Ballpark Changes in the Affiliated Minors

Where else can you find the skinny on this many Minor League ballpark changes?  Below, you'll find descriptions of the parks that are opening in 2008, as well as developments that may -- or may not -- point toward new parks in future years. If you want to review the parks that opened in the affiliated Minors in 2007, click here.

Changes for 2008

From a day game in July, 2008

ALLENTOWN   This city in eastern PA made a big jump from no pro baseball at all to having a Triple-A team! The Commissioners in Lehigh County implemented a hike in hotel taxes to finance a 7,000-seat stadium east of downtown Allentown. The $34-million facility ($17 million came from the state) is owned by Lehigh County, and it was completed in time for the beginning of the 2008 season. The team occupying it was last year's Ottawa Lynx of the International League, and the Major League parent team is the nearby Phillies. HOK designed the park, which has an asymmetrical design with lots of landscaping and 20 luxury suites. It's called Coca-Cola Park, and it features one of the biggest scoreboards in the Minors as well as a couple of concession stands emphasizing healthy fare. And after a name-the-team contest, it was decided that the franchise should be called the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. They played their first regular season game there on April 11, losing to Richmond 6-0 in front of 9,989 fans. Read our in-depth review for much more on the park. You'll also find 19 shots of this beautiful new ballpark.

BILLINGS  This longtime member of the rookie-level Pioneer League had an aging ballpark, and they wanted to do something about it before the franchise headed for greener pastures.  So this Montana community held a referendum in June 2004 to permit property tax money to be used to essentially rebuild the facility on nearly the same spot as the current Cobb Field.  That referendum failed, 12,028 to 10,784. However, a new initiative -- which featured some private money to help keep the public-investment in line -- was on the ballot for Nov. 7, 2006. It passed, meaning Billings' City Council was authorized to issue up to $12.5 million in bonds (on April 24, 2007, they authorized the sale of bonds to occur on June 11) to fund the construction of a new, 3,500-seat park right next to the current site. It was indeed ready for its opening night, July 1 2008. HOK created the plans prior to the 2004 referendum, and then HNTB performed a feasibility study and generated new renderings prior to the 2006 vote -- plus they (along with CTA, a local engineering firm in Billings) created the final architectural details so contractors could bid on the actual construction. The HNTB design (below) still offered fans a great view of the scenic "rim" of rocks that runs along that edge of town. BASEBALLPARKS.COM was in attendance on opening night, and a full review of the park -- with lots of pictures -- is available for your viewing pleasure.

On the left is the rickety grandstand that was part of Cobb Field. As part of its feasibility study, HNTB created the plan shown in the middle to illustrate what the rebuilt ballpark in Billings could look like (and indeed it does). The very first pitch on opening night, July 1, is shown on the right.

Another park designed by HOK. The Northwest Arkansas Naturals' ballpark opened April 10, 2008 (above).

SPRINGDALE   Northwest Arkansas has a booming economy (one study says there are 506 businesses with annual sales exceeding $2.5 million there), and the area wanted pro baseball. At the same time the city designated 40 acres of land for a ballpark, the Chamber of Commerce in Springdale started a campaign to convince locals to back the plan for a new stadium at the ballot box. Behind the slogan "Home run for Northwest Arkansas, Grand Slam for Springdale," the pro-stadium side celebrated victory following an election on July 11, 2006. This vote extended a 1% sales tax, the revenue from which went toward constructing a 6,500-seat ballpark at the southwest corner of Watkins Avenue and South 56th Street in Springdale, which is less than a mile from the intersection of Interstate 540 and U.S. Highway 412. Talk about a close vote! The measure passed by only 15 votes, 2,408 to 2,393. Within a couple of weeks, it became apparent that the Wichita Wranglers of the Double-A Texas League was the franchise interested in moving. The club then quickly announced that they had indeed entered into an agreement to move, and on March 14 2007, they revealed that the winner in a name-the-team poll was the "Northwest Arkansas Naturals." Following a lame-duck season in Wichita in 2007, the Naturals will began play in Springdale on April 10. A ground-breaking ceremony for the new park was held on February 28, 2007. The budget for construction was set at $34 million. HOK designed the stadium utilizing an attractive, modern design. Interestingly, the design called for the roof over the seats to be made of fabric, instead of the typical metal or concrete. The beautiful exterior of the park is made of natural stone from local quarries, and it was the gorgeous, natural aesthetics that prompted us to award Arvest Ballpark with our 2008 Ballpark of the Year award. We were there for the park's Opening Night, and our detailed review -- with over two dozen photos you won't see anywhere else -- is available for your perusal.

Changes for 2009 and beyond (or maybe never!) . . .

AUGUSTA  This member of the South Atlantic League is serious enough about building a new ballpark in downtown Augusta that they have sent representatives around to other cities with fairly new downtown ballparks to check them out. No timetable has been finalized to replace the GreenJackets' current home, Lake Olmstead Stadium, which opened in 1995.

This peaceful plot of land near downtown Bowling Green is the proposed site for the Minor League ballpark.

BOWLING GREEN    On July 31st, 2007 the City Commissioners of Bowling Green, KY unanimously approved a $100-million "redevelopment" plan for land near the city's historic downtown. This project includes plans for a 4,000-seat ballpark on a vacant plot of land at the corner of East 8th Avenue and Kentucky Street. The city had its eyes on an existing South Atlantic League team to move into the park when it is completed ... and indeed that team turned out to be the Columbus Catfish. DLR designed the facility, which is due to open in time for the 2009 season (if it's not ready by opening day, I've heard that the contingency plan is for the team to play at the local university's field until it is). By the way, potential investors in the massive urban-renewal project were wanting more assurances on the financial side, and in response, the City Commissioners agreed to issue bonds totaling $25 million to get the ball rolling. On Oct. 27, 2008, the franchise announced that the team will be called the Bowling Green Hot Rods.

BUFORD   As you can see below under Richmond, the Braves are moving their Triple-A team (unlike most minor league teams, the Major League team owns this Minor League franchise) from Virginia to Georgia. The same day that the county commissioners in Gwinnett County, which is just northeast of Atlanta, voted unanimously to fund the construction of a $40-million, 7,000-seat ballpark at 2500 Buford Drive in the town of Buford, the Atlanta Braves announced that they would move their International League team from Richmond to that park. It should be ready for opening day, 2009. HKS is the architect.

CHARLOTTE   Like Richmond, Charlotte is another large city that has been grappling with what to do about its Triple-A team's aging and misplaced stadium. North Carolina's biggest city has seen its minor-league team play across the state line in Ft. Mill, SC for the past 16 years.  Lagging attendance, blamed partly on the drive fans must make to get to the park, prompted the Knights of the International League to re-initiate talks with the city of Charlotte on a new downtown ballpark, close to the Carolina Panthers' football stadium. The team said a new 10,000-seat stadium at the site would cost more than $30 million, and the Knights' owners seem willing to fund most of it ... or perhaps all of it if they are given the land for free. The land swap that would have to occur for the desired site to become available for a ballpark is quite complicated -- although it appears to be nearing completion -- which means that 2010 is the earliest that a badly needed new facility might be ready.

HOK was designing the ballpark that would've been the centerpiece of a multi-use development near Columbia.

COLUMBIA   Originally, the capital city of South Carolina had clever idea: construct a new ballpark that would be used jointly by the University of South Carolina and the city's team in the South Atlantic League. That changed abruptly in August 2004 when the city decided to throw its support behind an on-campus park that would be used solely by USC. This left the Capital City Bombers out in the cold, and they high-stepped it out of town, moving upstate to Greenville, SC for the 2005 season. This should make USC happy, since they now have the market to themselves, and can decide exactly how they want to move forward on a new park that they'll not have to share with a pro team. Since this is an appealing market for pro baseball, several entities were vying to bring a minor-league team here. For awhile, the leading proposal came from a developer who wanted to build a 300-acre project east of the city, with a $31.7-million ballpark at its center. A team (the Columbus Catfish of the South Atlantic League) had even agreed to relocate, but on Feb. 16, 2006, the deal completely fell apart when it was obvious that there was no way to get a majority of the Richland County Council to support the plan.

COLUMBUS   This Ohio city is the home of the Clippers of the International League. Baseball has been played at Cooper Stadium for 74 years, and most feel that Triple-A ball needs a better facility than this. Franklin County, interestingly, owns both the Clippers and the ballpark, but despite this, they have plans for a nicer home for their team. Consequently, the County purchased several parcels of land near downtown Columbus to build a new stadium there. The location of these parcels is no coincidence, as they are close to Nationwide Arena, home to the NHL Blue Jackets. This will make efficient use of parking. By the way, a corporate sponsorship has already been struck for the new stadium. It will be called Huntington Park, as Huntington Bank has agreed to pay $12 million for the naming rights. It appears that 360 Architecture, which was instrumental in the studies on whether to renovate Cooper or build a new facility, was given the task of designing the new park. Originally it was announced that the it would open sometime during the 2008 season, but now that the amount of environmental clean-up work is known, the opening won't occur until 2009. The ceremonial groundbreaking was conducted on August 2, 2007.

360 Architecture provided some preliminary renderings to Franklin County showing what the Clippers' new park might look like. On the right is a shot taken in July showing the construction site. It is looking east toward the Nationwide Arena.

FT. WAYNE    The current ballpark of the Ft. Wayne Wizards of the Class A Midwest League isn't all that old by baseball standards (it opened in 1993), but it is a victim of unfortunate timing. You see, it was constructed just as the marvelous renaissance period of Minor League ballpark design was blooming. As such, it looks somewhat modern -- but somewhat sterile, too. Plus, it lacks many of the creature comforts of ballparks of a more recent vintage. I don't know how much that entered into the local thinking that the Wizards need a new park, but city leaders moved forward on a large development concept in downtown Ft. Wayne that incorporates a new baseball facility. The project is called Harrison Square, and when completed, it will include a hotel, stores, condos and the baseball stadium. The total price tag for the development is being pegged at $130 million, of which $30 million was earmarked for the ballpark. Yes, it will have the fancy luxury suites that the current park lacks. About half the money for the overall project is coming from private developers, one of which is the team. Ft. Wayne's City Council officially approved the project by a 6-3 vote on April 24, 2007, paving the way for the project's design to be finalized. HOK was formally named as the architect two days later. The official groundbreaking ceremony for the new park was held Nov. 29, 2007, putting it right on schedule to open on April 16, 2009. After a ten-year naming-rights deal was finalized with Parkview Health for a total of $3 million, it was announced the new park will be called Parkview Field. By the way, the nickname of the team will be changing from the Wizards to the TinCaps, which pays homage to local folk hero Johnny Appleseed.

NASHVILLE   An idea with tremendous potential fell completely apart. After seeing new ballparks appear in Memphis, Jackson, Chattanooga and near Knoxville, the other major city in Tennessee wanted a new facility, too. On Feb. 7, 2006, Nashville's Metro Council took a huge step in making this a reality by approving an ambitious development project on city-owned land at the former site of the Thermal Transfer Plant, along the banks of the Cumberland River in downtown Nashville. The centerpiece was an HOK-designed ballpark, which would have cost $43 million to build. The underlying financial arrangements involved the team borrowing $23 million from a consortium of a dozen Tennessee banks, while the other $20 million would come from a combination of the developer, who would've constructed retail space and condos next to the ballpark, and from tax-increment financing. In addition to providing the land, the city committed $500,000 a year to help with the park's operating costs. The Sounds of the Pacific Coast League had been hoping to move into the 12,500-seat facility in 2007 or 2008, but there were so many delays that the project was pushed back to 2009 ... and then to "never." The Metro government authority in Nashville finally ran out of patience with the team, and when a solid deal to finance and develop the project failed to materialize by a deadline of April 15, 2007, the government pronounced the project dead. All of this is an enormous shame, because 29-year-old Greer Stadium in "Music City" has seen its better days. I mean, it really, really has seen its better days.  Baseball in Nashville deserves a facility as nice as the stadium for the NFL Titans and the new arena for the NHL Predators, and at this point, it looks like there's no plan to make that happen. And when the city sent a letter to the Sounds saying that the team's failure to procure a deal for the new stadium could put the lease for Greer Stadium in jeopardy, Sounds General Manager Glenn Yaeger observed, "...it's becoming very difficult for us to operate in Nashville." One rumor that then sprang up: there's ample space for a ballpark and abundant parking at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds, which is southeast of downtown Nashville. It was looking like a more likely bet was that a new park would be built in the suburb of Franklin, which is south of Nashville. After several months of intense speculation, the city's mayor shot it down. So currently, the Sounds have no concrete plan to leave crumbling Greer Stadium, meaning the team will continue playing in the worst facility in Triple-A baseball.

The site that was proposed for the Sounds' new park is along the banks of the Cumberland River. On the right is the site plan showing the park and hotels/condos that were intended to surround it (rendering courtesy of the Sounds).

OMAHA   There has been talk for a number of years of "retiring" Rosenblatt Stadium, home not only of the College World Series, but also of the Pacific Coast League's Omaha Royals. The talk got pretty serious, and it came down to either constructing a brand-new ballpark in what is now parking lots for the downtown Qwest Center -- at a cost in excess of $100 million -- or making a huge overhaul of Rosenblatt -- at a cost of about $80 million. Omaha city officials made their preference clear that they favor the new-park option, and they first won over the entity that operates the Qwest Center, and then convinced the NCAA to approve a long-term lease at the to-be-built downtown stadium. Pretty much left out of the discussion, though, was the Omaha Royals, who would fail to benefit financially from the opening of a new ballpark. While it's possible that an acceptable lease with the Royals will one day be hammered out, the PCL team is currently exploring the option of moving to a variety of locales, including Vancouver, the suburbs of Omaha and various cities in Texas.

RENO   At first, this Nevada city was trying to obtain a franchise so it could return to the California League after a decade-long absence.  Interestingly, Reno had a team in the Cal League for 38 straight seasons between 1955 and 1992 -- and many in the city wanted to have a team again.  However, the City Council simply couldn't agree on the funding of the new stadium that would be required.  And even more interestingly, the League was already amenable to moving the struggling franchise in Visalia to Reno in 2002.  When that scenario didn't play out, a different way of financing a new 10,000-seat ballpark (which would accommodate a AAA team, and would be located adjacent to the marina in Sparks, the city right next door to Reno) through rental-car taxes was proposed, and it successfully worked its way through the Nevada legislature.  Work began on designing a ballpark, and an entity called SK Baseball started the process of purchasing the Tucson Sidewinders of the PCL to move it to that park. Meanwhile, sentiment to place the new stadium in Sparks waned, and instead a location in downtown Reno was selected. On Sept. 29, 2007, the Washoe County Commission voted to permit $27 million from car-rental taxes to be used to construct a 10,000-seat park, to be designed by HNTB. The city then quickly announced that construction would start early in 2008 (which it did), and the Sidewinders franchise would play their first game in Reno in 2009. The team will be known as the Reno Aces.

RICHMOND   I can only categorize this situation as a complete breakdown within the city government of Richmond, Virginia. Warned repeatedly by the Atlanta Braves that its Triple-A baseball team needed a better facility than the city's clam-shaped ballpark (called The Diamond), Richmond failed to act. A number of proposals were floated, including constructing a brand-new stadium in various parts of town, but ultimately the discussion kept coming back to the uninspiring location of the current park. From the perspective of an outsider looking in, it seemed to me the city made the ballpark an extremely low priority, and the brass of the team in Atlanta must've run out of patience -- in much the same way as they did with Greenville, SC when they yanked their Double-A team out of South Carolina and into a brand-new stadium in Pearl, Mississippi. Following that template, the Braves announced on January 15, 2008 that their Triple-A team would leave Richmond following the 2008 season to move to a to-be-built park in Gwinnett County, just northeast of Atlanta. This will then leave the attractive Richmond market open for another pro team, but probably not another Triple-A franchise. Of course, if the city again fails to put together a solid plan to construct a state-of-the-art ballpark, affiliated Minor League baseball might not return to Richmond very quickly. Look for the Southern League and South Atlantic League to push to take over that territory -- but if a new ballpark gets built, it might happen in the suburbs, not within the city limits of the municipality that sat on its hands. By the way, the first potential ownership group for a team petitioned Minor League Baseball with a proposal that said that they would work for a new park in downtown Richmond. It is far too early to speculate when that might happen, though.

SANTA ROSA   About 50 miles north of San Francisco, Santa Rosa is a city of 148,000 that commissioned a task force to assess the feasibility of building a ballpark and obtaining a pro team to play in it. That task force recommended a privately financed, 4,500-seat ballpark on land currently owned by the local school district. A significant hurdle is that this land has been designated as wetlands or for agricultural use, so the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors would have to ease those restrictions so a park could be built. The proposal calls for local investors to purchase an existing California League franchise and move it to this to-be-built park, which the local task force estimates will cost $12 million. Reportedly, $4 million had been pledged by these investors for the purchase of a team. The site for the proposed project sits along historic U.S. Highway 101 just north of Santa Rosa, but a lack of recent developments has probably doomed this plan.

TULSA  With a ballpark built in 1981, you wouldn't think Driller Stadium in Tulsa, OK would be considered obsolete. However, as soon as the Wichita Wranglers settled into their new ballpark in Springdale, Arkansas (above), the Drillers now have by far the oldest stadium in the Texas League. When you also consider that the other large city in Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, has a gorgeous state-of-the-art ballpark, well, it's no surprise that the Tulsa area is itching for a new baseball facility of its own. In fact, the team essentially had two suitors who wanted to build them a new stadium. One site was in a to-be-built mixed-use development along the banks of the Arkansas River in the Tulsa suburb of Jenks, while the other was within the city limits of Tulsa. The early momentum was clearly with the Jenks project, but in January 2008, Chuck Lamson, the owner of the Drillers, announced that his team would cease discussions with Jenks and look only at a new park that would be built in Tulsa. That is indeed what happened, as in July 2008, the Tulsa City Council approved a funding plan to pay for roughly half the cost of a $60-million new ballpark. The team has already earmarked money to pay for the other half, meaning a new park (with 6,200 fixed seats and 25 luxury suites) should be finished in the northeast corner of downtown Tulsa by 2010.

VISALIA  This central California community has an intimate old park that is badly in need of a face-lift. Recreation Park, whose unique grandstand is built on a mound of dirt and concrete, has been around since 1946. When the Visalia Oaks of the California League started working with the city on planning improvements to bring the aging ballpark up to Minor League standards, the project seemed to take on a life of its own. What started as a straightforward renovation of the grandstand and clubhouses mushroomed when engineers discovered that the earthen mound wouldn't support the new seating sections and pressbox. What was envisioned to be a $6 million remodeling job suddenly turned into an $11-million rebuilding of the entire grandstand. Undaunted, the city council gave tentative approval on April 23, 2007 to move forward with the project (good for them!). During the offseason following the 2007 season, the first-base side of the facility was completely cleared, so that work could start on that side.

WINSTON-SALEM  This North Carolina city has played its home Carolina League games in Ernie Shore Field for more than a half a century. They've seen their fellow NC cities like Greensboro and Durham open showcase parks in recent years, and they want in on the action. Plans are in place for Ernie Shore to be sold to Wake Forest University, and for the Warthogs to move into a new downtown ballpark in 2009. That park will be the anchor for a $189-million retail development that will be located on a wedge-shaped 40 acres between Business Route 40, Peters Creek Parkway and Broad Street on the western edge of the city's central business district. The complex will include stores, residences, office space and, of course, a new $22.6-million ballpark. Money for the project will come from city, county and Federal sources, as well as a private developer. The ground-breaking ceremony for the stadium was October 30, 2007.

From left: hardly state-of-the-art, Ernie Shore Field has been the team's home since 1956; a wonderful graphic in the Winston-Salem Journal shows where the new park will fit in the overall development (where is the parking going to be?!); an early glimpse of what the new park might look like (from the City of Winston-Salem).

WOODBRIDGE   Woodbridge, VA is the home to the Potomac Nationals (formerly Cannons) of the Carolina League.  It's also home to one of my least favorite pro ballparks in the country (see my essay on A Bad Day at the Ballpark), Pfizner Stadium.  Relief appears to be in sight, as the team and Prince William County agreed in principle to equally share the cost of constructing a new park somewhere in the Woodbridge area (but not next to the current stadium, as was previously reported). Complications regarding an appropriate site ensued, perhaps due to the extraordinarily high cost of accessible land in that area of the suburbs. Most recent discussions have involved building on a parcel of land that is nearly adjacent to the current park.

If you know of a new minor-league ballpark opening -- or if a franchise shift is afoot -- please contact us to make sure we know.

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