very milquetoast.

21. Citi Field, home of the New York Mets — This stadium has a lot going for it: The iconic home run apple, the orange foul polls, the Jackie Robinson Rotunda, among other neat ways to honor New York’s rich baseball history. That being said, Citi Field is a lousy ballpark experience. I went to Citi Field last year, and I can tell you that there is never a moment where you’re not bombarded with ads. They’re everywhere, and they really do take away a lot from the experience. The prices are also through the roof, and for a Mets stadium, they don’t really honor the orange & blue as much as you would think. Not a horrible place, but it feels like a big missed opportunity.

20. Busch Stadium, home of the St. Louis Cardinals — I have to admit, the city view from Busch is fantastic; the skyline, the old-school court house, and the Gateway Arch all look so great in this panoramic shot. That being said, the stadium itself is pretty mediocre. The video screen are already outdated despite being only 10 years old, its apparently very hard to find the “St. Louis famous” toasted raviolis, and the ballpark feels a little too predictable. It follows all the tropes of retro-classic ball parks (The red brick facade, the iron gates, the asymmetrical outfield etc), and as a result, feels weirdly uninteresting. This stadium took no risks, and I think it sort of gets lost in shuffle of great ballparks as a results. Oh, and Cardinal fans are very annoying.

19. Miller Park, home of the Milwaukee Brewers — Miller Park seems like Chase Field done right. Both have really bad retractable roof designs, but Miller Park actually looks open when the roof actually is open! Miller Park also has a fantastic game-day experience. I’ve been to Brewers games before and the whole experience — the tailgating, the racing sausages, Bernie’s slide, the beer barrel polka, among other things prove that Wisconsin is one of the best sports states in America. It may not be a very good ballpark architecturally, but the passion certainly goes a long way for a decent ballpark experience.

18. Yankee Stadium, home of the New York Yankees (Huge shock, I know) — This the ultimate “love it or hate it” kind of ballpark. On one hand, the amenities are top notch, things like monument park do a great job of honoring the admittedly unrivaled success of the pinstripes, and game-day atmosphere is terrific (Believe me, it pretty awesome how they play Star Wars music for the starting line ups). Then again, the place is wayyy over-priced even by NYC standards, a lot of the fans are arrogant snobs that don’t want riff-raff into the stadium, and they destroyed the old Yankee Stadium, the 3rd oldest ballpark in America to make this billion dollar Yankee shrine. Yeah, I go back and forth on whether the pros outweighs the cons here. That’s why 18 on the list seems fair: Outside the bottom 10, but also not in the top half of today’s MLB ballparks.

17. Comerica Park, home of the Detroit Tigers — I’ve been to Comerica Park before, and its a fine place for a ball game (Though, I gotta say, in a not so nice neighborhood of Detroit). There’s nice city view, the new video board is great, and there’s even a Ferris wheel for kids. That being said, the whole place feels sorta blah. Much like Busch Stadium, Comerica feels too generic both architecturally and in terms of game day experience to be a great ballpark. I gave Comerica Park 3 spots better on the list then Busch, because I do give credit to the the stadium to revitalizing the Tigers, and even being a glimmer hope for Detroit since it has fallen onto hard times.

16. Progressive Field, home of the Cleveland Indians — You could pretty much copy and paste what I said about Comerica Park here, and it would apply for Progressive Field. Progressive Field gets a slight edge over Comerica, because of the fantastic heritage park in center field, and being the first of a handful of “retro-modern” ballparks, or sort of the “Anti-Camden Yards” back in 1994 with design elements like steel exteriors. Oh, and this place is something of a pioneer for giant scoreboards in American stadiums.

15. Nationals Park, home of the Washington Nations (Duh) — Okay, so this place actually is the anti-Camden Yards. It was designed on purpose to look modern, sleek, and not like most other current MLB stadiums. This was done to detach from the Orioles fan base, and attract young kids to be Nationals fans; since the Nationals did not exist before 2005, and entering right into the heart of the Baltimore Orioles’ fan base/media market. Smart business move, but as for the stadium itself? Meh. I’ve been to Nationals Park before, and it feels nice, but not really like ballpark (which I guess is sort of the point). It almost feels like Chase Field, but without the roof. Sort of like the Rogers Centre, I appreciate the futurism in Nationals Park more then I actually enjoy it.

14. Angel Stadium of Anaheim, home of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (is this joke getting old yet?) — Angel Stadium was actually much like the Oakland Colosseum, as the LA Rams occupied the stadium until 1994, and it looked much different. Fortunately, the Disney company re-renovated the stadium in the late 90’s, and really made it into a nice ballpark. The center field rocks are a great feature, and baseball in Southern Cali weather will always be great. The stadium itself is not terribly impressive, but its transformation by Disney is uplifting for the futures decaying heaps like the aforementioned Oakland Colosseum. Bonus Fun Fact: When translated from Spanish, “The Los Angeles Angels” is just “The the angels angels”.

13. Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres — I like to call this place, “West Progressive Field”, because the retro-modern style here is very similar to Progressive’s in Cleveland. I like this one more, because of the open views beyond center field, the incorporation of the old western metal supply co building, and the great San Diego weather. Much like Progressive and other ballparks in the middle of the list, its just not terribly unique or attention grabbing enough to be a great ballpark. Petco Park is actually a perfect representation of San Diego as a city — very beautiful and enjoyable, but it doesn’t have a the cultural touchstones to be World-Class.

12. Target Field, home of the Minnesota twins — Ah, Target Field: the very best of the trio of “retro-modern stadiums that are very nice, but not terribly interesting” ballparks! This place is also sort of the anti Great American Ballpark for me, because I love this stadium way more then I probably should despite its lack of originality. I simply adore the center field light up twins logo, the mini pine forest, and the Twins logo above the video screen. I even love the limestone exterior! Again, this somewhat cookie cutter ballpark shouldn’t get this much love from me, but I can’t help myself from admiring it. Target Field is basically the Ned Flanders of ballparks: Aggressively nice, but also aggressively normal.

11. Safeco Field, home of the Seattle Mariners — This is how you do a retractable roof right, everyone. The stadium feels totally outdoors when the roof is open, and even somewhat outdoors when the roof is closed. The “umbrella system” that Seattle uses is absolutely perfect. Also, the stadium just feels very Pacific Northwestern to me, I think it might be all the forest greens and blues all around the ballpark. The huge video screen is a jem, and there’s just a certain “je ne sais quoi” factor about Safeco Field that always draws me in. I really wanted to put Safeco into my top ten, but the lack of great views, storied history, and overall team pride makes it impossible for me to get into to the elusive top 10. Sorry Seattle, at least you have my absolute favorite NFL stadium!

10. Globe Life Park in Arlington, home of the Texas Rangers — Globe Life Park is another ballpark that people seem to love or hate. A lot of people dislike the lack of view beyond center field, the huge billboards that are in center field, and the lack of a retractable roof during the boiling Texas summers. Those are legitimate complaints, but I love Globe Life for two reason. For one, the architecture grows with Baltimore’s early “retro-classic” style with a Texas twist here in Arlington. The right field home run porch, the exterior facade that looks like a big fortress, and the “grassy knoll” in center field (too soon?) adds a lot of Texas flavor to the ballpark. Furthermore, this place just screams Texas pride. The constant use of the lone star insignia, the cheer squad in center field, and the Texas baseball museum inside the ballpark will make sure you know that this is TEXAS baseball! While I know plenty of people that would find that really unappealing, I love the regionalistic pride this place has; so much that I believe its a top 10 ballpark, even though almost any other list won’t have Globe Life this high. Yee Haw!

9. Dodger Stadium, home of the Los Angeles Dodgers (This is the last time I make this joke, I promise) — For a while, this place seemed like a west coast Kauffman Stadium to me. It was too old to be modern or breaking any barriers, but also not old enough to be classic. It just seemed like a concrete bowl in a beautiful valley. Fortunately, heavy Dodger Stadium renovations have elevated the park through its semi-centennial in 2012, and its now has quite the nice blend of having a storied history and having modern amenities. I think the 50th anniversary really elevated the Dodger Stadium into classic status, as mountain views, the think blue sign, the flying baseball motif in center field, and the sweet voice of Vin Scully have all cemented Dodger Stadium into baseball lore. This stadium is really where the look of California baseball was born, and for that reason its a top 10 ball park for me. Sure, it’s still a 54 year old concrete bowl, but it’s the best damn one there is.

8. Citizens Bank Park, home of the Philadelphia Phillies — My home team. It’s hard to not be biased about my favorite team’s stadium, but I’ll try my best. I really think CBP is great ballpark because of the regional pride and nods to Philadelphia’s baseball history. The light up liberty bell, Ashburn’s alley in center field, the Phillies walk of fame, the Phillie Phanatic (Don’t worry, you’ll be hearing a lot more about him in a future article) among other things add to a fan’s love letter for Philadelphia baseball. I admit there are some problems with CBP — The view of center city Philadelphia is pretty minimal, I’m not a fan of the square shaped video board, and CBP does fall a bit into the trap of being a architecturally generic retro-classic ballpark. With all of that said though, CBP is a fantastic place for Phillies baseball, because it celebrates the Phillies and its’ city so well.

7. Minute Maid Park, home of the Houston Astros — This ballpark is crazy weird, and I sort of love it for that. Between the hill in play in center field, the left field train (In homage to the location’s former use as a train station), the monstrously huge video screen in right field, and the skewed outfield dimensions, this is probably the most “out there” kind of ballpark in the MLB today. This stadium took huge risks, and I think they really payed off into a one of the kind baseball experience. My two major quarrels are the retractable roof (It it doesn’t look horrible, but its certainly no Safeco roof), and the butt ugly ads with the train in left field. If this ballpark improved on those two aspects, this would absolutely be a top 5 ballpark for me.

6. Coors Field, home of the Colorado Rockies — This ballpark is perfect for Colorado baseball. It’s big and expansive for when the balls fly out because of the mountain air, the forest greens and purple mountain color palette, the miniature forest in right field, the onsite brewery, and the cool new hangout area in the right terrace create a great baseball experience. Believe it or not, the right field hangout area is a bit of a pioneer for ballpark architecture, as other teams are beginning to create ballparks as more of a social space rather then a stadium to watch baseball in. I really want to make Coors field a top 5 ballpark, but the lack of mountain/Denver views feel like a missed opportunity.

5. Oriole Park at Camden Yards, home of the Baltimore Orioles — The one that started it all, OPACY was the first retro-classic ballparks, a trend that transcends through out many ballparks today. Even the aforementioned retro-modern ballparks owe credit to Camden Yards, as both styles have similar interiors and desire to accommodate more fans. Besides setting trends, Oriole Park does a great job of integrating the surrounding area, as incorporating Eutaw street and the old B&O warehouse into the stadium’s domain is outstanding. The area even pays homage to Babe Ruth’s birthplace, which is actually where second base is now at OPACY. Oriole Park doesn't quite have the history or jaw-dropping views to make it into the top 3, but make no mistake: OPACY is a world-class stadium for any sport.

4. AT&T park, home of the San Francisco Giants — Remember how I said that Dodger Stadium invented the look of California baseball? AT&T Park perfected it. The view is unbelievably gorgeous (A water feature and palm trees?! Are you for real?!), McCovey’s cove is one of the most fun features in any sport, and I don’t why, but I love the coke bottle and baseball glove beyond left field. AT&T Park is a thousand times better then Candlestick Park for the Giants, and AT&T deserves all the praise it gets. This place probably should be in the top 3, but I can think of one other ballpark with even better views…

3. PNC Park, home of the Pittsburgh Pirates — For me, PNC Park is the best ballpark built the past 100 years. Just look at that view! The Pittsburgh skyline, the Roberto Clemente bridge and the Allegheny river all create by far the best view in any American stadium. I also love the local flare at PNC, and its tributes to Pittsburgh Pirates history. Everything like the 21 ft right field wall to honor #21 himself Roberto Clemente, the pierogie races, the raising of the jolly roger, and the Pittsburgh classic black and gold color scheme all make PNC Park the very best modern ballpark in America. If this place had a more storied history, it could be #1. PNC Park is that amazing.

2. Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox — Fenway Park breathes history. The green monster. Yawkey way. Pesky’s pole. The Citgo sign. The center field triangle. All of these features are iconic to Boston, the Red Sox, and quite frankly baseball itself. America’s oldest MLB ballpark in operation has done a tremendous job of keeping the 1912 stadium still enjoyable for fans today, even if Red Sox fans are sort of the worst. Fenway is pretty much perfect, and should be considered a national treasure for a century more to come. Fenway park probably should be #1, but there is one other iconic ballpark that I think is even more perfect…

1. Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs — The ivy. The manual score board. The grandstand outside. The rooftop bleachers. The best 7th inning stretch in baseball. In my mind, Wrigley Field is not only the best ballpark in America, its the best game day experiences in baseball, and quite possibly any American sport. A lot of people rank Wrigley behind Fenway, because Fenway does a better job of blending the old and the new; and people really hate the new video screen (There was only the manual scoreboard before 2015) and even the instillation of lights for night games back in 1988. While I guess a bit of the historical integrity is ruined, I also think that adding digital screens and lights makes Wrigley Field more accessible for young fans, and will ensure Wrigley’s future for decades to come. If you told me that Fenway park was a better, more storied ballpark, I couldn’t argue too much with your reasoning. In my mind though, Wrigley Field (as well as Cubs fans) has more heart and character. I honestly hope that Wrigley Field is played in as long as baseball exists.

Thank you for reading my ranking of MLB ballparks! If you enjoyed this content, share it with your friends, and stay tuned for more articles and rankings here on The Phanzone!