%20%20--%3E%0A%3Csvg%20version%3D%221.1%22%20id%3D%22Layer_1%22%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20xmlns%3Axlink%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F1999%2Fxlink%22%20x%3D%220px%22%20y%3D%220px%22%0A%09%20width%3D%2239px%22%20height%3D%2240px%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%2039%2040%22%20enable-background%3D%22new%200%200%2039%2040%22%20xml%3Aspace%3D%22preserve%22%3E%0A%3Cpath%20fill%3D%22%23FFFFFF%22%20d%3D%22M38.5%2C7H28.2v26h10.3V7z%22%2F%3E%0A%3Cpath%20fill-rule%3D%22evenodd%22%20clip-rule%3D%22evenodd%22%20fill%3D%22%23FFFFFF%22%20d%3D%22M26.1%2C25.5c0%2C5.8-4.1%2C7.5-12.9%2C7.5C3.9%2C33%2C0%2C31.2%2C0%2C25.2v-1.1h11.6%0A%09v2.4c0%2C0.7%2C0.1%2C1.4%2C1.2%2C1.4c1%2C0%2C1.2-0.4%2C1.2-1.3v-0.9c0-1.6-0.9-1.6-3.5-2.2C2.2%2C21.7%2C0%2C19.7%2C0%2C15.3v-0.9C0%2C9.3%2C5.5%2C7%2C12.9%2C7%0A%09c10.2%2C0%2C12.8%2C2.6%2C12.8%2C7.4v1.8h-11v-2.9c0-0.6-0.4-1.1-1.2-1.1c-0.6%2C0-1.2%2C0.4-1.2%2C1.1v0.9c0%2C1.5%2C0.9%2C2%2C3.3%2C2.5%0A%09c8%2C1.6%2C10.5%2C3.3%2C10.5%2C7.5V25.5z%22%2F%3E%0A%3C%2Fsvg%3E%0A)
Ranking All 30 MLB Stadiums From Worst (Tropicana Field) to Best
There’s a reason why so many baseball fans have made it a goal of theirs to see every stadium in the major leagues. Unlike other sports that are played in venues that are more or less identical, no two baseball stadiums are exactly alike. They have different field dimensions, unique design quirks and varied surroundings that make seeing a game in one city far different from seeing the same two teams play in another city.
Before any fans get too upset about these rankings, let’s make one thing clear: MLB has two lousy stadiums, five or so excellent ones and a whole bunch in between that are more or less equal. Ranking them all is harder than you think.
30. Tropicana Field – Rays
The Trop is so bad that, even though the Rays have reached the playoffs in four consecutive years, attendance is steadily declining. Tampa Bay attracted 1.51 million fans in 2013 but just 1.13 million last year. That’s 13,927 per game, third worst in the majors.
29. Oakland Coliseum – A’s
The beleaguered Coliseum, which, like the Rays with their stadium, the A’s have been trying to replace for years, is just as charmless as Tropicana Field. But at least you can enjoy the sunshine and the stadium is conveniently located near public transportation.
28. Angel Stadium – Angels
The home of the Angels is the fourth-oldest ballpark in the majors and hasn’t been renovated since the late ’90s. The future of the stadium is uncertain after owner Arte Moreno attempted to buy it and the surrounding land from the city of Anaheim in a deal that fell through amid an FBI investigation into alleged corruption by the city’s mayor. The Angels might get a new stadium, or choose to renovate the current one for the first time since the Rams left town, but for now it’s a mediocre place to catch a game.
27. Rogers Centre – Blue Jays
Multipurpose stadiums aren’t the best but at least Toronto’s has a retractable roof and is located downtown. The team made extensive renovations during the 2022–23 offseason to make the stadium feel more like a baseball-only park, though, and fans will get their first look at the new design on April 11 with the Blue Jays’ home opener against the Tigers. The sun shines nicely on a mild Canadian summer day when the roof is open and, if you’re sitting in the right spot, you can get a good view of the CN Tower.
26. Comerica Park – Tigers
There’s nothing special about Detroit’s Stadium. The Tigers were in need of an upgrade at the start of the millennium to replace the aging Tiger Stadium, and Comerica certainly is an improvement. But there isn’t much to set it apart.
25. Chase Field – Diamondbacks
Phoenix’s stadium is enormous (48,405 seats, the third biggest in the majors). When it’s packed and rocking like it was during the World Baseball Classic, that’s great. But the Diamondbacks don’t consistently draw big crowds (they ranked 21st in attendance last season), so the stadium just ends up feeling empty.
24. American Family Field – Brewers
Another ho-hum retractable roof stadium. Bernie Brewer’s slide out in left-center is a nifty feature, though.
23. Progressive Field – Guardians
What can you say about Progressive Field? No, seriously. I’ve got nothing.
22. Guaranteed Rate Field – White Sox
A series of renovations in the early 2000s lowered capacity from more than 47,000 to about 40,000, making the stadium feel somewhat more intimate.
21. Minute Maid Park – Astros
As a feat of engineering and architecture, Minute Maid Park is really interesting. The ballpark was built around the former Union Station, with the former train station’s main lobby serving as the entrance to the stadium. Other than that, it isn’t much different from other stadiums with retractable roofs—and the Astros rarely leave the roof open for games.
20. LoanDepot Park – Marlins
This one would have been higher up the list if the Marlins hadn’t gotten rid of the home run sculpture.
19. Nationals Park – Nationals
A word of warning to any fan attending a day game at Nationals Park during those hot, muggy Washington, D.C., summers: be careful which side of the stadium you sit on. If your seat is in the sun on a day when it’s 90 degrees out with D.C.’s infamous swampy humidity, at least the concourses provide a good view of the field.
18. Kauffman Stadium – Royals
The home of the Royals is one of the few ballparks in the majors that isn’t located in the center of a city. There isn’t anything to do before or after a game besides wait in traffic on your way out of the parking lot to get on the interstate and go home. But give the Royals credit for a $250 million renovation after the 2009 season that upgraded the aging park. Switching the playing surface from artificial turf to natural grass in 1996 also made it more appealing. It’s one of the older stadiums still in use (built in 1973) but it’s held up well.
17. Truist Park – Braves
It’s a really nice stadium, but it’d be better if it hadn’t been built so far outside the center of the city.
16. Yankee Stadium – Yankees
MLB’s most valuable team doesn’t have the most unique stadium, but it does have some cool features that help set it apart from other ballparks built around the same time. The current stadium kept the same field dimensions as its predecessor, which is a nice nod to the team’s history. For more Yankees history, fans can also check out Monument Park behind the centerfield wall.
15. Dodger Stadium – Dodgers
After Fenway Park and Wrigley Field, Dodger Stadium is the next oldest ballpark in the majors. While the ballpark at Chavez Ravine is much more modern than those 100-plus-year-old ones, it still has a certain mid-century charm that is unique among today’s stadiums. (One of those throwback quirks is the fact that the entire stadium isn’t wired for sound. The entire PA system is a pair of speaker towers in center field that was upgraded in 2020.) It’s worth seeing at least once—as long as you can brave the traffic.
14. Citizens Bank Park – Phillies
Embedding the out-of-town scoreboard in the right field wall is a cool old-school touch. Using trees and shrubs to form the center field batter’s eye is a creative modern solution.
13. Globe Life Field – Rangers
The Rangers probably didn’t need to build a new stadium to replace the former Globe Life Park, which wasn’t even 30 years old when it was replaced in 2020, but Texas fans must be happy to have a retractable roof for those 100-degree days in July. The stadium looks beautiful on the inside. From the outside, though, it looks like a giant airfryer.
12. Great American Ball Park – Reds
The Reds’ stadium is fairly typical, except for one very creative feature. The grandstand has a gap in it along the third-base side that allows fans to see downtown Cincinnati and people in the city to see into the ballpark. This stadium also gets bonus points because it’s even more homer-friendly than Coors Field, and everybody loves homers.
11. Busch Stadium – Cardinals
That view of the Gateway Arch is as good as it gets.
10. T-Mobile Park – Mariners
The big scoreboard in center and the view of downtown over the left field wall make this a beautiful place to watch a game.
9. Target Field – Twins
The illuminated sign in center field featuring the Twins’ original logo (one player representing Minneapolis, the other representing St. Paul, shaking hands over the Mississippi River) might be my favorite single ballpark feature in the majors.
8. Camden Yards – Orioles
This is the stadium that started the trend of downtown, retro-inspired ballparks. It’s still one of the greats, but other stadiums have caught up to it. The Orioles are looking to make improvements, though. They’re negotiating with government officials to make some renovations.
7. Coors Field – Rockies
The seats in the right field upper deck have the best view in the house—not of the game, necessarily, but of the sun setting over the Rocky Mountains in the distance.
6. Citi Field – Mets
I’ll give the ballpark in Queens an edge over the one in the Bronx even though I’m a Yankees fan because Citi Field is just a better place to watch a game. For one thing, it has better food options than the stadium across town. The best feature, though, might be the large concession area in center field with plenty of space to enjoy some food before the game.
5. Wrigley Field – Cubs
The outfield ivy is certainly Wrigley’s most iconic feature, but the marquee and center field scoreboard are equally memorable. You’re always surrounded by history at Wrigley.
4. Petco Park – Padres
A downtown location and flawless Southern California weather? It doesn’t get much better than that.
3. Fenway Park – Red Sox
It’s impossible not to feel the history of Fenway Park when sitting in a seat there. Looking out at the iconic green outfield wall you remember moments like Bucky Dent’s 1978 home run or David Ortiz’s game-tying grand slam in the 2013 ALCS. But at the same time, the stadium isn’t dated. The Red Sox have done a great job of modernizing it while retaining its historic charm.
2. Oracle Park – Giants
How cool is it to have San Francisco Bay as the backdrop for a baseball field? Hardly any ballpark in the league can compete with that.
1. PNC Park – Pirates
The only better backdrop has to be in Pittsburgh, with the city’s downtown, the Allegheny River and the two bridges painted in Pirates colors. It’s just a shame the franchise can’t field a winning team.
Dan Gartland is the writer and editor of Sports Illustrated’s flagship daily newsletter, SI:AM, covering everything an educated sports fan needs to know. He joined the SI staff in 2014, having previously been published on Deadspin and Slate. Gartland, a graduate of Fordham University, is a former Sports Jeopardy! champion (Season 1, Episode 5).