Another Best of the Ballparks 2016 selection to announce, and a very deserved one: Fans have chosen BB&T Ballpark, home of the Winston-Salem Dash, as the leading High-A facility.
“We have been humbled by this honor and, more importantly, the incredible support by our entire fan base,” Dash team president Geoff Lassiter said. “Our organization strives to provide an unforgettable experience at every Dash game, and BB&T Ballpark plays an integral role in this.”
“BB&T Ballpark has captured the imagination of the Winston-Salem area since its opening, and this award reflects that popularity,” said Kevin Reichard, Ballpark Digest publisher. “With tens of thousands of ballpark fans weighing in on the competition, the selection of BB&T Ballpark is a great achievement not only for the Winston-Dash front office but the greater Winston-Salem community.”
To celebrate, the Dash will provide fans with a special on-field photo opportunity at BB&T Ballpark after Tuesday’s All-You-Can-Eat for Free Night. In addition to free hot dogs and burgers, fans can take a photo on the field at the best ballpark in High-A baseball.
Fans chose BB&T Ballpark over Lewis-Gale Field, home of the Salem Red Sox, in a battle of Carolina League ballparks.
Here’s our ranking of High-A ballparks, combining Carolina, Florida State and California League facilities. This was an extremely difficult list to seed and took several days of thought and deliberation. Occupying the top spot is Frawley Stadium, home of the Wilmington Blue Rocks, the winner of the Best of the Ballparks 2015 voting. We honestly don’t expect the voting to follow our seedings: our readers can be independent, and they share a love of ballparks and the fan experience. There were several surprises in last year’s competition; we expect some this year as well.
1. Frawley Stadium (Wilmington Blue Rocks; CarL)
2. Bright House Field (Clearwater Threshers; FSL)
3. Hammond Stadium (Fort Myers Miracle; FSL)
4. McKechnie Field (Bradenton Marauders; FSL)
5. BB&T Ballpark (Winston-Salem Dash; CarL)
6. Banner Island Ballpark (Stockton Ports; CalL)
7. Ticketreturn.com Field (Myrtle Beach Pelicans; CarL)
8. Rawhide Ballpark (Visalia Rawhide; CalL)
9. Charlotte Sports Park (Charlotte Stone Crabs; FSL)
10. Loanmart Field (Rancho Cucamonga Quakes; CalL)
11. John Thurman Field (Modesto Nuts; CalL)
12. The Hangar (Lancaster Jethawks; CalL)
13. Steinbrenner Field (Tampa Yankees; FSL)
14. Municipal Stadium (San Jose Giants; CalL)
15. Jackie Robinson Ballpark (Daytona Tortugas; FSL)
16. Roger Dean Stadium (Jupiter Hammerheads, Palm Beach Cardinals; FSL)
17. The Diamond (Lake Elsinore Storm; CalL)
18. Five County Stadium (Carolina Mudcats; CarL)
19. Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium (Frederick Keys; CarL)
20. Tradition Field (St. Lucie Mets; FSL)
21. San Manuel Stadium (Inland Empire 66ers; CalL)
22. Lewis-Gale Field (Salem Red Sox; CarL)
23. Henley Field (Lakeland Flying Tigers; FSL)
24. Heritage Field (High Desert Mavericks; CalL)
25. Florida Auto Exchange Stadium (Dunedin Blue Jays; FSL)
26. Space Coast Stadium (Brevard County Manatees; FSL)
27. Sam Lynn Ballpark (Bakersfield Blaze; CalL)
28. Pfitzner Stadium (Potomac Nationals; CarL)
29. Calvin Falwell Field (Lynchburg Hillcats; CarL)
A few notes. First, there are only 29 ballparks here, as the Jupiter Hammerheads and Palm Beach Cardinals share Roger Dean Stadium. Second, the Lakeland Flying Tigers are playing this season at Henley Field due to renovations at Joker Marchant Stadium.
Here are the brackets for this round:
Click on the image for a larger version.