Now that July is upon us, it is time to gear up for one of the summer’s best traditions—the Major League Baseball All-Star Game.
The 2017 edition of the Midsummer Classic will be hosted by the Miami Marlins, making it the first time that the Marlins have hosted the game. It also makes Marlins Park one of in a line of several notable ballparks that will host upcoming All-Star Games.
To look at the ballparks that are in the mix, here is a full rundown of future MLB All-Star Game sites:
07/11/2017: Marlins Park (Miami Marlins)
When the 2017 MLB All-Star Game is played next week, it will mark a first on multiple fronts. This year’s Midsummer Classic is not only the first to be played in Miami, but the first to take place in the state of Florida. The 2017 All-Star Game is also perhaps the largest showcase to date for Marlins Park, a ballpark that opened in 2012, and has yet to host a playoff series.
2018: Nationals Park (Washington Nationals)
Unlike Marlins Park, the host of the 2018 All-Star Game has been displayed on some of baseball’s biggest stages. Since its opening in 2008, Nationals Park has hosted playoff action in the three years—2012, 2014, and 2016—that the Nationals have won the National League East. There is a good chance that a fourth postseason series will have been played at Nationals Park by next summer, but that should not dampen the enthusiasm for the game. Development around Nationals Park has provided more amenities near the facility in recent years, making the All-Star Game a good time for the team and the District of Columbia to show off the surrounding area. Furthermore, the 2018 edition of the Midsummer Classic will be the first to be played in Washington, DC since 1969, when the game took place at RFK Stadium. It will be the fifth time that the game has been played in the Nation’s Capital.
2019: Progressive Field (Cleveland Indians)
Progressive Field will have its next turn at the All-Star Game in 2019. Historically speaking, it has not been that long since the Cleveland Indians and the city of Cleveland hosted the game, as it last staged the event in 1997. Still, plenty will have changed in the 22 years between games. In 1997, the focus was on Jacobs Field, one of the latest results of the ballpark boom of the 1990’s. Now, Jacobs Field is known as Progressive Field, and it has been enhanced in recent years through an extensive series of upgrades. Overall, this will be the sixth time that Cleveland hosts the game—moving it to third place behind Chicago (seven) and New York (nine) among cities that have been the site of the most All-Star Games.
Potential Future Locations
In 2020 and beyond, there will be some interesting ballparks in the mix as options for the All-Star Game. The decade is expected to begin with the opening of the Texas Rangers’ new ballpark, but the Atlanta Braves’ SunTrust Park will just be beginning its fourth season. Both of those facilities could be in the mix for the next decade, as could classics such as Wrigley Field, Dodger Stadium, and Fenway Park. Fenway Park will turn 110 in 2022 and has not hosted the game since 1999, while Dodger Stadium has been upgraded over the last several years and the modernization of Wrigley Field continues to take shape.
Oriole Park at Camden Yards will turn 30 in 2022, and it has not hosted a game since 1993. The Toronto Blue Jays’ Rogers Centre has not been the site of the game since 1991, and indications are that upgrades could be on the way in the coming years.
There are also three active ballparks that have yet to host the game—the Philadelphia Phillies’ Citizens Bank Park, Yankee Stadium, and the Tampa Bay Rays’ Tropicana Field. Citizens Bank Park and Yankee Stadium could be in the mix in future years, while the Rays are more likely to host a game after Tropicana Field is replaced.
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