The boys welcome Unbiased National Baseball Reporter and World Series Champion, Jared ‘The Rocket’ Carrabis, onto the pod for an MLB Stadium draft. I was waiting for the Rocket to come on for baseball season and no better time than Opening Week to have the number one baseball reporter in the game on to kick off the season. This topic sets up an interesting a draft. A finite number selections. 30 current MLB stadiums, 25 will be selected. There is a strong top third or so of stadiums and then after that it becomes tough to draft one that really stands out. It makes a big time difference seeing the stadiums live or on TV, and the memories that you have at each venue, so all of that comes in to play. There is truly no feeling like stepping through the tunnel and seeing the baseball field when you are going to a game. Whether its your 1st ever game or your 100th, that feeling hits the same every time. I am stoked to have baseball back, and even more excited to get back into some stadiums to experience that feeling once again (and to stuff my face and crush beers)
Draft Order:
1. Chief 2. WSD 3. Eddie 4. Carl 5. Rocket
Round 1
Pick 1: Chief, Wrigley Field (Chicago Cubs)
Grade- GO CUBS, GO
I had my first trip to Wrigley on deck for last summer before COVID cancelled those plans. I was so excited for a day game at Wrigley. So ready to walk around Wrigleyville. Going to be one the first parks I go to when stadiums are back to full go. The Ivy. The W flag. Go Cubs, Go after a win. I’m sure WSD didn’t want both Chicago stadiums on his board and he plans on taking Sox Park at some point, but a Chicago guy passing on the first pick and Wrigley is going to make it tough to win the draft.
Pick 2: WSD, Fenway Park (Boston Red Sox)
Grade- (section) 10
Another combination of vintage ballpark and incredible surroundings. The Green Monster is one of the most iconic stadium features in sports. The bar scene around Fenway is awesome. There is some wonky train hours that come into play for games that run long and a handful of bad seats, but those are two very minor Cons to a great game experience. This has to hurt for the Rocket but if someone can win this draft without getting his home stadium is Jared. WSD stinks at backing up his picks.
Pick 3: Eddie, Dodgers Stadium (Los Angeles Dodgers)
Grade- EL. EH.
I have never been to Dodgers Stadium so there were other first round stadiums on the board that I would have gone with. Since Ed has also never been there, this is a bad pick in my opinion. The history is there, the backdrop is there and it being nicknamed Chavez Ravine is very cool, but outside of Dodgers fan you do not hear great things about this stadium. Drafting a classic stadium just to get a classic stadium isn’t a great play. This is probably available when Ed picks again at 8 in round 2.
Pick 4: Carl, PNC Park (Pittsburgh Pirates)
Grade- Raise the Jolly Roger
Clear first round park. PNC Park is gorgeous, affordable, fun. The skyline is incredible. The Clemente bridge shutting down and everyone walking over it to the game creates an electric pregame atmosphere. I have seen fireworks there and they put on a remarkable show with pyrotechnics coming from EVERYWHERE. I also saw a post game Collective Soul concert at PNC and those guy rock.
Pick 5: Rocket, Petco Park (San Diego Padres)
Grade- Bartolo Colon Hit A HR There
Another bucket list park. The Western Supply Co. building is such a cool feature. ‘Petco’ is one of the few brand name stadiums that doesn’t sound awful. It really has gotten primetime shine recently with the WBC and the ASG being there. I’ve also never heard a bad thing about the city of San Diego. Great pick to start the 1–2 wrap around for Carrabis after missing out on Fenway.
Round 1: Eddie with a big swing and miss to open the draft. Carl and Jared have two great first round stadiums to build off after not getting their personal 1.1s. Chief and WSD got the top 2 chalk, but can they build a roster that supports them?
Round 2
Pick 6: Rocket, Oracle Park (San Francisco Giants)
Grade- Into The Cove
Home runs that get sent into McCovey Cove are the best. Having a seat on top of the brick wall and turning around and actually seeing the ball splash into the cove has to be a scene. I love the center field towers. I love the coke bottle. Oracle could very well have been a first round ball park and this was a STRONG west coast wrap around for the Rocket.
Pick 7: Carl, Camden Yards (Baltimore Orioles)
Grade- Natty Boh
Probably my favorite stadium that I’ve gone to. Right in the Harbor. The right field Warehouse is a legendary look. The food is sneaky great if you like Old Bay, and they also have a pretty unique Old Bay beer as whale. There are a couple of great spots to bounce around and watch the game in the outfield. One of the best things about Camden, when you go watch your team play there it’s almost like a home game.
Pick 8: Eddie, Kauffman Stadium (Kansas City Royals)
Grade- Don’t Go Chasing Waterfalls
Big time CON for Kauffman is you can’t watch any porn there, but overall a nice stadium. The waterfalls and fountains are beautiful. The Centerfield crown is a unique feature. Ed has two fine stadiums but neither really move the needle like the other 6 that have come off the board.
Pick 9: WSD, Coors Field (Colorado Rockies)
Grade- Spark One Up
Coors Field sunsets look like some of the most beautiful sunsets in baseball. Loading up on some edibles, burning a pre-game doob on the walk to the stadium, and enjoying some mile high baseball is something I’d sign up for every night and twice on Sundays. Great follow up to Fenway for WSD.
Pick 10: Chief, Busch Stadium (St. Louis Cardinals)
Grade- BFIB
Meh. This isn’t a great follow up to Wrigley. I have been inside old Busch, haven’t been inside new Busch, but really I prefer no Bush. The Arch in the background is awesome, but after that I don’t know what it brings to the table. If we are talking baseball unis and logos, STL is probably a first round pick, I don’t think their Stadium is 2nd round value though.
Round 2: Jared and Carl really benefited from the draft positions they were in. Oracle and Camden are first round stadiums. Coors and Kauffman are nice stadiums in their own right but they just get dominated in this round by 6th and 7th picks.
Round 3
Pick 11: Chief, T-Mobile Park (Seattle Mariners)
Grade- No Service
This looks SO much better if the stadium is SafeCo still. T-Mobile Park name change takes it down a notch but the park itself still looks amazing. The retractable roof in RF actually looks pretty bad ass when the stadium is open. If this is the Kingdom I love the pick, if it’s SafeCo I like the pick, T-Mobile Park is just OK.
Pick 12: WSD, Guaranteed Rate Field (Chicago White Sox)
Grade- Guaranteed Loss
I understand why Dave wanted his home park on his list, but this stadium in the third round just derailed WSDs draft. I don’t think Jared is taking it with either of his wrap-arounds and don’t think Carl would want the White Sox on his graphic and not the Cubbies. Maybe Ed takes it but you just gotta risk it and get a better stadium here and save GRF for round 4. It’s the inferior ball park in its own city, I don’t think it has much history surrounding it and there isn’t a unique feature that jumps off the page. The White Sox are going to disappoint Dave once again.
Pick 13: Eddie, Citi Field (New York Mets)
Grade- A Lot of Potential But Will Let You Down
Citi Field is my most attended stadium. Citi Field is the superior baseball stadium in NYC. The HR Apple is one of the coolest stand alone features in sports and the food and beverages are top of line in terms of baseball stadiums. Having Citi Field on your draft board is fine. There is just so much left to be desired. Originally you couldn’t tell Citi Field was even the Mets stadium but the team has worked on improving that. The surrounding area STINKS outloud so having to get on the train right after the game instead of walking to bars is a bummer. Still, a fine 3rd round pick.
Pick 14: Carl, Truist Park (Atlanta Braves)
Grade- Chop On
Anyone I have spoken to who has been to this park absolutely raves about it. Like Wrigley, it was on my 2020 docket so I haven’t been able to go see it yet. My friend toured it before it opened and was immediately “Bullish on the Braves as a franchise” and since then they have won 3 straight NL East titles so personally I hate the stadium but you can’t deny its a phenomenal park.
Pick 15: Rocket, Target Field (Minnesota Twins)
Grade- Good Value
All of the AL Central are kind of on a level playing field for me. When Target Open back in 2010 I believe it was considered one of the nicer new stadiums in the league. I do love the state and old school logo combo monument in the outfield, but outside of that there isn’t too much that jumps off the page. I think this will end up being Jareds weakest part of his draft.
Round 3: This round you really see a drop off from Elite stadiums to just good ballparks. These 5 stadiums are all nice in their own way but none of them really have an argument for going higher. Maybe Truist.
Round 4
Pick 16: Rocket, American Family Field (Milwaukee Brewers)
Grade- GTLF
You can draft this stadium on the slide alone. The HR slide rivals the HR Apple and honestly is probably cooler and I say that as a die heart Mets fan. I think retractable roof stadiums look pretty cool when designed right and the open roof on the first and third base sides actually looks awesome. Not getting Miller Park on the graphic stinks, but this a great 4th round pick. Carrabis nailed both his wrap arounds.
Pick 17: Carl, Yankee Stadium (New York Yankees)
Grade- Not Going to Earn Your Pinstripes
Relying on the name here and that’s fine in the 4th round. New Yankee, like myself, just has nothing going for it. It is ugly. It’s lame. It’s boring. It’s vanilla ice cream. It’s skim milk. Yankee fans are going to hammer the vote when they see it on Carl’s list and it’s probably going exactly where it should in the draft, it’s just a disappointing stadium overall though.
PIck 18: Eddie, Progessive Field (Cleveland Indians)
Grade- Atleast We’re Not Detroit
I liked my trip to the Jake. Any stadium right in the middle of the city automatically makes it above average. Outside of that there isn’t necessarily anything great about it, but there isn’t anything bad about it either. Just a good all around game experience so the 4th round is a good spot to get it. I think Ed needed more here though, however, more just isn’t available at this stage of this draft.
Pick 19: WSD, Comerica Park (Detroit Tigers)
Grade- Previous Grade Worked Out Purfeclty
The Tiger Statue is awesome. The far left field scoreboard is different. Liek Progressive, it is an above average stadium but I don’t believe it makes a huge impact on WSD’s chance to win the draft. Back to back stadiums from the AL Central probably isn’t going to have you at the top of the vote.
Pick 20: Chief, Great American Ball Park (Cincinnati Reds)
Grade- Large Order of Skyline Chili Please
One of the better sponsor names that translates to a good stadium name. The ball flies out of this ball park and the Mets clinched their last NL East title here so I have nothing bad to say about Great American. I think Chief is with Ed and WSD though, and fell out of contention this round.
Round 4: These were all very “4th Round” picks. Nothing too special about any of them, but all above average baseball parks. Jared getting the Brewers slide separates him from the other 4 in this round specifically and that could be the difference in the draft.
Round 5
Pick 21: Chief, Globe Life Park (Texas Rangers)
Grade- A lot of tin
The warehouse/airline hanger look to the outside of the stadium is terrible. The lone “T” in relatively small font is hilarious. Im sure the inside of the place is absolutely incredible but that picture above is the ugliest drone shot of any stadium in baseball.
Pick 22: WSD, MinuteMaid Park (Houston Astros)
Grade- Extra Pulp
I like the train and the glass backdrop in left center. They just removed the Astros logo in the OF for a sponsors logo so that take it down a notch. Dave would like the hill. The hill sucked, removing it made the stadium much better. There is a stadium left that I would want in the 5th and this isnt it.
Pick 23: Eddie, Chase Field (Arizona Diamondbacks)
Grade- Take A Swim
Getting the pool in the 5th round is cool. Chase Field doesn’t have any other redeeming qualities but this late in the draft you take the pool. Ed is not winning this thing so he can suit up and go for a dip.
Pick 24: Carl, Citizens Bank (Philadelphia Phillies)
Grade- Give Me Liberty
I like the giant Phillies across the scoreboard and the neon Liberty bell. The ball also flies out of this stadium. All of Phillys stadiums being together is an awesome feature of a city. This deserved to be above pick 24. Nice 5th round value.
Pick 25 Mr. Irrelevant: Rocket, Marlins Park (Miami Marlins)
Grade- Bring Back The Monument
I went to Marlins Park for USA v. Dominican Republic in the 2017 WBC and it very well may have been one of the most fun baseball experiences I have ever had. Marlins park got a ton of hate for the gaudy statue in centerfield but to me, it was so over the top and terrible it was PERFECT Miami. This stadium is literally a spaceship in the middle of Little Havana and it was kind of incredible. I don’t know how it plays for a Marlins game on a Tuesday night, but the stadium itself is pretty great. If the Rockets 4th round pick did not seal him up this draft, this may have.
This is going to be between Jared and Carl. Carl hasn’t had the best performances since getting draft win number 21 and he did a great job assembling his stadiums today after not being able to start with Wrigley. I do think rounds 4 and 5 went to Jared though and they will be the difference makers in the draft. Marlins Park Mr. Irrelevant and the Brewers slide in round 4 are so strong and Yankee Stadium and Citizens Bank just cant hang with them. Between Ed, Chief and WSD I really don’t know who deserves to be left off but I don’t think either of them can compete for a win this week. It hate to chose Ed because he has Citi Field, WSD stayed true to his boys and drafted Sox Park even though it was too high of pick so that loyalty speaks volumes. I think its Chief who finds himself off the poll. Busch Stadium was the first pick where I was said “meh, nothing special.” and after that his stadiums to follow were just OK. No one had a bad draft, but Carl and the Rocket had the top two. The Rocket will be getting my vote.
