The Rays and A’s took very different paths to reach a similar destination: playing the 2025 regular season in Minor League ballparks. In the case of the Rays, they are playing at the New York Yankees’ spring training park, which is usually used by the Yanks’ Florida State League team. The A’s are playing in the home of the Sacramento River Cats for at least three seasons while a new stadium is being constructed on the Las Vegas Strip.
Latest Blog Posts
Spring Training Ballparks — which one is the best?
Seven years ago, I enlisted the help of a tech firm (ReviewTrackers) to research how baseball fans felt about the 23 parks where spring training exhibitions are played. I worked their findings into a four-part series that ran here on Baseballparks.com and a summary in USA TODAY Sports Weekly. ReviewTrackers has since been acquired by InMoment, and the technology they now utilize is other-worldly. I asked them to update their research on spring training facilities, and they came through with flying colors. I wrote two articles from their research, one on Cactus League parks and the other on (of course) the facilities of the Grapefruit League. One stunning finding: fans prefer spring training in Florida over Arizona. And it isn’t even close!
So check out these up-to-date findings in our articles!
The Year In Pictures
There was only one new pro ballpark in the country in 2024, but there were lots of fascinating stories about baseball stadiums this year! That’s why we always produce a feature called The Ballpark Year In Pictures … and this year is no exception. Check out our 2024 pictorial essay to see the stadium stories you might’ve missed … or that you want to live again!
Where to play?
It’s hard to keep track with the ever-changing saga of the Tampa Bay Rays’ quest for a new stadium. We’ve summarized the situation using commonly asked questions. It provides you with a look into the stalemate now occurring between the team and the two governmental entities that hold the purse strings so construction could start for a new stadium.
Check it out here.
Tale of the tape: comparing the two World Series parks
For over two decades, on the cusp of the World Series, we’ve provided a comparison of the ballparks. It’s East Coast versus West Coast. It’s a 15-year-old park versus a 62 year old. It’s two of the biggest spending teams.
Check out our annual Tale of the Tape!
Reinventing baseball’s best park
It’s #1 on most rankings of MLB’s best ballparks, but the Pirates aren’t resting on their laurels. They invest significantly in improvements to PNC Park — and they brought in ballpark-design guru Janet Marie Smith to bring those improvements to life.
Read all about the ways the Pirates reinvent PNC Park.