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MLB Best of the Ballparks moves to Sweet Sixteen

Ballpark Digest squareAfter a popular first round, we’ve moved on to the second round of the 2021 Best of the Ballparks MLB vote, with some pretty intense matchups. So go vote!

The first round saw 6,400 fans participate at least once. The ballparks receiving the most votes in this initial round: Oriole Park (Baltimore Orioles), Target Field (Minnesota Twins), Citizens Bank Park (Philadelphia Phillies), Petco Park (San Diego Padres) and Oracle Park (San Francisco Giants). In terms of seedings, Great American Ballpark (Cincinnati Reds) snared a big upset victory over Truist Field (Atlanta Braves), as did Minute Maid Park (Houston Astros) over Yankee Stadium (Yankee Stadium), In the end, there really were no close votes at the end of the day–but we expect plenty in this Sweet Sixteen round.

You’ll see some new seedings in the competition for 2021. PNC Park repeats as our top seed after winning the 2020 fan vote, but there have been some shifts and reseedings based on last year’s results and ballpark changes this season. However, our rankings are not the result of a formal pseudo-scientific grading system, but rather recommendations based on years of attending games, seeing how the ballparks function behind the scenes (we have seen plenty of ballpark cisterns while on visits in the past), how these ballparks have made an impact in their communities, and noting how ballparks are regarded within the industry. 

The rankings are very loose, so please don’t take offense if your favorite has a low seeding in these brackets. Generally speaking, we divide these rankings into three tiers: elite (the top 10), outstanding (the middle 15) and in need of work (the bottom five). In the case of the bottom 5, it’s no secret that MLB teams are seeking replacements or drastic renovations. 

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 at the bottom of this page in the form of brackets. Vote below:

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