It’s Gesa Stadium vs. BB&T Ballpark at Bowman Field in the finals of the Best of the Ballparks 2020 MiLB Short Season A finals, with both SSA leagues represented. So vote!
We knew we would see a NY-Penn League vs. Northwest League final, as the brackets broke in such a way to assure such a final. (No, we’re don’t map things out to work out so poetically.) So with the #1 seed taking on the #3 seed, we’re ready to vote!
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 Short Season A ballparks, combining NY-Penn League and Northwest 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 Gesa Stadium, home of the Northwest League’s Tri-City Dust Devils, the winner of the Best of the Ballparks 2019 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. Gesa Stadium (Tri-City Dust Devils; NWL)
2. LeLacheur Park (Lowell Spinners; NYP)
3. BB&T Ballpark at Bowman Field (Williamsport Crosscutters; NYP)
4. MCU Park (Brooklyn Cyclones; NYP)
5. Ron Tonkin Field (Hillsboro Hops; NWL)
6. Medlar Field at Lubrano Park (State College Spikes; NYP)
7. Leidos Field at Ripken Stadium (Aberdeen IronBirds; NYP)
8. Avista Stadium (Spokane Indians; NWL)
9. Scotiabank Field at Nat Bailey Stadium (Vancouver Canadians; NWL)
10. Centennial Field (Vermont Lake Monsters; NYP)
11. Dutchess Stadium (Hudson Valley Renegades; NYP)
12. Monongalia County Ballpark (West Virginia Black Bears; NYP)
13. Funko Field (Everett AquaSox; NWL)
14. Dodd Stadium (Norwich Sea Unicorns; NYP)
15. PK Park (Eugene Emeralds; NWL)
16. Richmond County Bank Ballpark (Staten Island Yankees; NYP)
17. Joseph L. Bruno Stadium (Tri-City ValleyCats; NYP)
18. Volcanoes Stadium (Salem-Keizer Volcanoes; NWL)
10. Eastwood Field (Mahoning Valley Scrappers; NYP)
20. Memorial Stadium (Boise Hawks; NWL)
21. Falcon Park (Auburn Doubledays; NYP)
22. Dwyer Stadium (Batavia Muckdogs; NYP)
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 Short Season A vote:
First Round: Completed
Second Round: Completed
Third Round: Completed
Semifinals Round: Completed
Finals: Now through end of day, July 14
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: Completed (winner: Whitaker Bank Ballpark, Lexington Legends)
High A: Completed (winner: The Diamond, Lake Elsinore Storm)
Class AA: Completed (winner: Blue Wahoos Stadium, Pensacola Blue Wahoos)
Class AAA: Now-July 10
Short Season A/Rookie: Now-July 14
Independent: Now-July 16
Summer Collegiate: Now-July 20
MLB: July 19-August 14
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.
