Every MLB stadium ranked from worst to best
By Kareem Gantt
8. Oriole Park at Camden Yards — Baltimore Orioles
The “is this team good?” criteria weights a lot of these rankings, and at times is the sole reason as to why a ballpark is ranked low, but I’m going to give Oriole Park at Camden Yards a pass.
Why? Because after all of these years, it is still one of the best ballparks in MLB.
Camden Yards has the distinction of being the first newly build ballpark to use the “retro” design, a type of ballpark that incorporated historical buildings and landmarks to build something that is big on making the fan feel as if they’re in a baseball park, not a cavernous stadium that also doubles as a football stadium.
Opened in 1992, Camden Yards was so impressive, that it drove other MLB teams to design their new ballparks in the same manner. MLB teams were looking to match the old-time feel of a ballpark with modern conveniences, just like the Orioles did with Camden Yards. While the “retro” era for new ballparks have mostly come to a close, Camden Yards still stands out as one of the best ballparks to watch a baseball game.
Never mind that the current Orioles stink to high heaven, Camden Yards possesses a special place in the hearts and minds of baseball purists everywhere. It was part of the transformation of the neighborhood surrounded it experienced, including being an integral part of the famed Inner Harbor, though the park doesn’t sit on the Harbor itself.
Camden Yards is still a gem, all these years later.