MLB Ballpark Rankings

Ranking all 30 of MLB's ballparks

With the Atlanta Braves having opened their new ballpark in 2017, it’s time to look at all 30 and say which team has the best and which has the worst. As with any ranking, it’s a subjective assessment. For the methodology analysis, the overall aesthetics of the ballpark design are factored, including integration with additional structures, such as in Baltimore and San Diego; its setting; the visuals from within the seating bowl or surrounding views; the amenities offered at the facility; historic relevance; and external development that adds to the experience.

At the top of the list is AT&T Park in San Francisco, home of the Giants. This stadium combines everything for a remarkable baseball experience for any fan. Located on the Bay, where balls hit out to right field land in McCovey Cove, it’s a gem, with great views of downtown, activity around the ballpark and trolley access. 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 has been seen as the benchmark for all ballpark designs since: Oriole Park at Camden Yards, which has the signature B&O Warehouse against right field and is just a few blocks off the inner harbor of downtown Baltimore, is pure beauty.

Rounding out the top 5 are Busch Stadium, thanks 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 it feels very modern despite being the third-oldest ballpark in all of MLB; and PNC Park in Pittsburgh, which has a view that might be the most stunning in all of baseball, with a view of the iconic Roberto Clemente Bridge and downtown.

At the back of the pack, unsurprisingly, the 30th- and 29th-ranked ballparks are ones the league and their 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 call to mind being inside a fluted cow pie and is in a far-from-optimal location. It all adds up to an aesthetic that is no longer seen as in line with any of the others 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 its decaying interior. But the seating for the Oakland Raiders — nicknamed Mt. Davis after former Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis — also blocked the view of the Oakland Hills.

Rounding out the bottom five are Guaranteed Rates Field, home of the White Sox, which, despite being the original ballpark in the wave of new designs, never had any charm; No. 27 Chase Field, which, while a retractable roof was mandatory in sweltering Phoenix, feels more like an airplane hangar inside; and Marlins Park comes in at No. 26. While the modern design fits in with Miami and broke from a long line of retro designs that had become tired, the color scheme, fish tanks behind home plate and home run sculpture, make the experience more tacky than grand.

Below is the ranking of all 30 ballparks in Major League Baseball. The headings go overall rankings, ballpark name, mlb team name, stadium location, and the year that the ballpark debuted.

MLB BALLPARK RANKINGS

#	PARK	TEAM	LOCATION	DEBUT
1	AT&T Park	Giants	San Francisco, CA	2000
2	Oriole Park	Orioles	Baltimore, MD	1992
3	Busch Stadium III	Cardinals	St. Louis, MO	2006
4	Dodger Stadium	Dodgers	Los Angeles, CA	1962
5	PNC Park	Pirates	Pittsburgh, PA	2001
6	Coors Field	Rockies	Denver, CO	1995
7	Fenway Park	Red Sox	Boston, MA	1912
8	Kauffman Stadium	Royals	Kansas City, MO	1973
9	Petco Park	Padres	San Diego, CA	2004
10	Wrigley Field	Cubs	Chicago, IL	1914
11	Safeco Field	Mariners	Seattle, WA	1999
12	New Yankee Stadium	Yankees	Bronx, NY	2009
13	Citi Field	Mets	Queens, NY	2009
14	Globe Life Park	Rangers	Arlington, TX	1994
15	Comerica Park	Tigers	Detroit, MI	2000
16	Target Field	Twins	Minneapolis, MN	2010
17	Miller Park	Brewers	Milwaukee, WI	2001
18	SunTrust Park	Braves	Atlanta, GA	2017
19	Citizens Bank Park	Phillies	Philadelphia, PA	2004
20	Progressive Field	Indians	Cleveland, OH	1994
21	Minute Maid Park	Astros	Houston, TX	2000
22	Rogers Centre	Blue Jays	Toronto, Ontario	1989
23	Great American Ball Park	Reds	Cincinnati, OH	2003
24	Nationals Park	Nationals	Washington, DC	2008
25	Angel Stadium	Angels	Anaheim, CA	1966
26	Marlins Park	Marlins	Miami, FL	2012
27	Chase Field	D-backs	Phoenix, AZ	1998
28	Guaranteed Rate Field	White Sox	Chicago, IL	1991
29	Oakland-Alameda Coliseum	A's	Oakland, CA	1966
30	Tropicana Field	Rays	St. Petersburg, FL	1990

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