The 9 Finest Grass Fields in Minor League Baseball

If an Oscar were awarded for the best Minor League Baseball field, the Albuquerque Isotopes might have picked up at least a couple of the golden statuettes.

In 2007 and 2013, the Sports Turf Managers Association named the field at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque, NM, the best field in all of professional baseball.

“The field — its aesthetics and playability — is such a big part of who we are and is a great representation of our organization,” says John Traub, general manager of the Isotopes.

In 2015, Casey Griffin, who leads the grounds crew at Isotopes Park, received a presidential commendation from Minor League Baseball’s Pacific Coast League for his excellence in sports turf management. A year earlier, the Pacific Coast League named Griffin its Sports Turf Manager of the Year.

“We are fortunate enough to have a dedicated staff that works tirelessly to ensure our field is in its best condition every day,” Griffin says.

To promote breast cancer awareness, Isotopes mowers created a ribbon-shaped pattern.
Photo: Ken Levine

Standing Out in Their Field

That tireless work definitely pays off, resulting in several awards recognizing a picture-perfect grass field that would be the envy of professional and everyday landscapers. A major-league effort ensures that the field at Isotopes Park is a gem.

The field at Isotopes Park tops our ranking of the 9 Finest Grass Fields in Minor League Baseball. To produce this list, we combed through the Sports Turf Managers Association’s Field of the Year baseball honorees dating back to 2000. If a Minor League Baseball field had won the award more than once, then that field scored bonus points. Two fields were two-time victors: Isotopes Park along with Louisville Slugger Field in Louisville, KY.

Since we haven’t visited any of the fields that were acknowledged by the turf association, we had to rely on photos we found online to rank the fields. After much deliberation, here’s how we ranked the 9 Finest Grass Fields in Minor League Baseball — all of which are winners in our book.

1. Isotopes Park

Photo: KROD/Tim Hagerty

Team: Albuquerque Isotopes
City: Albuquerque, NM
Field Surface: Kentucky bluegrass

2. Louisville Slugger Field

Photo: MILB.com

Team: Louisville Bats
City: Louisville, KY
Field Surface: Bermuda

3. Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium

Photo: MILB.com

Team: Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
City: Grand Chute, WI
Field Surface: Kentucky bluegrass

4. Peoples Natural Gas Field

Photo: SportsField Management

Team: Altoona Curve
City: Altoona, PA
Field Surface: Kentucky bluegrass

5. Security Bank Ballpark

Photo: MILB.com

Team: Midland Rockhounds
City: Midland, TX
Field Surface: Bermuda

6. Fluor Field at the West End

Photo: YouTube/mobyrick31065

Team: Greenville Drive
City: Greenville, SC
Field Surface: Bermuda

7. The Dell Diamond

Photo: ASNE Reynolds Institute

Team: Round Rock Express
City: Round Rock, TX
Field Surface: Bermuda

We don’t mow the field at the Dell Diamond, but we do provide lawn service in Round Rock!

8. Arvest Ballpark

Photo: Fayetteville Visitors Bureau

Team: Northwest Arkansas Naturals
City: Springdale, AR
Field Surface: Bermuda

9. Whataburger Field

Photo: Complex

Team: Corpus Christi Hooks
City: Corpus Christi, TX
Field Surface: Bermuda

Top photo: Google+/Albuquerque Isotopes

John Egan

John Egan is the former editor in chief of LawnStarter.com. Now, he is a freelance writer extraordinaire. He lives in Austin, Texas.

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