For the second year in a row, a newcomer has triumphed in the Best of the Ballparks fan vote for independent ballparks, as Impact Field, home of the American Association’s Chicago Dogs, defeated Carshield Field, home of the River City Rascals, for top honors.
The final tally: 60 percent of the final-round vote for Impact Field, 40 percent for Carshield Field, out of almost 13,000 votes cast. Overall, 131,602 fans participated in the five rounds of voting for best independent ballpark in the 2018 Best of the Ballparks fan vote, a rise of 20 percent over 2017. On the way to the trophy, Inpact Field was selected over Sioux Falls Stadium (Sioux Falls Canaries), Joliet Route 66 Stadium (Joliet Slammers), Rent One Park (Southern Illinois Miners) and Constellation Field (Sugar Land Skeeters) before the finals.
“Last year we saw a newcomer, The Depot at Cleburne, selected by fans in the Best of the Ballparks vote, and this year we saw another worthy newcomer, Impact Field, win the fan vote,” said Ballpark Digest Publisher Kevin Reichard. “Impact Field is a worthy choice: it’s a great addition to the baseball world and a great place to take in a game.”
“We are very proud of Impact Field and want to thank our fans, the Village of Rosemont and the vision of Impact for bringing this great project to life,” said Chicago Dogs Owner Shawn Hunter. “Our goal is to always create great moments of truth; those first and everlasting impressions.”
Impact Field opened this season as home of the Chicago Dogs. Located in Rosemont in suburban Chicago, Impact Field is part of the city’s entertainment district, which includes the Rosemont Theater concert venue, an ice rink, the 130-store Fashion Outlets of Chicago, the city convention center and more.
“Rosemont was already a destination before Impact Field arrived on the scene,” Reichard added. “The ballpark clearly has generated a following, and it should be a destination for years to come.”
Here are the winners to date in the 2018 Best of the Ballparks fan vote:
Triple-A: Huntington Park, Columbus Clippers
Double-A: Dunkin’ Donuts Park, Hartford Yard Goats
High-A: LECOM Park, Bradenton Marauders
Low-A: Parkview Field, Fort Wayne TinCaps
Short Season-A: Gesa Stadium, Tri-City Dust Devils
Rookie: TVA Credit Union Ballpark, Johnson City Cardinals
RELATED STORIES: Opening Tonight: Impact Field / Chicago Dogs