All 30 Major League ballparks share one fantastic quality: People play baseball there. But the stadiums differ greatly from there, from the shapes of their playing fields to the style of their architecture to the comfortability of their seating to the quality of their food. This list aims to rank them, in order, based on the overall ballpark experience while enjoying a game. Neither of us has been to all 30 active big-league parks on our own, but we combined to cover them all, and we’ve both been to more than half the active stadiums and a handful of defunct ones.
For this list, we considered each ballpark’s general atmosphere and design, plus its location, amenities, food, and quirks. We independently ranked all the parks we had been to, then combined our rankings into this master list.
What follows here is entirely subjective, and we understand the very personal devotion you may feel to your home team’s stadium, a place you may have formed some of your most prized memories. All of these parks feature baseball, so every single one offers something to love unequivocally. This is only our best effort at ordering them by how fun they are to visit:
1. Petco Park – San Diego Padres
Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
Petco Park is For The Win’s undisputed best ballpark in baseball. Really, it’s great. From the expansive views of the downtown San Diego skyline, to the vast local beer and food options, to the perfect weather, Petco Park is everything MLB teams should want for their ballparks. All that’s missing is a winning team, but we can’t blame the stadium. Petco Park rocks. — Andrew Joseph
2. AT&T Park – San Francisco Giants
Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
The Giants left Candlestick Park after the 1999 season and moved into an absolutely spectacular stadium in AT&T Park. It’s another picturesque stadium with the view of the Bay and home runs flying into McCovey Cove. It always smells like garlic fries, has a giant baseball glove in the outfield concourse and brings one of baseball’s best atmospheres. — Andrew Joseph
3. PNC Park – Pittsburgh Pirates
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OK, so we’re clearly suckers for stadiums with a view, and PNC Park has the best view of all. The Pittsburgh skyline is basically on top of the stadium, which makes for an absolutely gorgeous setting to watch Andrew McCutchen do amazing baseball stuff. With the Pirates back as consistent playoff contenders, the atmosphere is great and you can eat a “Cracker Jack & Mac Dog.” That’s pretty elite. — Andrew Joseph
4. Wrigley Field – Chicago Cubs
Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
There’s a reason the Cubs have stayed in the same home park for over 100 years. Baseball’s second-oldest stadium offers seating right on top of the action, delightfully old-timey details, a fun surrounding neighborhood, and its beautiful trademark ivy on the outfield wall. Even after recent renovations, you give up some modern comforts for the historic value of the place. As an additional plus, it always smells like sausage. — Ted Berg
5. Dodger Stadium – Los Angeles Dodgers
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
I don’t care that fans wait until the fourth inning to show up. Dodger Stadium is a top-5 ballpark. The stadium perfectly blends the traditional baseball amenities with modern upgrades, and I’m personally a fan of all the box seats with tabletops. Those are cool, which makes eating a Dodger Dog (which is, in my opinion, the best hot dog in baseball) a very enjoyable experience — and safe thanks to baseball’s most heroic ballgirl. — Andrew Joseph
6. Kauffman Stadium – Kansas City Royals
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The K! With Dodger Stadium, Kauffman represents the class of the pre-Camden Yards era of modern, symmetrical ballparks surrounded by parking lots someplace far from downtown. Because it’s Kansas City, those lots feature some of baseball’s best tailgates, and the party atmosphere carries inside where the crowd and throbbing PA keep the stadium shaking. The humble view of I-70 beyond the outfield walls works here, too, calling to mind the city’s history as a crossroads and trading post, and the open expanses surrounding the metro area on all sides. — Ted Berg
7. Coors Field – Colorado Rockies
Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Coors Field was an impressive stadium before its 2014 renovation, and now, with a party deck in right field, it’s clearly deserving of a spot in FTW’s top 10. Like, it has a bar with 52 beers on tap – that is extremely important. It’s also the best home run park in baseball (thanks, elevation). Coors Field offers it all — location, amenities, food, atmosphere, and dingers – and does it well. — Andrew Joseph
8. Fenway Park – Boston Red Sox
Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
If you’re a fan of the game’s history, a trip to Fenway is a must. I’m not one to tell our fine readers how to spend their money, but $100 on an obstructed-view seat is well
worth it just to get in the stadium (Note: Sorry). The atmosphere at Fenway is tough to beat. While it doesn’t come close to being as “nice” as the newer ballparks, it’s a baseball landmark and everything about that is special. — Andrew Joseph
9. Target Field – Minnesota Twins
Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports
Note: I have only been to Target Field in the middle of the summer, which probably helped the Minneapolis park toward the top of the list. But the Twins’ home park, opened in 2010, has got all the staples of a great contemporary ballpark: Skyline views, a relatively walkable (and bikeable) location, great (i.e. fried) local cuisine, and open concourses good for exploring and aimless wandering. Like most new parks, it has its quirky features, but none of them feel too forced. – Ted Berg
10. Citi Field – New York Mets
Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports
Citi Field’s unnecessary (and constantly shrinking) on-field nooks and crannies and its location across the street from a bunch of chop shops cost it a few places on this list, but it lands at No. 10 mostly on the strength of its excellent food selection. The Mets’ ballpark deserves credit, perhaps more than any other big-league park, for making stadium dining a selling point rather than a drawback of the baseball experience. Its outfield concourse alone offers a brilliant array of delicious options, from barbecue to burgers to pastrami to sushi to big, beautiful Italian heroes from Shea Stadium holdover Mama’s of Corona. – Ted Berg
11. Camden Yards – Baltimore Orioles
Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
I found myself leaving Camden Yards a little disappointed. Not because the stadium is bad (it isn’t), but I think I had set too high of an expectation for a stadium that consistently gets named among baseball’s best. It just didn’t measure up with the 10 parks ranked ahead of it on our list. The crab cake sandwich was excellent, though. — Andrew Joseph
12. Globe Life Park – Texas Rangers
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Typically I have little time for nostalgic architecture, but the Rangers’ home park — one of the first built after Camden Yards in the retro-stadium era — did an impressive job nailing the intimate feel of an old park on a stadium that holds nearly 50,000. The Rangers plan to leave Globe Life Park for a new retractable-roof stadium partly funded by taxpayer money in time for the 2021 season. Here’s hoping the new place also sells chicken-fried steak sandwiches. – Ted Berg
13. Busch Stadium – St. Louis Cardinals
Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Busch Stadium is nice, but it’s essentially a new and improved version of the old Busch Stadium. It doesn’t stand out enough to make it into the top 10, but it does rank among the top half of the league. Cardinals fans are passionate – in an elitist sort of way, but still – so the atmosphere is always excellent. I’d just expect better beer for a stadium named after a megabrewer. Oh wait, I guess I shouldn’t. — Andrew Joseph
14. Citizens Bank Park – Philadelphia Phillies
Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
Citizens Bank Park is a nice stadium, but it’s location in a sports complex off the highway doesn’t make for a fun pregame atmosphere. The opening of Xfinity Live in 2012 certainly helped address those concerns a bit, but honestly, downtown stadiums just make for a better time. On a positive note, Tony Luke’s Cheesesteaks. — Andrew Joseph
15. Nationals Park – Washington Nationals
Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Before all the new buildings went up beyond the outfield grandstand you could still see the Capitol from much of Nats Park, which was pretty cool. The building itself fits in well on the DC landscape and looks great — like a monument, or a new Smithsonian building — from across the river on 295. Inside, it features Ben’s Chili Bowl, and Ben’s Chili Bowl rules. — Ted Berg
16. Safeco Field – Seattle Mariners
Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
I love the views (especially from the first-base line upper deck), the food and the location, but Safeco Field could benefit from removing some seats in favor of modern updates. It holds close to 50,000, which makes for a lackluster atmosphere when 27,000 fans are in attendance. — Andrew Joseph
17. Progressive Field – Cleveland Indians
David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
It’s funny: So many of today’s ballparks were borne of backlash to the cookie-cutter municipal parks of the 1950s and 60s, then wound up feeling somewhat humdrum
when roughly half the league opened new baseball-only stadiums. Progressive Field — still “The Jake” to many — is a cozy park in a downtown location with few particulars that stand out. It’s fine. – Ted Berg
18. Great American Ball Park – Cincinnati Reds
David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports
Sometimes derided as “Pretty Good American Ballpark,” the Reds’ home stadium is, in fact, pretty good. It’s a perfectly pleasant — if unspectacular — place to enjoy a ballgame, it is within reasonable walking distance of some good bars and restaurants, and it provides perhaps this country’s most sacred place for staring into a river and thinking about Adam Dunn, which is something we all could probably stand to do a little more often. Unfortunately, it serves Cincinnati-style chili from the underwhelming chain Skyline Chili rather than significantly better local options. — Ted Berg.
19. Comerica Park – Detroit Tigers
Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Another nice ballpark with little to distinguish it from all the other old-looking new downtown stadiums. There’s a lot to commemorate the Tigers’ rich history, which is cool, plus they’ve done a nice job in recent years incorporating more regional food and beverage options. — Ted Berg
20. Marlins Park – Miami Marlins
Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Marlins Park is super new, but still, nobody wants to go to visit even when the Marlins are winning. Over $500 million of public funds went into building a stadium with an outrageous sculpture in the outfield, which is so Miami. There’s also a nightclub in the outfield, which, as well, is so Miami. Marlins Park started the 2015 season with a rain delay despite having a roof. So far, Marlins Park is a flashy stadium that doesn’t meet the basic expectations of a typical baseball experience. — Andrew Joseph
21. Minute Maid Park – Houston Astros
Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports
Hey, look: A train! A retractable roof! Some great places to stand and try to snag home-run balls! Some decent dining options! Minute Maid Park is a terrific place to watch baseball and… wait, what’s that thing out in center field? A hill with a flagpole on it? And it’s in play? Nope. No. This isn’t freaking pinball. If you’re building a ballpark in 1905 and you don’t have the technology to get rid of some pre-existing hill, fine. If you don’t think baseball is good enough without an obstacle course in the outfield, you have no business designing ballparks. Ridiculous. Thankfully, Tal’s Hill is toast after this season, at which point Minute Maid would shoot up this list. — Ted Berg
22. Chase Field – Arizona Diamondbacks
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
As we know, the bulk of baseball’s regular season takes place in the summer months. As you may also know, it is unearthly hot in Phoenix during the summer months. For that, Chase Field’s retractable roof is a godsend. The stadium is held back simply by it being too big, lacking in any atmosphere or personality. It feels like an airplane hangar with the roof closed. When the roof and windows are open, Chase Field is a beautiful stadium, but that only happens a handful of times a season. — Andrew Joseph
23. Miller Park – Milwaukee Brewers
Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Brewers fans are going to be so mad about this ranking because Brewers fans rep Miller Park so hard, which is cool and respectable. What’s less cool is opening a ballpark in 2001 so far from a walkable downtown area, though the parking lots and Milwaukee’s dedication to sausage do make for some pretty fun tailgates. And there’s something about the pitch of many of Miller Park’s seats that just feels off. — Ted Berg
24. Turner Field – Atlanta Braves
Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
I grew up going to games at Turner Field, so it’s sad to see it go from a personal standpoint. But from the impartial and accurate standpoint that you should expect from For The Win, Turner Field is rightfully among baseball’s worst. It’s outrageously difficult to get to and located off the highway with no surrounding bars or restaurants. The stadium itself is too large and makes even respectably attended games look bad. — Andrew Joseph
25. Yankee Stadium – New York Yankees
Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
Credit the Yankees for eschewing the typical new-old look popular when their stadium opened in 2009, but not for producing a ballpark that looks more like a Las Vegas casino version of a stately building than the actual stately building they intended. The giant videoboard is great and the sight of the 4-train rumbling past is very cool, but the Yankees play within a couple of miles of some of the best Italian food on this great planet and somehow dare to unironically serve Papa John’s Pizza at their ballpark. You have to admire the chutzpah, really. — Ted Berg
26. Angel Stadium – Los Angeles Angels
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Meh. — Ted Berg
27. Rogers Centre – Toronto Blue Jays
John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
Uh, you could see Jose Bautista hit a home run into a hotel room. That’s cool, right? — Andrew Joseph
28. U.S. Cellular Field – Chicago White Sox
Caylor Arnold-USA TODAY Sports
Caylor Arnold-USA TODAY Sports
The Cell holds an unfortunate distinction, as it replaced the White Sox’ 80-year-old home at Comiskey Park to become the last stadium built before Camden Yards opened and changed the game. It’s not the prettiest place to watch baseball. I do want to note, though, that I attended a game there in the summer of 2005 when the World Series-bound White Sox were good and had about as much fun as I’ve ever had at a baseball game I had no real stake in. — Ted Berg
29. Tropicana Field – Tampa Bay Rays
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Where to start? Tropicana Field is dreadful. It’s a hideous structure on the outside and worse on the inside. The catwalks get in the way of play. The atmosphere is nonexistent to the point that the Rays need to tarp whole sections off. And, oh yeah, don’t eat the food. Really, don’t. A 2014 Outside the Lines report showed that 100 PERCENT of Tropicana Field food vendors had critical violations. — Andrew Joseph
30. Oakland Alameda Coliseum – Oakland A’s
Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Someplace has to be last on the list, and it might as well be the one that normally features an entire deck of empty seats and sometimes leaks sewage into the clubhouses. Again, though: I had so much fun at a game in Oakland just a few weeks ago. It’s a cold, grey, soulless building and the place was totally empty the night I went as the Warriors were playing in the NBA Finals nearby, and yet I still got to eat a hot dog and watch a Major League Baseball game from decent seats at an outstanding price. There’s very little that’s nice about Oakland Alameda Coliseum, but they play baseball there, and baseball is incredible. — Ted Berg
(Note: An earlier version of this list referred to the Athletics’ home park as O.Co Coliseum. The stadium has been known as Oakland Alameda Coliseum again since Overstock.com opted out of its naming-rights contract in April. It also called Wrigley Field baseball’s oldest park. Wrigley opened in 1914, two years after Fenway.)
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