When I'm asked in an interview which minor league has the nicest parks, my response is an enthusiastic "the Texas League!" Now that the past-its-prime Drillers Stadium in Tulsa has been replaced, I believe it's accurate to say that all eight ballparks are absolutely gorgeous.
Because of this, it is really, really difficult to rank the top ones (I'm inclined to make it an eight-way tie), but I'll suffer the slings and arrows from the fans of the parks that aren't at the top of the list because I've now updated the one-through-eight ranking now that I've had a chance to review Tulsa's new park. By the way, where you see that the park name is a link, you can click on it to see our in-depth review of that stadium.
| Rank |
Ballpark |
Year Opened |
Team |
| 1 |
|
2003 |
Frisco RoughRiders |
| 2 |
|
2007 |
Arkansas Travelers |
| 3 |
|
2005 |
Springfield Cardinals |
| 4 |
|
2010 |
Tulsa Drillers |
| 5 |
|
2005 |
Corpus Christi Hooks |
| 6 |
|
2008 |
Northwest Arkansas Naturals |
| 7 |
|
2002 |
Midland RockHounds |
| 8 |
Nelson Wolff Municipal Stadium |
1994 |
San Antonio Missions |
|
|
 |
| Dr Pepper Ballpark, Frisco |
Yes, newer parks have opened in the Texas League since this beauty made its debut just outside of Dallas in 2003, but none can surpass the unique design and breathtaking aesthetics of this one. Looking more like a resort condominium community -- complete with incredible landscaping -- than a baseball facility, the RoughRiders' home also features the prettiest swimming pool in all of baseball (see above right). Both inside and out, this striking ballpark is a winner.
|
 |
| Dickey-Stephens Park, Arkansas |
Talk about a culture shock! In 2007, the Arkansas Travelers moved out of a park that was built in 1932, venerable Ray Winder Field, into Dickey-Stephens Park, a spectacular facility with a throw-back look but wonderful, modern conveniences. I attended the first game in the new park, and I was struck by how many wide-eyed, jaw-dropped looks were on the faces of the fans that were taking in the park's features after so many decades in the aging Ray Winder. One of my favorite aspects of Dickey-Stephens is the train-station theme that is carried out so well throughout the park. This is especially true of the exterior, which has a clock tower that is reminiscent of the one in Little Rock's station.
|
|
| Hammons Field, Springfield |
John Q. Hammons, who'd made a fortune in hotel development, decided that his hometown of Springfield, MO needed pro baseball. While most of the sports world thought that the affiliated Minors would never come to this market, Mr. Hammons would hear none of it. In fact, he made it all happen virtually by himself, spending his own money to build one of the nicest ballparks in all of pro baseball. And he kept the project within his "family," using the architects who design his hotels to create this wonderful facility. Like the two facilities above it on our ranking of Texas League parks, Hammons Field was named BASEBALLPARKS.COM Ballpark of the Year the season it opened.
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 |
| ONEOK Field, Tulsa |
Tulsa's new park has a nice design and solid aesthetics (its use of zinc in the exterior was a stroke of genius), but its location is what sets this ballpark apart. Built in the Greenwood neighborhood near downtown Tulsa, the Drillers' new home is located where race riots in 1921 destroyed 35 blocks of homes and businesses owned by Blacks. Read our in-depth review of the park for much more on the history of its nighborhood, and make a point of visiting ONEOK Field so you can see the area for yourself. Its site and orientation also allow for a stunning view of the downtown skyline.
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 |
| Whataburger Field, Corpus Christi |
This fine ballpark is only a tiny notch below the top four parks in the Texas League. In fact, if it were in the Southern League, it might be the top stadium in the circuit! Even though I'm not ranking it atop the TL, it might do the best job of taking advantage of its surroundings. While its setting near a shipping channel and the Corpus Christi Bay provide wonderful vistas, it's the fact that it sits within a cluster of long-abandoned cotton warehouses that makes this park really special. By incorporating parts of those warehouses, including their massive cotton presses (see the structure to the left of the scoreboard in the photo above left), the facility truly embraces both its surroundings and the history of the city. In fact, even the impressive entryway of the park (above right) is meant to resemble these cotton warehouses. And fans across the country were impressed enough with it that it was the top vote-getter for Best Overall Minor League Venue (yes, folks, that means in all sports) in the 2008 readers poll by Minor League News. By the way, the same architect that designed Frisco's and Arkansas' new parks, HKS of Dallas, designed Whataburger Field.
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 |
| Arvest Ballpark, Northwest Arkansas |
Yes, it seems almost brutal that a fabulous new park like this one would only be the fifth best in the eight-team Texas League, but that's how high the bar is set here. Of course, Arvest Ballpark is a gargantuan leap ahead from this franchise's former home, Lawrence-Dumont Stadium in Wichita. The new facility in Springdale, Arkansas features a gorgeous stone exterior and one of the prettiest roofs on a ballpark anywhere. Its surroundings are still quite rural, but at the pace of development in this part of the Natural State, it will no doubt be surrounded by hotels and restaurants in no time.
