Minute Maid Park is one of the more unique ballparks in baseball. Similar to other domed stadiums, the outside isn’t much to look at, but inside the ballpark, it’s aesthetically pleasing and loaded with character. The stadium has very good sightlines, especially along the concourses, where views aren’t obstructed by overhangs. Minute Maid incorporates some unique elements, which some might dismiss as gimmicks, but I thought were additive to the overall experience. The most prominent of which, is the train perched atop the wall in left field. Having a steam engine roll up and down the tracks between innings, is certainly an interesting visual at a baseball game, and one that most fans seemed to enjoy.
After spending the past several days in Houston, I didn’t have the calorie budget to sample all the food. But a walk around the ballpark indicated the food options were excellent, the variety of choices was particularly noticeable. Another plus was the parking situation, which was very convenient. With plenty of lots surrounding the stadium, its easy to find a spot, and leaving the game was a breeze.
One of the only negatives I encountered was the temperature. You wouldn’t think the cold would be an issue in Houston, but they really blast the AC inside the stadium. This is obviously an area where people will have different opinions, but for me, I prefer warm weather for baseball. For some of you, this is probably a huge positive, no risk of sitting outside in sweltering heat. It’s just my personal preference, I certainly can understand the other side of the argument.
Rankings Update
I really enjoyed my trip to Minute Maid Park, and there’s a lot to like about the ballpark. But the stadium does have some key weak points, chief among them is the retractable roof. I had never been to a game where the retractable roof was closed. I had heard the opinions of others, but I came in with an open mind. After seeing it firsthand, I really do think the closed roof detracts from the gameday experience. It’s hard to describe exactly why, but there’s an intangible quality to open aired stadiums, that domes just don’t have.
If Minute Maid were an open aired stadium, or Houston had a climate more conducive to playing with the roof open, the ballpark would rank higher than it does. Ultimately I slotted Minute Maid into the number 6 spot, between Kansas City and Anaheim. While it’s currently only one spot behind Kauffman Stadium, there will end up being some distance between the two. As I mentioned in the Kansas City review, I think Kauffman Stadium will end up staying in the top 10, while Minute Maid will probably end up in the 15-20 range.
Overall Minute Maid Park is a fine place to watch a game, but the indoor environment isn’t my favorite. Looking ahead, the Rangers, Cardinals, and Twins are up next on the stadium tour.
MLB Ballpark Rankings
- Dodger Stadium – Los Angeles, CA
- T-Mobile Park – Seattle, WA
- Oracle Park – San Francisco, CA
- Petco Park – San Diego, CA
- Kauffman Stadium – Kansas City, MO
- Minute Maid Park – Houston, TX
- Angel Stadium – Anaheim, CA
- Chase Field – Phoenix, AZ
29. Tropicana Field – St. Petersburg, FL
30. Oakland Coliseum – Oakland, CA
Haven’t been to MInute Maid, but I did tour the Astrodome on a drive across Texas in 1975 (didn’t get to see a game). At that time it was still “The 8th Wonder of the World.” As a fifteen year-old, never having seen an indoor stadium, I was enthralled; especially by the gigantic electronic scoreboard with its thousands of individual light bulbs that would have a cowboy shooting and a bull snorting whenever the Astros hit a home run.
Not having visited Minute Maid it’s hard for me to judge, but your new experience about the retractable roof confirms some of my earlier comments. Basketball – indoors. Football – outdoors. Baseball – definitely outdoors. Although playing in the Houston summer heat and humidity would be excruciating.
Maybe they just dump Houston as a major league franchise for going so far as to cheat to win the World Series. No wait, they’ve already been punished. A $5M fine – enough to get a fourth or fifth starting pitcher for a year and of course Manager A.J. Hinch and GM Jeff Luhnow became the fall guys by being suspended without pay for a year (and ultimately fired by the Astros). And of course the cheating players really took it on the chin. Oh, wait… never mind. Nothing happened to those guys. The Astros kept their trophy, their title, and their winning shares, which deprived even the lowliest clubhouse guy on the losing team from cashing in. Forgive my rant, I’ll move on.
315 feet from home plate to the “Crawford Box” in left field should disqualify Houston as a place where the best baseball players in the world play. The Green Monster is 310 feet from home plate, but it’s 37 feet tall compared to Crawford at 19 feet tall, making it a chip shot of a home run porch. Is that baseball, or golf?
That short porch in right field 326 feet, 7 feet high, is another baseball atrocity. Maybe they should move the Little League World Series from Williamsport. At least there would be any cheating going on (rant resumed).
I’m sure the amenities are nice, but the efforts to make the outfield “interesting,” and “quaint,” a throwback to fields of the past, did a disservice to the game. From afar, I would rank Minute Maid in the bottom 15 just for the craziness of the way its outfield plays.
That’s awesome. I bet seeing the Astrodome in the 70’s was quite a site. Agree Minute Maid will end up in bottom half, my gut says 15-20 range. The outfield is quirky, but better now that they don’t have that ridiculous hill in Center Field. The short left field wall is enticing. It’s been a while, but if there’s an MLB stadium where I can still hit one out in batting practice, this is it.