Written by Biko Skalla:

 

One of my favorite parts of the barnstorming life is getting to see such an amazing variety of baseball stadiums throughout the country. In an article I have coming out in the near future I’ll be going through the most unique ballparks we’re visiting, but before we can dig that deep let’s just take a quick look at the tour from a historic perspective. The oldest and newest stadiums on our 2023 Banana Ball World Tour, and everything in between!

 

The Old:

Rickwood Field – Birmingham, AL – August 18, 1910: Well obviously we couldn’t get any older than Rickwood. The oldest professional baseball ballpark in the country was a no-brainer stop on the 2022 Tour and an even easier decision this time around.

Jackie Robinson Ballpark – Daytona, FL – June 4, 1914: The second oldest stadium on the tour for the second straight year and once again one of the smallest ballparks we’ll visit. The home of Jackie Robinson’s first professional baseball game is a remarkable setting as it is surrounded on all sides by the Halifax River. 

 

Doubleday Field – Cooperstown, NY – Built 1920, expanded 1939: I mean what even has to be said here. Home of the Hall of Fame Game for 69 years and then it’s replacement the Cooperstown Classic since 2008. Just blocks from the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, there’s a reason this is the finale of the entire tour. 

Excite Ballpark – San Jose, CA – March 8, 1942: Much like our very own Historic Grayson Stadium, Excite Ballpark has had a slew of minor league baseball teams as inhabitants. Since 1983 though the San Francisco Giants Single-A affiliate has called it home and the San Jose State baseball team has done same since 1970.

 

The Newish:

Scottsdale Stadium – Scottsdale, AZ – 1965 then torn down and rebuilt 1992: The original Scottsdale Stadium was a spring training home for four different teams until the Giants came in 1984 and never left. They built a new Scottsdale Stadium at the sight of the old one in 1992 just in time for it to be the home of the Scorpions in the Arizona Fall League. 

Principal Park – Des Moines, IO – April 16, 1992: The home of the Triple-A team for the Chicago Cubs since it’s opening, much like Scottsdale Stadium, Principal Park was built on the site of its predecessor, Memorial Stadium which had stood there since 1947. 

LoanMart Field – Rancho Cucamonga, CA – April 3, 1993: “The Epicenter” has been the home of the Quakes, the Single-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres until 2011 and then the Los Angeles Dodgers since. It’s close proximity to Hollywood has led to many movies being filmed at LoanMart Field.

Peoria Sports Complex – Peoria, AZ – 1994: The Spring Training sight for the Padres and Seattle Mariners since its creation, it has also hosted a plethora of Arizona Fall League teams and the Vans Warped Tour every year since 2002. 

Hadlock Field – Portland, ME – April 18, 1994: Hadlock Field has housed the Sea Dogs, the Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, since its opening. It was named a top 10 stadium in minor league baseball in 2018.

 

Trenton Thunder Ballpark – Trenton, NJ – May 9, 1994: Aptly named as it has been the home of the Trenton Thunder since day one, it sits right on the edge of the Delaware River. It also hosted the Blue Jays Triple-A team in 2021 when the big league club had to play in the Buffalo Bisons’ stadium. 

Durham Bulls Athletic Park – Durham, NC – April 6, 1995: Another ballpark named for its inhabitants, the Triple-A Durham Bulls, affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays, has been the main attraction since 1995. The Duke Blue Devils baseball team joined the fold in 2010, giving even more meaning to “The Blue Monster,” the 32-foot wall in left field. 

George M. Steinbrenner Field – Tampa Bay, FL – March 1, 1996: Formerly known as Legends Field (good thing they changed it or else it would be one of two Legends Fields on the tour), it has been the New York Yankees Spring Training facility and home to their Single-A affiliate the Tarpons since its creation. 

Victory Field – Indianapolis, IN – July 11, 1996

NBT Bank Stadium – Syracuse, NY – April 3, 1997

Canal Park – Akron, OH – April 16, 1997

Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark – Oklahoma City, OK – April 16, 1998: Built for the Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate, it has also hosted the Big 12 baseball tournament nearly every year since its creation and numerous other events highlighted by the snow tubing WinterFest from November through January. 

Sutter Health Park – Sacramento, CA – May 15, 2000: Construction finished just after the turn of the century, making Sutter Health Park our first 21st century stadium. It has always housed the River Cats, the Triple-A affiliate of the Giants, and has been home to the Sacramento State baseball team since 2013.

SIUH Community Ballpark – New York City, NY – June 24, 2001: Home to the Staten Island Yankees for two decades and then the FerryHawks in the Atlantic League starting this past year, it has a spectacular view of lower Manhattan making it one of the most unique and spectacular settings in baseball. 

Chukchansi Park – Fresno, CA – May 1, 2002: Home of the Single-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies, the Grizzlies, since its creation, it has also housed three different professional soccer teams. 

121 Financial Ballpark – Jacksonville, FL – April 4, 2003: The Jumbo Shrimp, originally the Double-A affiliate which turned into the Triple-A team for the Miami Marlins in 2021, has always been the main occupant. It has also had four ACC Championships and every year hosts a game between Florida and Florida State. 

Legends Field – Kansas City, KS – June 6, 2003: We go back to the grounds of the first ever Challenger Series, where the Bananas split the two game set against the Kansas City Monarchs this past spring. It was built for the Kansas City T-Bones who played in the Northern League until 2011 when they switched to the American Association, and then in 2021 they changed the team name to the Monarchs and promptly won the league championship. It has also been home to two professional soccer teams. 

Riverwalk Stadium – Montgomery, AL – April 16, 2004: An amazing stop on the 2022 Banana Ball World Tour, Riverwalk Stadium is a converted century-old train shed that still has working railroad tracks just beyond the outfield wall and sits on the banks of the Alabama River. A magnificent ballpark, it has always housed the Biscuits, the Double-A affiliate of the Rays. 

Appalachian Power Park – Charleston, WV – April 14, 2005: There’s always been professional baseball here, although just like in KC the team has changed names and leagues. Originally the Power and an affiliate of the Mariners, in 2021 the team joined the Atlantic League and that fall changed the team name to the Dirty Birds. It’s hosted many unique events throughout the years, highlighted by pro wrestling and the World’s Strongest Man competition. 

 

Pretty Darn New: 

ONEOK Field – Tulsa, OK – April 8, 2010: Pronounced One Oak Field, it has always been the home of the Dodgers Double-A affiliate, the Drillers, and picked up a professional soccer team in 2015 to boot.

Constellation Field – Sugar Land, TX – April 16, 2012: Opened eight years to the day after Riverwalk Stadium in Montgomery, it was originally home to the Skeeters in the Atlantic League but in 2020 the Houston Astros made it the home of their Triple-A affiliate and then renamed the team to the Space Cowboys in 2022. It is best known for having one of the largest electronic scoreboards in Minor League Baseball that just happens to also be shaped like the state of Texas. 

Regions Field – Birmingham, AL – April 10, 2013: Regions Field brought professional baseball back to Birmingham as the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox was the first pro team to play in the city since 1987. The University of Alabama at Birmingham baseball team joined the Barons in calling Regions Field home 2014 and both teams are still there. 

First Horizon Park – Nashville, TN – April 17, 2015: Wanna talk about scoreboards? Let’s talk about scoreboards. The guitar shaped video board behind right field is just part of a truly beautiful ballpark that has hosted the Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers, the Sounds, since its creation. It even held a professional soccer team for a couple years too. 

Ballpark of the Palm Beaches – West Palm Beach, FL – February 28, 2017: It wasn’t a leap year, so this was indeed the last day of February as the stadium was opened up just in time for MLB Spring Training to kickoff for its inhabitants, the Houston Astros and Washington Nationals. It is a stunning stadium to behold and was a superb arena for Banana Ball this past spring. I’m not surprised in the slightest that it will kick off next year’s tour. 

Dunkin’ Donuts Park – Hartford, CT – April 11, 2017: Twice named the best ballpark in MiLB, the home of the Triple-A affiliate of the Rockies, the Yard Goats, is a beauty to behold. The University of Hartford and UCCON baseball teams have both played games in Dunkin’ as well. 

Las Vegas Ballpark – Las Vegas, NV – April 6, 2019: The nearly $160 million facility will be an insane place to play Banana Ball. Home to the Oakland Athletics Triple-A squad, the Aviators, it’s a state of the art stadium in Las Vegas. What more could you ask for?

Franklin Field – Milwaukee, WI – June 24, 2019: How about Milwaukee and Kannapolis coming in with the two newest stadiums on the tour?! They would not have been my betting favorites before I dove into my research. Franklin Field houses the Milwaukee Milkmen in the American Association and the University of Milwaukee-Wisconsin baseball team. It’s going to be a blast to take on the Milkmen in what looks to be a delightful stadium. 

Atrium Health Ballpark – Kannapolis, NC – May 15, 2020: The newest of the new. Built just a couple years ago for the White Sox Low-A affiliate the Cannon Ballers, it is the centerpiece of a $100 million redevelopment of downtown Kannapolis. 

 

Goodness gracious. What an incredible variety of stadiums we get to visit next year. As I said at the top, I’ll dig deeper into some of the more unique ballparks on the schedule next week and honestly I’ve got a brutal task ahead of me trying to decide which deserve the deepest of dives here because they’re all really special stadiums in their own rights. This tour is going to be something special.