McCormick Field in Asheville, NC isn't that bad. I think you are passing judgement based on pictures you googled. The Asheville Tourists are a Class A team affiliated with the Astros. It was built in 1924. Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Jackie Robinson played there. It's a perfectly good park to watch a single A game.
Same thing to a lesser degree with Grainger, isn’t the best but has been around since 1949. It should at least be recognized for its longevity and history
The Diamond's story was interesting. It was built in an off season in 1985 out of pre made concrete pieces utilizing the same baseball field as Parker Field that was built in 1934. The Diamond opened as the AAA affiliate of the Braves and they went to Gwinnett for Coolray Field. It used to seat 12,134 and now seats 9,560 with the banners in the upper deck. It was cool when it opened but now its old. Since the field is on ground level you have to walk up a lot of stairs to get to your seats. Plus the upper deck is very high for a minor league park which is very unique. The green seats in the upper deck are from Shea Stadium also.
One of the prime reasons why I left Richmond 17 years ago. And don't mention the 50 year old Coliseum that was closed a few years ago because of unsafe conditions 🙄.
@@johncunningham1797 I've been to The Diamond and the Richmond Coliseum a lot. Watched plenty of basketball at the Richmond Coliseum. Both were fun venues!
I miss old Parker Field. Looking down through the slats of the top rows in the upper deck, feeling like you were going to fall right through. The Diamond lost all its charm when they took the “Connecticut” sculpture out. Won the Governor’s Cup, then after the next year no more AAA-baseball. 😠
I get to go to the worst minor league stadium and then the best minor league stadium all while being a season ticket holder for a mid minor league stadium without even leaving the state of North Carolina.
McCormick field is one of the oldest ballparks in the nation for professional baseball. You also should know that Asheville is in the middle of the blue ridge mountains, so hills are kinda unavoidable. I've been there I didn't notice the grandstand for the soccer stadium because I was watching the game and you really only see trees when sitting in the stadium, I don't know where you see "weeds" maybe from a bad yelp review.
Something else: It would actually be helpful if you added which teams played at these ballparks. Otherwise, the commentary is solid. For reference, these are the teams who play in these ballparks: 0:43 Five County Stadium, Zebulon, NC; Carolina Mudcats/Milwaukee (Low-A; Carolina League) 2:27 Coolray Field, Lawrenceville, GA; Gwinnett Stripers/Atlanta (AAA; International League) 4:15 Grainger Stadium, Kinston, NC; Down East Wood Ducks/Texas (Low-A; Carolina League) 5:40 Mirabito Stadium; Binghamton, NY; Binghamton Rumble Ponies/NY Mets (AA; Eastern) 7:08 Prince George's Stadium; Bowie, MD; Bowie Bay Sox/Baltimore (AA; Eastern) 8:42 McCormick Field, Asheville, NC; Asheville Tourists/Houston (High-A; Houston) 9:50 The Diamond, Richmond, VA; Richmond Flying Squirrels/San Francisco (AA; Eastern) [The Nats AA affiliate is in Harrisburg; the dumpy nature of The Diamond caused the Braves to relocate their AAA affiliate many years ago to, ironically enough, Gwinnett County, where they currently play]
Most of these parks are just old and it helps to view them from the time they were built. Coolray was my home minor league park for over 10 years. It is small for AAA, about 6500 seats, but they tend to draw small crowds except on weekends. It's certainly not a bad place to watch a game but it was built in the middle of nowhere. There were plans to develop the surrounding area when it opened but that was during the financial crisis so everything around the ballpark was delayed significantly. I was just at the Diamond a few weeks ago (for the 2nd time). The Squirrels (Giants affiliate) actually draw well despite the almost 40 year old stadium. It was built just before the retro stadium design fad started. Since most of the seats are so high up you get a great view of the field. Down the right field line they did add social areas and a bar but there was nothing down the left line past the grandstand. Right now the plans are to build a new ballpark in the huge parking lot next door along with other development.
If you're looking for a GOOD stadium to look into, it's First Energy Stadium, home of the Phillies' AA affiliate, the Reading Fightin' Phils (my hometown minor league team). The affiliation between Reading and Philadelphia is actually the longest in all of baseball (since 1967). It's an old stadium built in 1951 but it has gone through some renovations over the last 20 years or so and this year they're constructing an event center with suites as an "expansion" to the ballpark. Honestly one of the best places in the country to watch a game, in my opinion.
It is a great ball park and I was worried it would be included in this video because it is old but it has a very Fenway Park old school vibe. I have been to many games there. The food is also amazing and reasonably priced. It is at the top of my list for favorite ballparks. They also lead AA in attendance regularly and draw better than a lot of AAA teams.
A critique of your worst stadiums: • Your critique of Coolray Field was based off past year’s construction, not how it looks in 2023. • You said Grainger Field was high A, when in fact it’s low A. When MLB took over MILB, the Carolina League and Midwest League flipped affiliation classification. • Minor leagues make most their money off advertisements and food sales, not ticket sales. While you had good points on the others, perhaps your biases and misinformation influenced your opinions.
I can attest to your point about affiliation classification. My hometown team, the Lansing Lugnuts, were a Class ‘A’ affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays until that happened and the stadium’s owners or whoever were told by MLB that as long as 3 key upgrades were made in a certain time span, we would be allowed to continue as a Class High ‘A’ team, where we are now the affiliate of the (for now still) Oakland A’s.
Really McCormick Field is not bad, yes there is a grandstand for Memorial Field up in centerfield, but the park itself is perfectly nice. To be clear it is in the city of Asheville.
The weeds beyond the outfield at McCormick Field looks like kudzu. If left unchecked, it will cover the outfield wall, giving tge park a Wrigley Field vibe until it takes over the outfield and starts to drag off players.
Have you actually been to any of these stadiums? You don't even know who their MLB affiliate is? I'd give you props if you visited these stadiums. Otherwise keep it to ones you visited.
I live near Coolray field and it seats 10,427 which is about average for AAA stadiums. I like sitting on the lawn and they seem to draw pretty well considering it is only like 30 miles to Truist park where the Braves play. The pool you show is actually on the property of the apartments behind the right field fence. I have been to many minor league parks and I would put Coolray in the middle to high on my list of favorites. I mentioned my all time favorite in a reply to another comment but it is FirstEnergy Stadium in Resding PA. It is the best overall baseball experience IMO.
I wonder how common that is for stadiums like the one in the video that features housing in the outfield. A few years ago, my hometown Lansing (MI) Lugnuts added some lofts tothe outfield of Jackson Field/Cooley Law School Stadium. The dumbest part, by far, though, has to be a marker denoting *507’* . No player at the High-‘A’ level, which we play at, is ever going to hit a HR that far into right field (or anywhere else for that matter). Shit, even the vast majority of MLB players, if any at all, have ever hit a shot that far. Ridiculous.
Was out that way (Manchester, NH) last year and really wanted to catch a game since once upon a time they and my hometown Lansing (MI) Lugnuts were part of the same organization but unfortunately it was super rainy that evening and we never got the chance. 😢
The Richmond Flying Squirrels are the AA affiliate of the Giants, also the Diamond has great vibes and a good atmosphere but its just a eyesore to look at
I've been in multiple AAA ballparks... one had limited outfield seating and the other had none... So I'm not surprised.. hell, most have more than enough seating on the sidelines. And AA and below, aren't much better than some HS ball fields...
Five County Stadium might be without a tenant in the next few years, as there is a possibility of the team moving to nearby Wilson, NC, if Wilson builds a stadium
Do you even know what the charm of minor league baseball is? I have been to over 100 major and minor league ballparks and McCormick Field is my favorite of them all (it's so nice I've been twice). The setting is scenic (you hardly notice the football bleachers), the seats are close (and comfortable-they looked to be fairly new), the prices are reasonable and the staff friendly. There were goats on the hill eating the vegetation. The atmosphere is also great. If they just had Cheerwine soda at the concession stands it would be absolute perfection. The stadium celebrated it's 100th birthday in 2024 and is undergoing offseason renovations which will hopefully give it another 100 years. Grainger Field is another great park. The light stands give it a sense of unique character. I was there this past summer and the seats were fairly new and not uncomfortable at all. It had also undergone some renovations in the 2010s and they made the park a very comfortable place to watch a game. Being "Wrigley Field" like is never a bad thing as Wrigley is one of the greatest stadiums in the world. Old doesn't always necessarily mean bad. Most modern minor league stadiums are sterile in design. Seats around the infield, party decks and luxury suites stacked on top of the concourse, berms down the foul lines and the outfield. The old parks have history and character to them-something the new parks can't match.
The only thing I dislike a bout 5 County Stadium is that it has tunnels like many old stadiums. And it's in the middle of nowhere bc it had to be a certain distance from the. DBAP in Durham which has territorial rights. So it is outside a small town called Zebulon a half hour from Raleigh where I live. It's A level for Milwaukee , the Carolina Mudcats. It was built in 1991 before all the retro parks with bells and whistles, etc.
The Diamond’s issue is the area, not the park itself. Which at close to 40 is in better shape than the Kingdome was at 20. Once the game’s over, not much you can do but jump on I-95 and go somewhere else. Even the Bill’s BBQ across the street has been long gone.
I don't know why seating capacity is that big of a deal for minor league teams. They're rarely filled to capacity. The Dayton Dragons are a High A team, but they have the highest attendance in all of Minor League Baseball
Lol my hometown’s ballpark was in the best minor league stadiums list and my local team’s ballpark is the thumbnail for the worst minor league stadiums😂 EDIT: since it was on the list, figured I would point out that it isn’t the ballpark’s fault that the football field is nearby. McCormick Field is almost 100 years old, I’m pretty sure it’s the oldest baseball park in minor league, so they were there long before the football field was put right next to it
Born and raised in Richmond. Used to be the Richmond Braves, a TRIPLE A team. MLB told them to upgrade it/build a new stadium. Bureaucrats refused to do it and the city was left with a double A team. There were votes on a team name and I remember being bummed as a kid because the Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Richmond Rhinos, which I thought sounded cooler. High energy there, great fans and environment but an ugly, ugly stadium that's very outdated. Haven't been for a few years but last time I was there, across the field from this stadium was an abandoned gas station that was partially torn down. Whole area around the stadium was just a dump. Really sad. Hope things improved.
That first stadium was opened in 1991, so you weren't far off about it being an 1980s-era ballpark. It's in suburban Raleigh and is within 5 miles of five different counties, hence the name.
Didn’t the Mudcats start out as AA? And if I remember the story, it’s placed where it is to be just beyond the 35-miles radius of the Durham park, yet “close” to Raleigh. Meanwhile, yikes, there is a lot wrong about Five County for even the early 90s.
I attended a game there in 1993 and don’t recall that double deck grandstand. It was all metal stands that extended to the edge of the infield dirt on both sides. At the time, I thought it was not bad for a temporary ballpark. But what they built since looks like a parking deck.
When I was a kid I played at a field right next to railroad tracks. Every half hour or so a train would fly by at like 60 mph. Needless to say it was impossible to hit if you were unlucky enough to be up while one was going by.
So fun fact about mirabito stadium. The train tracks are actually a tradition. So basically the train comes out during the seventh inning during warmups. As someone who goes to mirabito stadium I know my facts.
Listening to Depressed’s opinion of what the size of a AAA ballpark should be… I find it, um, interesting. At least before MLB took over Minor League Baseball, there was a supposed rule that a AAA park must have at least 10,000 fixed seats. HOWEVER, way more than half the new AAA parks over the last 15 years are not only short of that number, they don’t even hold 10,000 in total. There’s also been renovations at several older parks that reduced seats below that number. So to hear your “it doesn’t look big enough for a AAA ballpark,” I assure you there are at least 5 owners who will mutter under their collective breaths that their parks were built too big. Furthermore, in most cases, AAA has become less development and more warehouse of role players that the big league club might need solely in case of injury. That varies by team, and that affects attendance. The Braves, by building the Gwinnett park, sought cost savings during call-ups as well as appealing more to Braves fans instead of having to try to coddle a different fan base. Hence Coolray should probably never look big. This approach also works for the Tacoma Rainiers being affiliated with the Mariners just 30 miles away. So I’m wanting to parse this list between the clear problem parks (Five County, Richmond) from parks that just happen to be old (Asheville). I do wonder, though, if for AAA, something like Buffalo or Memphis is the past and Gwinnett is the future.
You have a good point on AAA changing. It certainly has become more about storing "AAAA" type players and less about prospects. And I think that makes a lot of sense. Who cares if a guy is 30 when he makes his major league debut? The old strategy kicked a lot of those types of players out of the minors by 25-27.
I don’t know, I went to a Buffalo Bisons game as part of my vacation last year, and I honestly thought it was one of the better MiLB stadiums I’ve ever visited.
@@a.grimes4202 I’ve always heard great things about that park. But even 14 years ago, when the Portland Beavers were getting sorted out, a skeptic here talked to a Buffalo journalist, and that guy mentioned how attendance had tapered off. There’s simply less incentive to buy season tickets or partials in a larger park. It’s no accident that the park has been downsized by more than 20% from its peak.
Volcanoes Stadium in Salem, OR is pretty bad. The outfield fence backs up to I-5. It was built as a minor league (A) stadium, but since 2021 has been independent.
Went to a game at The Diamond about 10 years ago when visiting family to watch the Flying Squirrels eventually lose in 12 innings. The shape of the stadium was definitely weird but the view of the field was great plus the entertainment between innings was decent. The game was a near sellout so it's not like the stadium was chasing away fans. Overall I had a good time. Even so, a better designed stadium couldn't hurt.
I have seen a few minor league stadiums and none of them have outfield seating. What is wrong with advertising? These teams don’t get the big money like the major league teams.
We had an A team in our town about 20 years ago and those A stadiums were far better than our stands. We now have a minor league with undrafted college players. Enjoy the games, they play for the love of the game.
Binghamton is a shyt house city anyway, I love it this is best review of mitabito stadium, train tracks and drunks all over, Binghamton should put this review on there website
I totally disagree with you on all but the diamond park. For one… minor leaguers have always have had advertisements on the out field wall. The trees and what not are a great outdoor feel to parks, the trains become part of the park noise. It’s not all bells and whistles but a certain personal touch with these small parks. Even my wife standing here listening to you talking was saying what is wrong with this guy, is he 12? lol 😂😂😂 seriously I love the intimacy of these little parks.Why isn’t Lake Elsinore On this list? I would take the first four over that. Ever Been to high dessert park? So we totally do not agree but thank you for when we travel to try a check out some of these darling little parks… just not the Diamond
the diamond seats 12,134 as the home of the VCU Rams an 9,560 for the Richmond Flying Squarrels of the single A eastern league it hosted the 2019 eastern league All Star game it was the largest crowd in history for the Eastern League All Star game it was home to the Triple A team Richmond Braves affiliate of Atlanta it was built in 1984 as part of the fair grounds complex
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You said you weren't. going to pick on Class A stadiums and half the examples were Class A.
McCormick Field in Asheville, NC isn't that bad. I think you are passing judgement based on pictures you googled. The Asheville Tourists are a Class A team affiliated with the Astros. It was built in 1924. Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Jackie Robinson played there. It's a perfectly good park to watch a single A game.
Same thing to a lesser degree with Grainger, isn’t the best but has been around since 1949. It should at least be recognized for its longevity and history
I love watching games at McCormick.
McCormick is great.
I’ve actually been to the stadium in the thumbnail. I noticed that in the background and the atmosphere is really intimate.
The Diamond's story was interesting. It was built in an off season in 1985 out of pre made concrete pieces utilizing the same baseball field as Parker Field that was built in 1934. The Diamond opened as the AAA affiliate of the Braves and they went to Gwinnett for Coolray Field. It used to seat 12,134 and now seats 9,560 with the banners in the upper deck. It was cool when it opened but now its old. Since the field is on ground level you have to walk up a lot of stairs to get to your seats. Plus the upper deck is very high for a minor league park which is very unique. The green seats in the upper deck are from Shea Stadium also.
One of the prime reasons why I left Richmond 17 years ago. And don't mention the 50 year old Coliseum that was closed a few years ago because of unsafe conditions 🙄.
@@johncunningham1797 I've been to The Diamond and the Richmond Coliseum a lot. Watched plenty of basketball at the Richmond Coliseum. Both were fun venues!
Past tense! 😅
I’ve been to the diamond many of times and it could use some work but the flying squirrels are planning of building a new stadium any time now
I miss old Parker Field. Looking down through the slats of the top rows in the upper deck, feeling like you were going to fall right through.
The Diamond lost all its charm when they took the “Connecticut” sculpture out. Won the Governor’s Cup, then after the next year no more AAA-baseball. 😠
I get to go to the worst minor league stadium and then the best minor league stadium all while being a season ticket holder for a mid minor league stadium without even leaving the state of North Carolina.
I kind of like Five County stadium. Simple and different. I bet those raised seats behind home plate are a great view.
What you failed to realize is most minor league baseball stadiums do NOT have outfield seats
McCormick field is one of the oldest ballparks in the nation for professional baseball. You also should know that Asheville is in the middle of the blue ridge mountains, so hills are kinda unavoidable. I've been there I didn't notice the grandstand for the soccer stadium because I was watching the game and you really only see trees when sitting in the stadium, I don't know where you see "weeds" maybe from a bad yelp review.
Hills are unavoidable. But that last frame of McCormick facing downtown has me thinking they should have built it facing downtown.
the stadium is a dump i saw two games there and its embarrassing , the football bleachers are noticeable for sure
You’ve clearly never been to McCormick Park. It’s a true old school gem. A great place to watch a ball game.
Something else: It would actually be helpful if you added which teams played at these ballparks. Otherwise, the commentary is solid.
For reference, these are the teams who play in these ballparks:
0:43 Five County Stadium, Zebulon, NC; Carolina Mudcats/Milwaukee (Low-A; Carolina League)
2:27 Coolray Field, Lawrenceville, GA; Gwinnett Stripers/Atlanta (AAA; International League)
4:15 Grainger Stadium, Kinston, NC; Down East Wood Ducks/Texas (Low-A; Carolina League)
5:40 Mirabito Stadium; Binghamton, NY; Binghamton Rumble Ponies/NY Mets (AA; Eastern)
7:08 Prince George's Stadium; Bowie, MD; Bowie Bay Sox/Baltimore (AA; Eastern)
8:42 McCormick Field, Asheville, NC; Asheville Tourists/Houston (High-A; Houston)
9:50 The Diamond, Richmond, VA; Richmond Flying Squirrels/San Francisco (AA; Eastern) [The Nats AA affiliate is in Harrisburg; the dumpy nature of The Diamond caused the Braves to relocate their AAA affiliate many years ago to, ironically enough, Gwinnett County, where they currently play]
yes i agree
The Diamond is like a really really old pair of jeans that you loved but not they are torn up but you still refuse to get rid of them lol
Great research and follow-up!!
@@evilpeach2 Ditto!
Which teams.....and what city the stadiums are in. Both key pieces of info left out. Just took me right out of the video.
Having McCormick Field as Bad imho is Criminal. It's is Baseball.
Yeah, he kinda lost me after that. McCormick field is great.
Most of these parks are just old and it helps to view them from the time they were built.
Coolray was my home minor league park for over 10 years. It is small for AAA, about 6500 seats, but they tend to draw small crowds except on weekends. It's certainly not a bad place to watch a game but it was built in the middle of nowhere. There were plans to develop the surrounding area when it opened but that was during the financial crisis so everything around the ballpark was delayed significantly.
I was just at the Diamond a few weeks ago (for the 2nd time). The Squirrels (Giants affiliate) actually draw well despite the almost 40 year old stadium. It was built just before the retro stadium design fad started. Since most of the seats are so high up you get a great view of the field. Down the right field line they did add social areas and a bar but there was nothing down the left line past the grandstand. Right now the plans are to build a new ballpark in the huge parking lot next door along with other development.
The Diamond conveniently located across the street the Greyhound Depot
Jackie Robinson stadium in Florida is the worst minor league stadium in I have ever seen and you would be disgusted by it
Ginger, just if you were wondering but the team who plays in the diamond (The Richmond Flying Squirrels) is the AA affiliate for the Giants lol
If you're looking for a GOOD stadium to look into, it's First Energy Stadium, home of the Phillies' AA affiliate, the Reading Fightin' Phils (my hometown minor league team). The affiliation between Reading and Philadelphia is actually the longest in all of baseball (since 1967). It's an old stadium built in 1951 but it has gone through some renovations over the last 20 years or so and this year they're constructing an event center with suites as an "expansion" to the ballpark. Honestly one of the best places in the country to watch a game, in my opinion.
It is a great ball park and I was worried it would be included in this video because it is old but it has a very Fenway Park old school vibe. I have been to many games there. The food is also amazing and reasonably priced. It is at the top of my list for favorite ballparks. They also lead AA in attendance regularly and draw better than a lot of AAA teams.
You couldn't spend a few minutes to look up their affiliation?
Or at least the location.
A critique of your worst stadiums:
• Your critique of Coolray Field was based off past year’s construction, not how it looks in 2023.
• You said Grainger Field was high A, when in fact it’s low A. When MLB took over MILB, the Carolina League and Midwest League flipped affiliation classification.
• Minor leagues make most their money off advertisements and food sales, not ticket sales.
While you had good points on the others, perhaps your biases and misinformation influenced your opinions.
I can attest to your point about affiliation classification. My hometown team, the Lansing Lugnuts, were a Class ‘A’ affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays until that happened and the stadium’s owners or whoever were told by MLB that as long as 3 key upgrades were made in a certain time span, we would be allowed to continue as a Class High ‘A’ team, where we are now the affiliate of the (for now still) Oakland A’s.
Surprised you didn't have the Wolff Stadium in SA here. Was even a AAA stadium for a couple years before the re-shuffling of affiliates
The Diamond's tenant, the Richmond Flying Squirrels are no joke, an affiliate of the SF Giants. Insane.
Colorado's is in Hartford. Because AA doesn't have any teams west of Texas. All the Texas and Western and Southern trans are already taken.
Really McCormick Field is not bad, yes there is a grandstand for Memorial Field up in centerfield, but the park itself is perfectly nice. To be clear it is in the city of Asheville.
Would be much nicer if it faced towards downtown.
If the field was turned 180 degrees you would be blinded by the sun the whole game
Order of teams:
Carolina Mudcats
Gwinett Stripers
Down East Wood Ducks
Binghamton Rumble Ponies
Bowie Baysox
Asheville Tourists
Richmond Flying Squirrels
The weeds beyond the outfield at McCormick Field looks like kudzu. If left unchecked, it will cover the outfield wall, giving tge park a Wrigley Field vibe until it takes over the outfield and starts to drag off players.
Have you actually been to any of these stadiums? You don't even know who their MLB affiliate is? I'd give you props if you visited these stadiums. Otherwise keep it to ones you visited.
I live near Coolray field and it seats 10,427 which is about average for AAA stadiums. I like sitting on the lawn and they seem to draw pretty well considering it is only like 30 miles to Truist park where the Braves play. The pool you show is actually on the property of the apartments behind the right field fence. I have been to many minor league parks and I would put Coolray in the middle to high on my list of favorites. I mentioned my all time favorite in a reply to another comment but it is FirstEnergy Stadium in Resding PA. It is the best overall baseball experience IMO.
I liked Coolray also.
I wonder how common that is for stadiums like the one in the video that features housing in the outfield. A few years ago, my hometown Lansing (MI) Lugnuts added some lofts tothe outfield of Jackson Field/Cooley Law School Stadium. The dumbest part, by far, though, has to be a marker denoting *507’* . No player at the High-‘A’ level, which we play at, is ever going to hit a HR that far into right field (or anywhere else for that matter). Shit, even the vast majority of MLB players, if any at all, have ever hit a shot that far. Ridiculous.
$1200/month rent for a studio there...YIKES
you should do a best stadiums for each level of minor league baseball video
No he shouldn’t make TH-cam videos ever again
It would be nice if you told us the locations of all the stadiums.
Fisher cats fan here. The stadium they have is not bad seating wise but its very boring and plain
Was out that way (Manchester, NH) last year and really wanted to catch a game since once upon a time they and my hometown Lansing (MI) Lugnuts were part of the same organization but unfortunately it was super rainy that evening and we never got the chance. 😢
the one in the thumbnail is cool
Been to probably 30+ games at the diamond and honestly its not that bad lol
Now Coolray stadium is a real nice place
The Richmond Flying Squirrels are the AA affiliate of the Giants, also the Diamond has great vibes and a good atmosphere but its just a eyesore to look at
When I went to the penultimate regular season game in 2022, it was announced Richmond had the highest attendance that year in the Eastern League. 💎
Bro… it isn’t that hard to look up who plays at each stadium and their affiliates. Watch five points vids and take notes. Be better.
Coolray Field seats over 10k. How many seats are they supposed to have for AAA?
I've been in multiple AAA ballparks... one had limited outfield seating and the other had none... So I'm not surprised.. hell, most have more than enough seating on the sidelines. And AA and below, aren't much better than some HS ball fields...
Five County Stadium might be without a tenant in the next few years, as there is a possibility of the team moving to nearby Wilson, NC, if Wilson builds a stadium
If my memory serves me correctly, the Mudcats played in Wilson while Five County was under construction.
@@georgemcgowanfl yup
WRALsportsfan noted last August that County Commissioners were looking at $15 million upgrade.
We need best minor league stadiums
That would be nice, but not from this guy.
Name the cities and states, please.
Do you even know what the charm of minor league baseball is? I have been to over 100 major and minor league ballparks and McCormick Field is my favorite of them all (it's so nice I've been twice). The setting is scenic (you hardly notice the football bleachers), the seats are close (and comfortable-they looked to be fairly new), the prices are reasonable and the staff friendly. There were goats on the hill eating the vegetation. The atmosphere is also great. If they just had Cheerwine soda at the concession stands it would be absolute perfection. The stadium celebrated it's 100th birthday in 2024 and is undergoing offseason renovations which will hopefully give it another 100 years.
Grainger Field is another great park. The light stands give it a sense of unique character. I was there this past summer and the seats were fairly new and not uncomfortable at all. It had also undergone some renovations in the 2010s and they made the park a very comfortable place to watch a game. Being "Wrigley Field" like is never a bad thing as Wrigley is one of the greatest stadiums in the world.
Old doesn't always necessarily mean bad. Most modern minor league stadiums are sterile in design. Seats around the infield, party decks and luxury suites stacked on top of the concourse, berms down the foul lines and the outfield. The old parks have history and character to them-something the new parks can't match.
The only thing I dislike a bout 5 County Stadium is that it has tunnels like many old stadiums. And it's in the middle of nowhere bc it had to be a certain distance from the. DBAP in Durham which has territorial rights. So it is outside a small town called Zebulon a half hour from Raleigh where I live. It's A level for Milwaukee , the Carolina Mudcats. It was built in 1991 before all the retro parks with bells and whistles, etc.
It would be much better if you could tell us where these parks are.
The Diamond’s issue is the area, not the park itself. Which at close to 40 is in better shape than the Kingdome was at 20.
Once the game’s over, not much you can do but jump on I-95 and go somewhere else. Even the Bill’s BBQ across the street has been long gone.
Enjoyed the video. I enjoy minor league stadiums due to their uniqueness. What is your take on Dutchess Stadium, home if the Hudson Valley Renegades?
What makes Mirabito Stadium even worse is that it’s in a bad neighborhood in the city of Binghamton, NY.
As a mets fan I can agree that mirabito stadium is one of the worse and one of the weird minor league ball parks
I don't know why seating capacity is that big of a deal for minor league teams. They're rarely filled to capacity. The Dayton Dragons are a High A team, but they have the highest attendance in all of Minor League Baseball
Been to Five county you couldn’t have said it more perfectly
Lol my hometown’s ballpark was in the best minor league stadiums list and my local team’s ballpark is the thumbnail for the worst minor league stadiums😂
EDIT: since it was on the list, figured I would point out that it isn’t the ballpark’s fault that the football field is nearby. McCormick Field is almost 100 years old, I’m pretty sure it’s the oldest baseball park in minor league, so they were there long before the football field was put right next to it
McCormick isn't that bad, it's getting a giant renovation soon. I think it's going to get some outfield seating.
Sam Lynn Ballpark in Bakersfield, CA (Bakersfield Blaze) was by far the worst I've been to but it's now defunct.
Born and raised in Richmond. Used to be the Richmond Braves, a TRIPLE A team. MLB told them to upgrade it/build a new stadium. Bureaucrats refused to do it and the city was left with a double A team. There were votes on a team name and I remember being bummed as a kid because the Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Richmond Rhinos, which I thought sounded cooler. High energy there, great fans and environment but an ugly, ugly stadium that's very outdated.
Haven't been for a few years but last time I was there, across the field from this stadium was an abandoned gas station that was partially torn down. Whole area around the stadium was just a dump. Really sad. Hope things improved.
That first stadium was opened in 1991, so you weren't far off about it being an 1980s-era ballpark. It's in suburban Raleigh and is within 5 miles of five different counties, hence the name.
Didn’t the Mudcats start out as AA?
And if I remember the story, it’s placed where it is to be just beyond the 35-miles radius of the Durham park, yet “close” to Raleigh.
Meanwhile, yikes, there is a lot wrong about Five County for even the early 90s.
@@PCSPounder yes the Mudcats moved from Columbus, Georgia, as a AA (then) Southern League team
I attended a game there in 1993 and don’t recall that double deck grandstand. It was all metal stands that extended to the edge of the infield dirt on both sides. At the time, I thought it was not bad for a temporary ballpark. But what they built since looks like a parking deck.
When I was a kid I played at a field right next to railroad tracks. Every half hour or so a train would fly by at like 60 mph. Needless to say it was impossible to hit if you were unlucky enough to be up while one was going by.
Maribito Stadium. I guess if you want outfield views of a fucking train yard, well then ok, go to a game there
So fun fact about mirabito stadium. The train tracks are actually a tradition. So basically the train comes out during the seventh inning during warmups. As someone who goes to mirabito stadium I know my facts.
Listening to Depressed’s opinion of what the size of a AAA ballpark should be… I find it, um, interesting.
At least before MLB took over Minor League Baseball, there was a supposed rule that a AAA park must have at least 10,000 fixed seats. HOWEVER, way more than half the new AAA parks over the last 15 years are not only short of that number, they don’t even hold 10,000 in total. There’s also been renovations at several older parks that reduced seats below that number. So to hear your “it doesn’t look big enough for a AAA ballpark,” I assure you there are at least 5 owners who will mutter under their collective breaths that their parks were built too big.
Furthermore, in most cases, AAA has become less development and more warehouse of role players that the big league club might need solely in case of injury. That varies by team, and that affects attendance. The Braves, by building the Gwinnett park, sought cost savings during call-ups as well as appealing more to Braves fans instead of having to try to coddle a different fan base. Hence Coolray should probably never look big. This approach also works for the Tacoma Rainiers being affiliated with the Mariners just 30 miles away.
So I’m wanting to parse this list between the clear problem parks (Five County, Richmond) from parks that just happen to be old (Asheville). I do wonder, though, if for AAA, something like Buffalo or Memphis is the past and Gwinnett is the future.
You have a good point on AAA changing. It certainly has become more about storing "AAAA" type players and less about prospects. And I think that makes a lot of sense. Who cares if a guy is 30 when he makes his major league debut? The old strategy kicked a lot of those types of players out of the minors by 25-27.
I don’t know, I went to a Buffalo Bisons game as part of my vacation last year, and I honestly thought it was one of the better MiLB stadiums I’ve ever visited.
@@a.grimes4202 I’ve always heard great things about that park.
But even 14 years ago, when the Portland Beavers were getting sorted out, a skeptic here talked to a Buffalo journalist, and that guy mentioned how attendance had tapered off. There’s simply less incentive to buy season tickets or partials in a larger park. It’s no accident that the park has been downsized by more than 20% from its peak.
Volcanoes Stadium in Salem, OR is pretty bad. The outfield fence backs up to I-5. It was built as a minor league (A) stadium, but since 2021 has been independent.
Went to a game at The Diamond about 10 years ago when visiting family to watch the Flying Squirrels eventually lose in 12 innings. The shape of the stadium was definitely weird but the view of the field was great plus the entertainment between innings was decent. The game was a near sellout so it's not like the stadium was chasing away fans. Overall I had a good time.
Even so, a better designed stadium couldn't hurt.
I have seen a few minor league stadiums and none of them have outfield seating. What is wrong with advertising? These teams don’t get the big money like the major league teams.
We had an A team in our town about 20 years ago and those A stadiums were far better than our stands.
We now have a minor league with undrafted college players. Enjoy the games, they play for the love of the game.
6:40 - So... you were with the Mets back in the day?
I feel like it’s punching down to nitpick on A level teams. I’d much rather see the players get paid than a world class stadium.
Five County Stadium opened as a Double-A stadium. The Mudcats played in the Southern League but moved to Pensacola (I think?).
#1: Rosenblatt
for the people wondering what team the richmond FS's are affiliated with is the Giants
Grew up in richmond and yes the diamond is old but the squirrels games are so fun. Highly reccomend to anyone in the area
And the on field host between innings is a smoke show
To advertise in one of these type of ball parks it’s gonna run you from $5000-$15,000 for a full season
The goats behind the fence on the hill at McCormick field is cool
I'm queer
five county stadium is in the middle of nowhere can confirm, watched a game there a couple years ago.
Major League Baseball has minimum requirements for their minor league ball parks. So whether you like it or not, they must meet the requirements.
Does this guy do any research before he puts together these videos? It does not seem like it
Have you seen the ball park where the Modesto Nuts play? It has been around since the 60's and looks like it,
Five county stadium looks reminiscent of those ariel shots of old Braves Field in Boston
Binghamton is a shyt house city anyway, I love it this is best review of mitabito stadium, train tracks and drunks all over, Binghamton should put this review on there website
You should do the npb and kbo in Japan and Korea
Five County Stadium used to be a double A ballpark (Carolina Mudcats)
I totally disagree with you on all but the diamond park. For one… minor leaguers have always have had advertisements on the out field wall. The trees and what not are a great outdoor feel to parks, the trains become part of the park noise. It’s not all bells and whistles but a certain personal touch with these small parks. Even my wife standing here listening to you talking was saying what is wrong with this guy, is he 12? lol 😂😂😂 seriously I love the intimacy of these little parks.Why isn’t Lake
Elsinore On this list? I would take the first four over that. Ever Been to high dessert park? So we totally do not agree but thank you for when we travel to try a check out some of these darling little parks… just not the Diamond
The diamond is the Richmond Flying Squirrels team affiliate of the SF Giants
10:07 Richmond Flying Squirrels (AA Giants)
also NASCAR used to race at McCormick Field in Asheville
Haha this what a great video, Nelson Wolf stadium in San Antonio could use some improvements.
I’m surprised the Lynchburg hillcats stadium wasn’t on here
You should look at At&T stadium its pretty okay leaning towards bad especially in the right-field the sun's in your eyes they way they build it
Five County Stadium might be to keep people out of the sun as Georgia is scorching!.
Richmond Flying Squirrels are a Double-A team of the San Francisco Giants
Wringly Field will always be a legend ball park
Five County Stadium IS in the middle of nowhere. It was my cousin's tobacco field before he sold it for the stadium.
Why didn't they just build it Raleigh? Too expensive? Raleigh city leaders didn't want it?
@@HoshizakiYoshimasa pretty much. I think it also violated having a team within a certain area of an already established team.
Five County Stadium was, at one time, a AA stadium.
I went to mccormick and there were some goats just hangin out on the hill
I actually like 5 county stadium. It's simple and quaint
Well, Mudcats are moving from Five County and Wood Ducks are leaving Grainger...must have watched your video
The thumbnail looks like a great place to be. So much so that I didn't bother watching the video because your opinions MAY be wrong. 😮
5 county stadium looks like a fema prison from the outside.
I agree Bowies stadiums awful, it ranks 38/39 in my rankings only beating out Harrisburg
I don’t wanna pick on single A stadiums. Immediately talks about a single A stadium.. I hate stupid people
Can't hate on Mccormick Field it used to be a race track.
Lee Petty crashed into the 3rd base dugout
You don't even say where these stadiums are located.
the diamond seats 12,134 as the home of the VCU Rams an 9,560 for the Richmond Flying Squarrels of the single A eastern league it hosted the 2019 eastern league All Star game it was the largest crowd in history for the Eastern League All Star game it was home to the Triple A team Richmond Braves affiliate of Atlanta it was built in 1984 as part of the fair grounds complex
How 'bout telling us what city these ballparks are in, buddy.