Progressive Field Gets No Love in SI's Latest Best Ballparks Poll

In the latest SI poll the staff gives their most favorite ballparks around baseball, and the home of the Indians, Progressive Field, is not found on anyone's list of top five parks, despite the jewel of Downtown Cleveland still being one of the favorite places for Clevelanders to visit.

There is nothing quite like the feeling walking into a baseball park for the first time. The smell of the grass, the sound of batted balls, it is a feeling that is second to none.

There are many great baseball parks around the country, both in the minors as well as the majors, including right here in Cleveland with Progressive Field.

A lot of parks have some unique qualities to them, like Progressive Field with the popular “The Corner,” a bar area where fans who have standing room only tickets spend a lot of their time on a warm summer night.

When it comes to ranking the ballparks around baseball, there is plenty of room for debate about which ones may or may not be the best.

Sports Illustrated has come out with their list of the best parks around baseball, and their panel of six writers had some interesting choices in their five parks – with not one of them picking Progressive Field.

You can read the article and see all the selections HERE.

Here are some takeaways from the list, knowing that most in Cleveland still think that Progressive Field is among the very best in baseball.

The stadium over the past few years has had a number of very important updates and renovations that have really made it a new ballpark to many who have visited the past few seasons.

“The Corner” as well as putting in a number of excellent local eateries have made Progressive Field a great place to come and dine prior to a game.

Some have been critical of the large container like boxes that now resonate high in the 500 sections of right field that were put in a couple of years back, making the capacity at the park just over 35,000.

The park when built had an original capacity of about 42,000, but the organization realized that the days of getting sellouts of 42,000 like the mid to late 90’s was never likely to be repeated.

The renovations of the large scoreboard over the years was well received by fans, and those nationally gave the ballpark as well as the city high marks last year during the week of the MLB All-Star game.

It was just 12 years ago that the park was named the best in baseball by Sports Illustrated, so why just over a decade later it was not even on the panel’s lists is anyone’s guess.

Here are the parks that made the list the most of the six writers:

Oracle Park (SF Giants) – A beauty of a ballpark out in San Francisco, the bay, the seating and the food choices seem to be the biggest draws for those that put the stadium on their list.

Wrigley Field (Chicago Cubs) – The unique design of the park, the history of it, and the neighborhood where it is located all were pointed out by those that had it ranked high. While it’s got as much history of any park in existence, the fact there are still beams blocking some views in the upper deck is somewhat disturbing.

Oriole Park at Camden Yards (Baltimore Orioles) – The gold standard of many for the very best park in all of baseball, the home of the Orioles began an important trend which set itself apart when it opened in 1992. Those that designed it were not worried about a park that could house multiple teams or events, they just wanted a unique, fan-friendly design that would be loved by many. In that case, it very much delivers.

Fenway Park (Boston Red Sox) – Again a unique design sets this park design with its massively high wall in left field, and good sight lines for fans. The history of the park also is a major drawing point, as people will tell you it’s a place you have to visit while in Boston.

While all of these parks have certain things to it that make them some of the best in baseball, there is still an argument to be made that Progressive Field should have at worst made the list of a least a few writers.