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MLB Power Rankings: Top 30 stadiums of all time

By Joshua Sadlock

Aug 14, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; The sun sets over Wrigley Field during the game between the Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals. Mandatory Credit: Caylor Arnold-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 14, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; The sun sets over Wrigley Field during the game between the Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals. Mandatory Credit: Caylor Arnold-USA TODAY Sports /
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MLB stadiums have a unique way to become a defining part of a franchise and a city, but which are the best of all time?

More so than in any of the four major sports, baseball stadiums have an ability to become intricately woven into the identity of the home team and their fanbase. Every NFL field is 100 yards, with 10 yards for the end zones. NBA courts and hockey rinks have set dimensions. That is not the case with baseball. Every field can be a different size, an over the years there have been wild fluctuations in dimensions from team to team.

Baseball teams are constructed around their home stadium. Teams with large outfields will load up on speedy players and power arms. Band boxes will lead to teams with more lumbering sluggers who can hit the ball out of the park while the pitching staff closes their eyes and hopes for the best. MLB stadiums engender a certain love and passion in the fans that pack them in a way that just does not happen in other sports. How else to explain 100-year old parks that have certainly outlived their useful lives? That’s just baseball, and it’s special.

Breaking down the 30 best MLB stadiums of all time is no easy task. These are historical stadiums that must be considered that would not hold a candle to some of the temples around the league today, but their merits are undeniable.  Where will your favorite stadium rank? Read on to find out.

30. Comerica Park

  • Year Opened: 2000
  • Capacity: 41,299
  • Defining Features: integration with downtown Detroit, tiger statues, dirt strip, ferris wheel , triangular home plate cutout

When replacing an iconic stadium that has been a part of a franchise and city’s identity for close to a century, you have to go big or go home. That’s exactly what the Tigers did when replacing old Tiger Stadium. Comerica Park is a home run on all fronts.

When he owned the team, Mike Ilitch was all about the city of Detroit, and the location of Comeria Park embraces the Motor City. The entrance is located near the historic Fox Theatre and two famous churches. A lesser owner would have abandoned the struggling downtown of Detroit, but Ilitch embraced the challenge and built his new stadium with a view of the skyline. He was also instrumental in bringing a new urban football stadium and a new hockey and basketball arena to Detroit.

Comerica Park lives up to the reputation Tiger Stadium built over the years as one of the best places in the league to see a game. Detroit is looking at an exciting future with all four of their sports teams playing in newer venues in the same central location.

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