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New Ballparks in 2004 and Beyond
The minor league facelift continues into 2005 as more cities vie to either snatch a team from another berg, or keep their ballclub happy, and local.
Joe Mock
Baseballparks.com for
Minor League News
05.05.04 - This season, three completely new ballparks will debut in the affiliated Minors. Several others will see significant renovations. Many cities are on the prowl for a baseball club, and several others will fend off the competition by building new palaces to keep their teams in town.
Perhaps the most ambitious is the $28 million, 6,800-seat Bright House Networks Field in Clearwater, Florida. The new home of the Philadelphia Phillies during spring training will also be the house of the Clearwater Thrashers of the Florida State.
In the Southern League the former Orlando Rays, now the Montgomery Biscuits, will play in Montgomery Riverwalk Stadium in Alabama’s capital city. HOK, the architects of countless Major League sports facilities, created a design that is truly wonderful. Its best feature is that the city’s former train station houses the luxury suites on the first-base side of the field.
The Osprey of the Pioneer League have been waiting patiently for their new ballpark. The team expects to move into Missoula Civic Stadium by the beginning of the season in June. While the park won’t be completely finished for its first season, the team is more than willing to show continued patience while Play Ball Missoula, a non-profit group, raises money to pay for the construction.
The Hillcats of the Carolina League are playing in a significantly renovated City Stadium in Lynchburg, Virginia. The $5 million facelift was undertaken throughout the 2003 season. The facility is remarkably different and better than the eyesore that existed in that space in years past.
Davenport, Iowa is one of the “quad cities” along the Mississippi River. The Quad City River Bandits will be enjoying a transformed John O’Donnell Stadium in 2004. The Midwest League ballpark with a majestic view of the Mighty Mississippi has undergone a $12.5-million renovation.
The Eastern League’s New Haven Ravens have flown the coop, landing in Manchester, New Hampshire as the Fisher Cats. Their working-title: The “New Hampshire Primaries” was dropped in the pre-season. The team expects to move into a new ballpark in 2005. In the meantime, they will be playing in Manchester’s Gill Stadium, which itself has received a significant $4-million facelift.
Martinsville, Virginia has bid adieu to the Astros’ Appalachian League team, which hashigh-tailed it over the state line to Greeneville, Tennessee. The Greeneville Astros will play this season in a ballpark on the campus of Tusculum College. Prior to the 2005 campaign, though, this temporary facility will be converted into a beautiful $5-million stadium with 2,400 seats.
Keeping the Home Fires Burning
Looking ahead to 2005, several cities will have new ballparks. Some will keep their teams, while others will hear the siren call of new stadiums from townships luring teams to new profits.
Charleston, West Virginia will retain their Alley Cats with a new fences for them to howl over;
Pearl, Mississippi will lure the Southern League Braves away from Greenville, South Carolina to a gem of a new stadium;
Woodbridge, Virginia will retain their Canons of the Carolina League;
Greensboro, North Carolina holds on to their Bats with a new belfry;
Stockton, California keeps the Ports land-locked in the California League;
Corpus Christi, Texas will see the profit engine of the Ryan brothers’ Express steam in from Round Rock, where their success as a AA city has promoted an upgrade to the AAA PCLTrappers (To be renamed) in their old roundhouse;
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania will keep the Senators, who may stay in theAA Eastern League, or perhaps get an upgrade to the AAA International League;
Orem, Utah lures the Pioneer League Angels away from Provo.
With new stadiums usually come larger attendance numbers. Watch for the biggest minor league stat in 2004 to be the increases in fans coming out to parks across the U.S.
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