We have our final four for the Best of the Ballparks voting for rookie leagues, with a Pioneer League contest in one bracket and an Appalachian League contest in the other bracket.
Everything ran according to seeds except for another upset for Howard Johnson Field, as Johnson City Cardinals fans turned out again in force to propel their team to the final four. The other finalists: Dehler Park (Billings Mustangs), Melaleuca Field (Idaho Falls Chukars) and Pioneer Park (Greeneville Astros). This should be a fascinating round.
Voting for this round has ended.
We know from marketing/user research stats 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.
Voting ends Tuesday night at 10 p.m., with the final round starting Wednesday at 10 a.m.
Here is our ranking of rookie-level ballparks:
1. Dehler Park (Billings Mustangs; PL)
2. Pioneer Park (Greeneville Astros; AppL)
3. Lindquist Field (Ogden Raptors; PL)
4. Melaleuca Field (Idaho Falls Chukars; PL)
5. Burlington Athletic Stadium (Burlington Royals; AppL)
6. Suplizio Field (Grand Junction Rockies; PL)
7. Ogren Park at Allegiance Field (Missoula Osprey; PL)
8. Hunnicutt Field (Princeton Rays; AppL)
9. Centene Stadium (Grand Falls Voyagers; PL)
10. Hunter Wright Stadium (Kingsport Mets; AppL)
11. Calfee Park (Pulaski Yankees; AppL)
12. Bowen Field (Bluefield Blue Jays; AppL)
13. Boyce Cox Field (Bristol Pirates; AppL)
14. Howard Johnson Field (Johnson City Cardinals; AppL)
15. Legion Field (Danville Braves; AppL)
16. Home of the Owlz (Orem Owlz; PL)
17. Kindrick Field (Helena Brewers; PL)
18. Joe O’Brien Field (Elizabethton Twins; AppL)
Results are listed by percentage of votes cast.