Ballpark Changes in the Affiliated Minors

Below, you'll find descriptions of the parks that opened in 2008. 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.

Go to Ballpark Changes in the Majors for 2008