The Best Stadiums in MLB

October 28th, 2023

The atmosphere of a ballpark is one of the most joyous feelings in sports. Stadium attendance is on the rise across the board, and somehow TV ratings are too, despite many fans being unable to watch games due to expensive subscriptions and blackouts, but that’s a conversation for another day. Being at the ballpark is a completely different experience from watching the game on TV, and a more exciting experience as well. As a baseball fan I have only been to two MLB stadiums but would love to see more. I made a list of the top 5 ballparks that I hope to visit one day, and you should too if you have the chance. This list is based off of the stadiums alone, not their teams.

5. Minute Maid Park

This $248 million stadium has too many cool features for me to keep it off this list. Nicknamed “The Juice Box '' after being sponsored by Minute-Maid juice company, the park replaced the Astrodome as the Houston Astros home field in 2000. Besides the stadium having a retractable roof, one cool feature that was redacted was Tal’s Hill, a man made hill in centerfield that gave the Astros the longest distance from home to centerfield at 436 feet until 2016 when renovations were made. Tal’s Hill is now a piece of the Astros history. Speaking of history, a main theme and feature of Minute Maid Park is that the framework for the ballpark is an old train station. The Astros paid tribute to the station with a functional train on a set track behind left field. The Astros have had much success* at this stadium which only gives the stadium more personality. This ballpark is full of nostalgia.

4. Citizens Bank Park

This park is home to the Philadelphia Phillies and opened up in 2004. This is a ballpark with rich history embedded within the stadium and the city of Philadelphia itself. The main display of history in this park is the light up Liberty Bell in center field. A family-friendly attraction is The Yard, a section of the stadium full of interactive games and events, including a whiffle ball field. The eyes of the fans go to the gigantic scoreboard down the left field line, and the fans are what separates this ballpark from others. Philly fans are loud, honest, and energetic as hell. If you’ve ever been a part of a crowd like this, you know how amazing it feels to be united. Philly fans are crazy in a good way, and to me, they’re comparable to Buffalo Bills fans. They are die-hard fans who bring the heat.

3. Busch Stadium

There is one word that comes to mind when I see Busch Stadium - beautiful. This stadium has one of the best looking skyline views in the game including the notable Gateway Arch. There’s not a ton to say about this stadium besides the fact that it’s just so beautiful and pleasant to look at.

2. PNC Park

The same goes for PNC Park, except PNC has the best skyline view. The lights. The buildings. The water. The Bridge. It’s just a little bit more beautiful than Busch Stadium.

1. Oracle Park

Oracle is the most fun looking park in the league. There is something about the giant coke bottle and baseball glove in left field that brings me a sense of nostalgia as it reminds me of my favorite Wii game, The Bigs 2. Right behind them are gorgeous sets of palm trees. The giant scoreboard is perfectly placed in center field, and I’m a sucker for properly executed symmetry. My favorite part of this stadium isn’t even technically a part of the stadium. It’s McCovey Cove, named after Willie McCovey. It borders the San Francisco Bay and whenever a home run ball reaches the cove, there are always some kayakers fighting to get it. This park is awesome. Their team has a history full of success. The fans seem great. This looks like the place to be for a baseball fan.