This is the 17th straight year that we’ve named a Ballpark of the Year, but it’s most definitely the first time the award has gone to a park where only one game was played.
Used for only one game, Fort Bragg Field is the 2016 BaseballParks.com Ballpark of the Year. It was announced in an article in USA TODAY Sports Weekly (see photo). Pick up a copy on a newsstand near you to see our article on the three finalists: Jimmy John’s Field in Utica, Michigan; Spirit Communications Park in Columbia, South Carolina and the winner, Fort Bragg Field in North Carolina.
You can also read all about the award — with reaction from MLB headquarters, the architect, the man behind the playing field itself and even the commanding general at Fort Bragg — in our press release.
Here’s what the plaque looks like. Copies of this will go to Fort Bragg, Populous and MLB headquarters:
Feel free to add your comments about the park and/or the award below.