Spring is in the air, and with it, baseball is not far behind. This year Major League Baseball will see its earliest start with all 30 teams playing on Opening Day, Thurs., March 29th. It is the first time that all teams have played on Opening Day since 1968.
Fans will flock to all 30 of MLB’s ballparks from Opening Day until the dog day’s of Summer shift into Fall. While taking in baseball is a bonding experience for friends and family over the summer, not all ballparks in the league are created equal.
With the Atlanta Braves opening their new ballpark last season, it’s time to look at all 30 and say who has the best and who has the worst across them all. As with any ranking, it’s a subjective assessment and who I have in places may not be where you will. I’ll be looking to have that discussion on Twitter.
For my methodology, I look at the overall aesthetics of the ballpark design, including integration with additional structures such as in Baltimore and San Diego; it’s setting; the visuals from within the seating bowl or surrounding views, the amenities offered at the facility, and historic relevance; as well as external development that adds to the experience.
At the top of the list is AT&T Park in San Francisco, home of the Giants. Located on the bay where balls hit out to right field land in McCovey Cove, when coupled with the views of downtown, activity around the ballpark and trolley access, it’s a gem. And while Candlestick Park, the former home of the Giants could be as cold and windy as any place in the league, the AT&T Park location largely dodges this. Summer day games are beyond glorious.
In second, it’s the ballpark that started the whole retro design phase, and is seen as the benchmark for all ballpark designs, since. Oriole Park at Camden Yards (OPACY), with the signature B&O Warehouse against right field and just a few blocks off the inner harbor of downtown Baltimore, it’s pure beauty.
Rounding out the top 5 is Busch Stadium due to the incredible views of the Gateway Arch and downtown St. Louis, Dodger Stadium with its classic view of Chavez Ravine and the fact that while it’s the third-oldest ballpark in all of MLB, it feels very modern. And at #5 PNC Park in Pittsburgh that has a view that is maybe the most stunning in all of baseball with the view of the iconic yellow Roberto Clemente Bridge and downtown.
At the back of the pack, unsurprisingly the #30 and #29 ranked ballparks are ones the league and clubs have desperately looked to replace for over a decade. Coming in dead last is Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays. It is the league’s only remaining dome with no retractable roof, which makes the ballpark experience remind one of being inside a fluted cow pie. Add in that its location is far from optimal, and it all adds up to an aesthetic that is simply no longer seen as in-line with any of the other ballpark designs in the league. Just behind The Trop is Oakland-Alameda Co. Coliseum, home of the Athletics. With its aging cookie-cutter design, it would have been bad off with the decaying interior. But when seating for the Oakland Raiders—nicknamed Mt. Davis after former Oakland Raiders owner, Al Davis—it blocked the view of the Oakland Hills. Rounding out the bottom five is Guaranteed Rates Field, home of the White Sox, that while was the original ballpark in the wave of new designs, it never had any charm compared to OPACY that came just after. Chase Field comes in at #27. While the need for a retractable roof was mandatory in sweltering Phoenix, the inside feels more like an airplane hanger. Finally, Marlins Park comes in at #26. While the modern design fit in with Miami and broke from the long line of retro designs that had become tired, the color scheme, fish tanks behind home plate, and home run derby sculpture, that I describe as “Busby Berkeley on acid’ make the experience more tacky than grand.
Below is the ranking of all 30 ballparks in Major League Baseball. It includes the year they opened, type of roof (or lack, thereof), design type, and primary architect.
| # | Ballpark | Team | Location | When | Type | Design | Primary Architect |
| 1 | AT&T Park | Giants | San Francisco, CA | 2000 | Open air | Retro-Classic | HOK Sports (now, Populous) |
| 2 | Oriole Park at Camden Yards | Orioles | Baltimore, MD | 1992 | Open air | Retro-Classic | HOK Sports (now, Populous) |
| 3 | Busch Stadium III | Cardinals | St. Louis, MO | 2006 | Open air | Retro-Classic | HOK Sports (now, Populous) |
| 4 | Dodger Stadium | Dodgers | Los Angeles, CA | 1962 | Open air | Retro-Modern | Praeger-Kavanagh-Waterbury |
| 5 | PNC Park | Pirates | Pittsburgh, PA | 2001 | Open air | Retro-Classic | HOK Sports (now, Populous) |
| 6 | Coors Field | Rockies | Denver, CO | 1995 | Open air | Retro-Classic | HOK Sports (now, Populous) |
| 7 | Fenway Park | Red Sox | Boston, MA | 1912 | Open air | Jewel Box | James McLaughlin, Renovation |
| 8 | Kauffman Stadium | Royals | Kansas City, MO | 1973 | Open air | Retro-Modern | Kivett and Myers, Renovation (1997, 2008) by HOK Sports (now, Populous) |
| 9 | Petco Park | Padres | San Diego, CA | 2004 | Open air | Retro-Classic | HOK Sports (now, Populous) |
| 10 | Wrigley Field | Cubs | Chicago, IL | 1914 | Open air | Jewel Box | Zachary Taylor Davis |
| 11 | Safeco Field | Mariners | Seattle, WA | 1999 | Retractable | Retro-Modern | NBBJ |
| 12 | New Yankee Stadium | Yankees | Bronx, NY | 2009 | Open air | Retro-Classic | HOK Sports (now, Populous) |
| 13 | Citi Field | Mets | Queens, NY | 2009 | Open air | Retro-Classic | HOK Sports (now, Populous) |
| 14 | Globe Life Park in Arlington | Rangers | Arlington, TX | 1994 | Open air | Retro-Classic | David M. Schwarz |
| 15 | Comerica Park | Tigers | Detroit, MI | 2000 | Open air | Retro-Classic | HOK Sports (now, Populous) |
| 16 | Target Field | Twins | Minneapolis, MN | 2010 | Open air | Retro-Modern | HOK Sports (now, Populous) |
| 17 | Miller Park | Brewers | Milwaukee, WI | 2001 | Retractable | Retro-Modern | HKS, Inc. |
| 18 | SunTrust Park | Braves | Atlanta, GA | 2017 | Open air | Retro-Modern | Populous |
| 19 | Citizens Bank Park | Phillies | Philadelphia, PA | 2004 | Open air | Retro-Modern | Ewing Cole Cherry Brott |
| 20 | Progressive Field | Indians | Cleveland, OH | 1994 | Open air | Retro-Modern | HOK Sports (now, Populous) |
| 21 | Minute Maid Park | Astros | Houston, TX | 2000 | Retractable | Retro-Modern | HOK Sports (now, Populous) |
| 22 | Rogers Centre | Blue Jays | Toronto, Ontario | 1989 | Retractable | Multipurpose | Rod Robbie |
| 23 | Great American Ball Park | Reds | Cincinnati, OH | 2003 | Open air | Retro-Modern | HOK Sports (now, Populous) |
| 24 | Nationals Park | Nationals | Washington, DC | 2008 | Open air | Retro-Modem | HOK Sports (now, Populous) |
| 25 | Angel Stadium | Angels | Anaheim, CA | 1966 | Open air | Retro-Modern | Noble W. Herzberg and Associates, Renovation (1998) by HOK Sports (now, Populous) |
| 26 | Marlins Park | Marlins | Miami, FL | 2012 | Retractable | Modern | Populous |
| 27 | Chase Field | D-Backs | Phoenix, AZ | 1998 | Retractable | Modern | Ellerbe Becket |
| 28 | Guaranteed Rate Field | White Sox | Chicago, IL | 1991 | Open air | Retro-Modern | HOK Sports (now, Populous) |
| 29 | Oakland-Alameda Co. Coliseum | A’s | Oakland, CA | 1966 | Open air | Multipurpose | Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Renovation (1995-96) by HNTB |
| 30 | Tropicana Field | Rays | St. Petersburg, FL | 1990 | Dome | Multipurpose | HOK Sports (now, Populous) |
