Blog / Month: September 2025

Knowing that they were coming up on the end of their 30-year lease on Progressive Field, the Cleveland Guardians embarked on an ambitious plan to revitalize their aging ballpark. The renovations paid for with a budget of $202 million were completed in time for (barely) the 2025 season. Read all about the planning and execution of these plans in our special report.

The family that owns the Chicago Cubs has been purchasing the rooftop businesses along Waveland and Sheffield Avenues. One, though, has refused to sell, and is fighting the Cubs in court to boot. Read all about it in our exclusive look at this thorny situation in Wrigleyville.

There was a “split decision” in the voting for the 2025 BaseballParks.com Ballpark of the Year.

As in the past, we utilized a three-person panel to vote on the winner. Webmaster Joe Mock enlisted Graham Knight, founder of Baseballpilgrimages.com, and longtime broadcaster Doug Greenwald to participate in the voting. These gentlemen have visited more ballparks than 99.9% of ardent baseball fans.

As noted, this year’s vote was not unanimous. Make no mistake about it, though. Knoxville’s Covenant Health Park is a very deserving winner. What it is doing for a long-neglected part of town is truly impressive, and the architecture of the facility is stunning in every way. But in any other year, The Ballpark at America First Square, new home of the Salt Lake Bees, would’ve won, because it’s that good. But there can be only one winner, and this year’s plaque goes to the beautiful new home of the Knoxville Smokies.

Read our press release announcing the award (Covenant-Health-Park-release) for the details, and if you haven’t yet read our in-depth review of the Smokies’ gem, click here.

If you want to see a complete list of all of the ballparks that have won this award going all the way back to 2000, they are listed here.

By the way, there will be five ballparks in the running for the 2026 award: Wilson, NC; Chattanooga; Richmond; Ontario, CA and Hillsboro, OR.