Best of the Ballparks 2020 fan vote, Low-A ballparks moves to Elite Eight

After a Sweet Sixteen round that saw plenty of upsets, we’re now on to the Elite Eight round in the Best of the Ballparks 2020 fan vote for Low-A ballparks. So vote already!

Receiving the most votes in the Sweet Sixteen round: Atrium Health Ballpark (Kannapolis Cannon Ballers), Whitaker Bank Ballpark (Lexington Legends), Fluor Field (Greenville Drive), Cooley Law School Stadium (Lansing Lugnuts) and Parkview Field (Fort Wayne TinCaps). Unfortunately for Lugnuts fans, Cooley Law School Stadium was matched up against Whitaker Bank Ballpark. The closest margins: McCormick Field (Asheville Tourists) edging SRP Park (Augusta GreenJackets) by 15 votes and Joseph J. Riley Jr. Park (Charleston RiverDogs) edging First National Bank Field (Greensboro Grasshoppers) by 17 votes. So we move on to the Elite Eight.

Traditionally we begin our Minor League Baseball voting with the ballparks of the South Atlantic (Sally) League and Midwest League up for review, and this year is no different. Below you’ll find our rankings of the 30 Low-A ballparks, headed by last year’s winner, Parkview Field. Since the voting began in 2015, three different Low-A ballparks have snared the Best of the Ballparks honors, and they’re all from the Midwest League: Modern Woodmen Park (2015), Parkview Field (2016, 2018 and 2019) and Four Winds Field (2017). By winning the 2019 fan vote, Parkview Field became the first Minor League Baseball team to win three Best of the Ballparks titles. And we expect a spirited competition in 2020. So let the voting begin!

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 Low-A ballparks, combining South Atlantic (Sally) League and Midwest League ballparks. As winner of the 2019 Best of the Ballparks fan vote for Low-A ballparks, Parkview Field is placed as the top seed. There are some changes in the seedings from 2019 to 2020. First, some ballparks are higher in the ratings as the result of a strong showing in the 2019 voting: we trust the judgment of our readers. Second, there are some higher rankings thanks to upgrades happening in the offseason. Third, we have a new ballpark in this list, as Atrium Health Ballpark, new home of the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers, replaces the team’s former home, Intimidators Stadium. Because we’ve not yet visited Atrium Health Ballpark, we’ve placed it in a modest spot in these rankings; we surely will revisit this rank after a visit for a game. These rankings are a gentle guide, to be sure.

1. Parkview Field (Fort Wayne TinCaps; ML)
2. Segra Park (Columbia Fireflies; SL)
3. SRP Park (Augusta GreenJackets; SL)
4. Modern Woodmen Park (Quad Cities River Bandits; ML)
5. Fluor Field (Greenville Drive; SL)
6. First National Bank Field (Greensboro Grasshoppers; SL)
7. Day Air Ballpark (Dayton Dragons; ML)
8. Four Winds Field (South Bend Cubs; ML)
9. Fifth Third Ballpark (West Michigan Whitecaps; ML)
10. Cooley Law School Stadium (Lansing Lugnuts; ML)
11. Joseph J. Riley Jr. Park (Charleston RiverDogs; SL)
12. Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium (Wisconsin Timber Rattlers; ML)
13. Atrium Health Ballpark (Kannapolis Cannon Ballers; SL)
14. McCormick Field (Asheville Tourists; SL)
15. Dow Diamond (Great Lakes Loons; ML)
16. FirstEnergy Park (Lakewood BlueClaws; SL)
17. Dozer Park (Peoria Chiefs; ML)
18. Appalachian Power Park (West Virginia Power; SL)
19. State Mutual Stadium (Rome Braves; SL)
20. Perdue Stadium (Delmarva Shorebirds; SL)
21. Bowling Green Ballpark (Bowling Green Hot Rods; ML)
22. Classic Park (Lake County Captains; ML)
23. L.P. Frans Stadium (Hickory Crawdads; SL)
24. Perfect Game Field (Cedar Rapids Kernels; ML)
25. Northwestern Medicine Field (Kane County Cougars; ML)
26. Whitaker Bank Ballpark (Lexington Legends; SL)
27. NelsonCorp Field (Clinton LumberKings; ML)
28. Community Field (Burlington Bees; ML)
29. Municipal Stadium (Hagerstown Suns; SL)
30. Pohlman Field (Beloit Snappers; ML)

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 Low-A vote:

First Round: Completed
Second Round: Completed
Third Round: Now through June 10, 3 p.m. Central
Semifinals Round: June 10, 3 p.m. Central through June 15, 3 p.m. Central
Finals: June 15, 3 p.m. Central through end of day, June 19

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: Now-June 19
High A: Now-June 22
Class AA: June 16-July 8
Class AAA: June 18-July 10
MLB: TBD
Short Season A/Rookie: TBD
Independent: TBD
Summer Collegiate: TBD

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.