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Class A Photo Album

California League

There are some great ballparks in the ten cities in the "Advanced A" California League, but there are some poor ones, too -- one that is particularly poor. From an aesthetics point of view, it is a league where there are better-than-average sunsets (and you'll see that in some of the shots below).

It's funny that there have been two "building booms" in the Cal League: prior to the mid '50s and since 1990. There are no parks currently in the league that were built between 1952 and 1991. Anyway, here's the BASEBALLPARKS.COM ranking of the ten:

As I've done with a couple of other league rankings, I invited a broadcaster in the Cal League to provide his first-to-last list of parks. Here, the talented voice of the Stockton Ports, Zack Bayrouty, does the honors: 1. Stockton; 2. Lake Elsinore; 3. Rancho Cucamonga; 4. Inland Empire; 5. Lancaster; 6. San Jose; 7. Modesto; 8. High Desert; 9. Visalia; 10. Bakersfield. And Zack really doesn't like Bakersfield: "First thing when the schedules come out, you look to see how many times you have to be subjected to this place. In fairness, I can't relate to the fan experience because I've never had the opportunity to watch a game from the seats. The press box, however, is excruciating. Last season, I had to broadcast a game where the thermometer read 131 degrees INSIDE the booth -- and that's besides the fact that it's old, smelly, and has truly unfit working conditions."

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We've seen a number of examples in recent years where a new stadium replaces a very, very historic ballpark. Examples include Chattanooga, Little Rock ... and Stockton. Billy Hebert Field's original structure was built in 1927, making it arguably the oldest park in the West. Its replacement might just be the nicest in the West! Banner Island Ballpark's setting is wonderful in that it is along an inland canal plus it's roughly on the same site where legend has it that Casey At The Bat took place. The park's intimate feel seems just perfect for the market. Coupled with the city's beautiful new arena directly next door (the shot on the left was taken from one of its terraces), Stockton is stocked with wonderful sports facilities!

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Unlike in the Texas League, where so many new parks have opened this decade, the building boom in the Cal League was largely in the 1990s. The best of that decade was The Diamond, hailed far and wide as one of the best in all of Minor League baseball. Its setting is both good (behind the park is a lovely view of the lake the town is named for, and immense mountains, and beyond the outfield are rocky peaks that are interesting to look at) and not so good (the lack of hotels and restaurants in the area always mystifyed me, but it's getting muc better now). Also, now a decade and a half old, it's not quite as shiny and new looking as it was in recent years, but it's still a dandy!

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Just as the name of the team has undergone changes over the years (the San Bernardino Stampede became the mouthful known as the Inland Empire 66ers in 2003), the ballpark name has seen some makeovers, too. The 1996 dedication plaque by the entrance calls it San Bernardino Stadium, while it was commonly called The Ranch, to complement the Stampede team name. Of course, dollar bills came calling in 2002, and the current corporate sponsorship name was adopted. HOK designed a lovely park, with its most distinctive aspect being its color scheme. Eschewing the conventional wisdom of reddish bricks, this park has a yellowish (almost mustard) hue that harkens back to the Spanish architecture prevalent in this region in the 19th Century. In 2011, a spectacular, huge video screen was added, easily the nicest in the league. This caused Arrowhead Credit Union Park to nudge ahead of Rancho Cucamonga and Lancaster in this ranking.

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Clearly, the best ballpark name in the league is this one, especially since it goes perfectly with the team's nickname (Quakes)! And it is indeed the epicenter of recreation in Rancho Cucamonga, as the ballpark is surrounded by fields used for amateur ball (see above left). It also features one of the best "game day experiences" in the Minors, as the club really puts on a great show. And when the smog permits, the view of the San Gabriel Mountains is superb!

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If you travel to Lancaster's park immediately after visiting San Bernardino, an unmistakable feeling of deja vu will overtake you. That's because the architecture of the two cities' ballparks is almost identical. True, the JetHawks' park gives a more modern treatment to the exterior (as befits the area's aerospace industry), but inside there's just not much difference when compared to Arrowhead Credit Union Park. While the ballpark in Lancaster does feature some of the best food south of Turkey Mike's in San Jose (see below), it also has a little bit of an identity crisis. That's because the facility's formal name was Lancaster Municipal Stadium, then it was dubbed The Hangar (to fit with the "jet" theme), and now it carries the corporate sponsorship name of Clear Channel Stadium. Note that both the new sponsorship name and "The Hangar" are over the entrance.

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Most of the rest of the parks in our Cal League ranking were not part of the building boom of the 1990s. In fact, San Jose's ballpark looks and feels like the 1942 ballpark that it is. Known more for its wonderful food (Turkey Mike's BBQ on the third-base side is one of the most famous ballpark eateries in the Minors, and its long lines are a testament to its wonrderful fare) than its creature comforts, this park reminds us all what it was like attending games in decades past -- and it wasn't a bad experience at all!

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Modesto's ballpark is a pleasant place to watch a game. It doesn't have any outstanding architectural features or wondrous vistas to gaze at from the seats, but neither does it have any major flaws. The sunsets behind first base are nice to watch, and there's a real family atmosphere there. Numerous improvements (like an impressivle video screen) have been made over the years which keeps the facility from feeling dated.

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Visalia's little ballyard went through enormous upheaval prior to the 2009 season, as a major renovation -- perhaps the word "reconstruction" is more apt -- took place. A nice, covered picnic area was built on the left-field side, and even better enhancements were made on the first-base side (above left). You can read all about the renovation in our photo essay. And without a doubt, there is no park in pro baseball where fans are more on top of the action than here, as the first row is virtually in the batters box.

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I'll never forget my first game at Mavericks Stadium. The high temperature that afternoon had been about 105, so as I trotted toward the entrance dressed in my shorts and a T-shirt, I noticed all of the locals were showing up with coats and blankets. I soon learned why: the temperature takes a nose dive every evening in the high desert of Adelanto, California! While the park itself has an unusual covered concourse, it really doesn't have a lot going for it. And while civilization has started creeping slowly toward this once-remote location, there still isn't a lot to do close by. By the way, some sources call this park Stater Brothers Stadium after the grocery chain that paid for naming rights in 2007, but that deal must've fallen through, because even the team website refers to it only as Mavericks Stadium now. Also, apparently it's at least possible that the Cal League might vacate this park, if the league ever shrinks to eight teams and the Carolina League grows by two.

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It pains me to rank Bakersfield's park last, because I love the city and the people there. But I really don't think anyone would disagree that Sam Lynn Ballpark is not only the worst park in the league, it's by far the worst in the league. Truly, this is a market that deserves a much-better ballpark, and I sincerely hope that they build one in the not-too-distant future. The park does have a distinguishing feature: its orientation. Because it was constructed before night baseball had caught on in the West, no one gave much thought to the fact that it "faces" almost due west. That means that for evening games, the setting sun is almost directly beyond center field, causing the Blaze to start their games late as they wait for the sun to drop behind the huge CF wall. That wall not only acts to block the sun, it also adds some height to a center-field fence that is a ridiculously close 354 feet from home plate. By they way, this is the other ballpark that will probably be abandoned if the Cal League decides to contract by two franchises someday. That would be a shame -- not because of the ballpark, but because the market deserves a team and a better ballpark.

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