Top Menu

Rookie-Level Best of the Ballparks 2019 Fan Vote Enters Round Three

Security Service Field

It’s Elite Eight time in the 2019 MiLB Rookie-level Best of the Ballparks fan vote, as we ask you to choose your favorite ballparks in the Appalachian and Pioneer leagues.

A few close votes highlighted the last round of voting, with two contests decided by less than a percentage point: UCHealth Park over Bowen Field by just three votes, and Burlington Athletic Stadium over Hunnicutt Field by just six votes. We keep telling folks that every vote counts in the Best of the Ballparks competition, and these contests proved it right. The top five vote-getters in the Sweet Sixteen round: Calfee Park, Northeast Community Credit Union Ballpark, TVA Credit Union Ballpark, Dehler Park and Lindquist Field. So we move on to the next round of voting, and we expect plenty of close votes in this round as well.

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. Occupying the top spot is TVA Credit Union Ballpark, home of the Pioneer League’s Johnson City Cardinals, the winner of the Best of the Ballparks in 2017 and 2018 voting. 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. TVA Credit Union Ballpark (Johnson City Cardinals; AppL)
2. Dehler Park (Billings Mustangs; PL)
3. UCHealth Park (Colorado Springs Vibes; PL)
4. Calfee Park (Pulaski Yankees; AppL)
5. Burlington Athletic Stadium (Burlington Royals; AppL)
6. Lindquist Field (Ogden Raptors; PL)
7. Melaleuca Field (Idaho Falls Chukars; PL)
8. Suplizio Field (Grand Junction Rockies; PL)
9. Pioneer Park (Greeneville Reds; AppL)
10. Ogren Park at Allegiance Field (Missoula Osprey; PL)
11. Centene Stadium (Great Falls Voyagers; PL)
12. Hunnicutt Field (Princeton Rays; AppL)
13. Hunter Wright Stadium (Kingsport Mets; AppL)
14. Bowen Field (Bluefield Blue Jays; AppL)
15. Legion Field (Danville Braves; AppL)
16. Boyce Cox Field (Bristol Pirates; AppL)
17. Home of the Owlz (Orem Owlz; PL)
18. Northeast Community Credit Union Ballpark (Joe O’Brien Field) (Elizabethton Twins; AppL)



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 2019 Rookie-level vote:

First Round: Completed
Second Round: Completed
Third Round: Now through July 2, 3 p.m. Central
Semifinals Round: July 2, 3 p.m. Central through July 7, 3 p.m. Central
Finals: July 7, 3 p.m. Central through end of day, July 12

Here’s our schedule for Best of the Ballparks 2019 vote:

MLB: Completed (PNC Park)
Low A: Completed (Fort Wayne TinCaps)
High A: Completed (LECOM Park)
Class AA: Completed (Hodgetown)
Class AAA: Now-June 30
Short Season A/Rookie: Now-July 12
Independent: Now-July 8
Summer Collegiate: Now-July 13

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.

Photo by Mark Cryan.

Best of the Ballparks Rookie

, ,