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It’s Pulaski vs. Kingsport in Best of the Ballparks 2020 MiLB Rookie finals

rookie finals 2020

It’s Motor Mile Field at Calfee Park (Pulaski Yankees) vs. Hunter Wright Stadium (Kingsport Mets) in the finals of the Best of the Ballparks 2020 MiLB Rookie fan vote, in an all-Appalachian League battle.

Neither vote in the preceding Final Four round was particularly close; the only mystery was whether we’d see the only Pioneer League ballpark left standing in Orem would make it to the finals. Mystery solved, so we have the #1 seed versus Cinderella story #15 seed in the finals.

We know from marketing stats that a third of our readers work in the baseball industry, so we’re tapping into that collective expertise. And we know from our research that a third of our readers sell to the baseball industry, so that expertise will be valuable as well. The remaining third–fans, media, government–will certainly have a different view on things as well. We can’t wait to see what our readers–whom we consider to be the smartest folks in baseball–say about the best of the ballparks.

Here’s our ranking of Rookie-level ballparks, combining Pioneer League and Appalachian League ballparks. Results of last year’s vote also played a part in our seedings, as well as improvements entering this season. Motor Mile Field at Calfee Park received the most votes in 2019, so the home of the Pulaski Yankees automatically received the top seed. We 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.

1. Motor Mile Field at Calfee Park (Pulaski Yankees; AppL)
2. Dehler Park (Billings Mustangs; PL)
3. UCHealth Park (Colorado Springs Vibes; PL)
4. Burlington Athletic Stadium (Burlington Royals; AppL)
5. Lindquist Field (Ogden Raptors; PL)
6. TVA Credit Union Ballpark (Johnson City Cardinals; AppL)
7. Melaleuca Field (Idaho Falls Chukars; PL)
8. Suplizio Field (Grand Junction Rockies; PL)
9. Northeast Community Credit Union Ballpark (Elizabethton Twins; AppL)
10. Pioneer Park (Greeneville Reds; AppL)
11. Ogren Park at Allegiance Field (Missoula PaddleHeads; PL)
12. Centene Stadium (Great Falls Voyagers; PL)
13. Hunnicutt Field (Princeton Rays; AppL)
14. Home of the Owlz (Orem Owlz; PL)
15. Hunter Wright Stadium (Kingsport Mets; AppL)
16. Bowen Field (Bluefield Blue Jays; AppL)
17. Legion Field (Danville Braves; AppL)
18. Boyce Cox Field (Bristol Pirates; AppL)

AppL = Appalachian League
PL = Pioneer League




We are running the contest with seeded brackets, so there will be plenty of action in coming days. Here’s our schedule for the Best of the Ballparks 2020 Rookie vote:

First Round: Completed
Second Round: Completed
Third Round: Completed
Semifinals Round: Completed
Finals: Now through end of day, July 14

Here’s our schedule for Best of the Ballparks 2020 vote:

Spring Training: Completed (winners: Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium and Salt River Fields)
Low A: Completed (winner: Whitaker Bank BallparkLexington Legends)
High A: Completed (winner: The Diamond, Lake Elsinore Storm)
Class AA: Completed (winner: Blue Wahoos StadiumPensacola Blue Wahoos)
Class AAA: Now-July 10
Short Season A/Rookie: Now-July 14
Independent: Now-July 16
Summer Collegiate: Now-July 20
MLB: July 19-August 14

Some things to note. First, you are allowed to vote multiple times, but you can only vote once per day. Second, you don’t need to fill out a full slate: partially filled lineups will count. A running tally of the vote will be presented. Signing up for the Ballpark Digest newsletter means you’ll receive regular updates on the votes.

Rookie finals 2020

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