The results are in for Best of the Ballparks for Double-A facilities: Blue Wahoos Stadium, home of the Pensacola Blue Wahoos, by a slim margin over fellow Southern League facility Regions Field, home of the Birmingham Barons.
The final vote was 51.8 percent for Pensacola, 48.2 percent for Birmingham, last year’s winner.
“We are very thankful for everyone who took the time to vote for Blue Wahoos Stadium,” said team president Jonathan Griffith. “We take great pride in the ballpark and what it means to the community in Pensacola. This is a tribute to our great staff as they provide the best experience and customer service in Minor League Baseball. We are extremely thankful of the thousands of fans who voted and would like to congratulate the Birmingham Barons and what a great addition Regions Field is to downtown Birmingham.”
“With a great location and a high commitment to fan service, locals know the great experience of a Pensacola Blue Wahoos game at Blue Wahoos Stadium,” said Ballpark Digest Publisher Kevin Reichard. “The vote from fans nationwide is another reminder of this high quality ballpark.”
Over 67,000 fans weighed in during the course of voting for affiliated ballparks in the Best of the Ballparks competition.
Here’s our ranking of Double-A ballparks used to launch the voting, combining Eastern, Southern and Texas League ballparks. The final voting can be seen in the results.
1. Regions Field (Birmingham Barons; SL)
2. Blue Wahoos Stadium (Pensacola Blue Wahoos; SL)
3. Dr Pepper Ballpark (Frisco RoughRiders; TL)
4. FirstEnergy Stadium (Reading Fightin Phils; EL)
5. Smokies Park (Tennessee Smokies; SL)
6. Dickey-Stephens Park (Arkansas Travelers; TL)
7. Whataburger Field (Corpus Christi Hooks; TL)
8. ONEOK Field (Tulsa Drillers; TL)
9. ARM & HAMMER Park (Trenton Thunder; EL)
10. Bragan Field at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville (Jacksonville Suns; SL)
11. Riverwalk Stadium (Montgomery Biscuits; SL)
12. Hadlock Field (Portland Sea Dogs; EL)
13. Canal Park (Akron RubberDucks; EL)
14. FNB Field (Harrisburg Senators; EL)
15. Hammons Field (Springfield Cardinals; TL)
16. Northeast Delta Dental Stadium (New Hampshire Fisher Cats; EL)
17. Arvest Ballpark (Northwest Arkansas Naturals; TL)
18. Trustmark Park (Mississippi Braves; SL)
19. Peoples Natural Gas Field (Altoona Curve; EL)
20. Security Bank Ballpark (Midland RockHounds; TL)
21. The Diamond (Richmond Flying Squirrels; EL)
22. The Ballpark at Jackson (Jackson Generals; SL)
23. MGM Park (Biloxi Shuckers; SL)
24. AT&T Field (Chattanooga Lookouts; SL)
25. Prince George’s Stadium (Bowie Baysox; EL)
26. Wolff Stadium (San Antonio Missions; TL)
27. Jerry Uht Park (Erie SeaWolves; EL)
28. Henry Aaron Stadium (Mobile BayBears)
29. NYSEG Stadium (Binghamton Mets; EL)
30. Dunkin’ Donuts Park (Hartford Yard Goats; EL)*
* This ballpark has not opened. This ranking has nothing to do with the merits of the ballpark; it’s merely a reflection on the current status of Dunkin’ Donuts Park.
Here’s the final bracket:
Click on the image for a larger version.