There are many baseball fields in the metro area, and most of the fields are unused or poorly taken care of. However, a few fields stand out based on their look, playing surface and scenery. Here are my top five baseball fields.
1. Veterans Field
Located at Minnetonka High School, Veterans Field is a beautiful stadium with a massive grandstand for seating. A concession booth serves many types of food every game: summer treats like dippin dots and ice cream sandwiches to ballpark classics like burgers and hotdogs. The field itself is all turf with padded outfield walls, which makes for clean bounces and a safe landing space for outfielders. The scoreboard towers over the right-field wall and can be seen for the parking lot. This field is a great field for both players and fans.
2. Lions Field
Lions Field is home to Waconia’s high school and legion teams. The grandstand stretches to the end of the dugouts and holds more than enough seats for any game. The concessions offer all the normal ballpark food: hamburgers, hotdogs, popcorn, pretzels and more. The field is a natural dirt and grass field, and is very well-kept by the grounds crew. The outfield fence is a tall wooden wall, which isn’t common at most fields and makes for a cool backdrop with the scoreboard in right-center field. Lions Field is a hidden gem with one of the best natural playing fields in the state.
3. Parade Stadium
Parade is home to many different Minneapolis high school-based teams. Its seating and concessions aren’t exactly a crowd attractor, but the view and history are what makes every player want to play here. The field itself is a natural dirt and grass field; nothing special and not very well kept, but still not bad. The outfield wall is a brick wall covered in ivy similar to Wrigley Field with a right-field scoreboard, but the main attraction is the view. A backdrop of the downtown Minneapolis skyline is probably the best view in the state, especially during the evening and night games. Right off Highway 394, every high school player would love to play on this field.
4. Athletic Park
Athletic Park is home to Chaska’s high school and legion teams. The grandstand has a covered roof with many seats for fans. The concessions serve all the ballpark classics at every game. The playing surface is a very well-kept natural dirt and grass field. The outfield wall is a classic chain link fence with the scoreboard in right-center. Athletic Park doesn’t offer anything too special, but has everything a ballpark should have.
5. Municipal Baseball Park
Municipal Park is home to Delano’s high school and Legion baseball teams. The grandstand is smaller than the rest on this list, but is still one of the nicest. The natural dirt and glass field is very well maintained, and the outfield wall is an ivy-covered fence similar to Parade Stadium, with a scoreboard out behind right field. The backdrop is a beautiful forest, making for a great natural batter’s eye.
Minnesota has many great fields, especially in the metro area, but in my opinion, these five take the cake. If you have a chance to catch a game at any of these fields you should go and see for yourself.
