The Birmingham Barons are set to return to their former home, announcing a 2025 Rickwood Field game for June 4, hosting the Rocket City Trash Pandas in an afternoon game. (more…)
Archive | Minor-League Baseball
Hurricane not only tears off Trop roof, but tears up Tampa Bays Rays ballpark planning
Hurricane Milton not only tore the roof off Tropicana Field: It upended all planning for a new Tampa Bay Rays ballpark, potentially killing a St. Pete facility, and forcing the team to play the 2025 season at the minor-league Steinbrenner Field. (more…)
Adaptive reuse in Columbia: Can Capital City Stadium be saved?
Capital City Stadium is one of the more historically interesting ballparks once part of Minor League Baseball. But as Columbia (S.C.) struggles to identify a future for the facility, one big question remains: Can this ballpark be saved? (more…)
End of an era: No more Oakland Athletics
Though this move was announced months ago, it’s still a slight shock to the heart of any baseball fan to realize that the Oakland Athletics are no more, replaced temporarily by a bare-boned Athletics moniker until the move to Las Vegas. (more…)
Tropicana Field roof shredded by Hurricane Milton; Rays face plenty of ballpark decisions
With most of the Tropicana Field roof shredded by Hurricane Milton, the Tampa Bay Rays and Major League Baseball must address the team’s short-term and long-term needs for home play just five months before the 2025 regular season starts. (more…)
Baseball world preps for Hurricane Milton
With Hurricane Milton bearing down on Florida, the baseball world is sending home players and staffers and hunkering down for one of the most severe storms to ever slam the state. (more…)
Rickwood Field MLB ticket information released
Tickets for the MLB at Rickwood Field, A Tribute to the Negro Leagues event at Birmingham’s historic venue will be sold exclusively to Alabama residents, with recipients determined by a lottery now open to the public. (more…)
Jackie Robinson Ballpark up for national recognition
Some good news to pass along on Jackie Robinson Day: Daytona’s Jackie Robinson Ballpark, a key site as Robinson prepared for his groundbreaking MLB debut, is being nominated as a National Historic Landmark. (more…)
Oakland Athletics to Sacramento for 2025-2027
After unfruitful negotiations with Oakland over the continued use of the Coliseum, the Oakland Athletics today announced the team will be playing in 2025-2027 at Sacramento’s Sutter Health Park, with a move to Las Vegas planned for 2028. (more…)
In memoriam: Larry Lucchino
Larry Lucchino, a pioneer in the art of ballpark design after overseeing the development of Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Petco Park, Fenway Park modernizations and Polar Park, passed away yesterday. He was 78. (more…)
All good things: Time to bid farewell
It seems appropriate this Opening Day to announce a big change in the future of Ballpark Digest: twenty-some years after launching this site and August Publications, I’m retiring early and focusing instead on family. (more…)
More details emerge on new Richmond Flying Squirrels ballpark
We have some new details and conceptual renderings about a new Richmond Flying Squirrels ballpark, as the Double-A Eastern League team moves forward with a schematic site design submitted to the city. (more…)
Meet your 2024 Saints ballpig: Ozempig
It’s still one of the best promos in Minor League Baseball, and this year sees Ozempig crowned as the first-half 2024 St. Paul Saints (Triple-A; International League) ballpig, beating out the likes of Sloppenheimer and Malibu Lardie. (more…)