Field of Dreams and the 6 best baseball movies, ranked

With the White Sox and Yankees descending on Dyersville, Iowa to play at the Field of Dreams, where does the movie rank among the best baseball movies?

On Thursday night, the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees will play in Dyersville, Iowa, site of the movie Field of Dreams. The field from the movie being maintained in the 30-plus years since the movie came out, and it is a tourist attraction.

So where does Field of Dreams come in on this list of the best baseball movies? Here’s my top-6.

Ranking the best baseball movies

6. Field of Dreams

For some, Field of Dreams is not only the best baseball movie ever made, but the best sports movie ever done. The father-son, “let’s have a catch” relationship hits an emotional note, and there’s a famous exchange between “Shoeless” Joe Jackson (Ray Liotta) and Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner)-“Is this heaven?! “No, it’s Iowa!” Of course, there’s the most famous line in the movie, a voice-over speaking to Ray-“If you build it, they will come.” So he builds it.

But I consider Field of Dreams to be overrated. Yes, it’s only a movie, but at least get the fact Jackson was a left-handed hitter right.

5. The Natural

There are plenty of moments you have to suspend disbelief in The Natural. But Robert Redford’s Roy Hobbs is also profoundly human and relatable, as he stands out for his baseball prowess. That’s a credit to the actor, and the supporting cast is mostly excellent.

4. Rookie of the Year

Rookie of the Year taps into every kid’s fantasy, as 12-year old Henry Rowengartner (Thomas Ian Nicholas) suffers a broken arm and can suddenly throw 100 MPH. After throwing a home run ball back with that velocity, he gets to pitch for his beloved Chicago Cubs. In the midst of what was would become a 100-plus year title drought, Rowengartner being shown with a World Series ring at the end was inspired.

3. The Sandlot

The relative simplicity of the game tends to make baseball movies the most relatable sports movies. The Sandlot taps directly into nostalgia, since who didn’t go to the local field (or what qualified as a field) to play ball with their friends as a kid? Other elements, like being the new kid in the neighborhood or being the kid with less talent, strike a cord too. Time has heightened appreciation for The Sandlot, perhaps as those who were close to the age of the kids in the movie have aged.

2. Bull Durham

Among Kevin Costner baseball movies, give me Bull Durham over Field of Dreams. Costner plays minor league lifer “Crash” Davis, with eventual real-life couple Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon as a wily young pitcher and a high-end groupie (for lack of a better term) respectively. If you want memorable quotes from Costner’s character they’re here, and the baseball elements are credible.

1. Major League

In Major League, the memorable characters and humor (low-brow as it is) come in droves as the lowly Cleveland Indians defy an owner that wants them to lose so she can move the team. Rick Vaughn (Charlie Sheen), Willie “Mays” Hayes (Wesley Snipes), Pedro Cerrano (the Allstate guy, Dennis Haysbert), Harry Doyle (Bob Uecker), Jake Taylor (Tom Berenger). The subsequent movies in the franchise may not be as great as the original but there’s no denying Major League is the best baseball movie.