SunTrust Park Review

[IndianaTwin]

On Sunday afternoon, I had the opportunity to catch a game at Atlanta’s new SunTrust Park. With the Braves building a new stadium, I had to re-check Atlanta off the list in order to continue saying that I’ve been to a game at all the current parks. This also moves Turner Field to the list of former parks that I’ve been to, a list that now totals 13.

 

So what’s it like. In a word, I’ll say “solid.” It has a number of good features for watching a game, but I wouldn’t list anything as so spectacular as to rank up with my top five of (in some order) Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Boston, and Minnesota.

 

What’s good? Our seats were in the second row of the third deck, right behind home, making it a very watchable game. It’s a new park, so I’m assuming that sight lines are going to be good everywhere. The foul territory seems relatively small, so there won’t be many balls lost to foul pops. Down the first-base line is just 325. One has to wonder if Freddie Freeman’s presence played a part in that dimension. It doesn’t seem too surprising that he had 14 homers in just 37 games before he got hurt. I haven’t checked the stats, but I suspect it will play as a hitter’s park. In terms of playing field, I did like the brick wall in right that seems to give it a nice touch. There’s six feet of brick above the 10 feet of padding. A nice safety feature is that the home plate ball boy actually gets to sit behind a door rather than in the corner of the dugout.

 

In terms of fan amenities, there are certainly a number that are designed to make it a place for families. The concourse in right has a batting cage, a baseline for sprinting to first, and most impressively, a rock climbing wall and a zip line. Kids will love that part.

 

Again like new parks, there’s marketing opportunities galore. I like creativity, so probably the best one is the Lowe’s Club House, which is built to look like an elevated kids’ clubhouse perched on stilts above the left field bleachers.

 

I think the Braves organist has a reputation for creativity, and I was impressed. The Brewers Marcus Thames got “London Bridge is Falling Down,” “Row, Row, Row Your Boat,” and the “rollin’ on a river” line from “Proud Mary.” As odes to the singer, Travis Shaw got “Forever and Ever, Amen” and Orlando Arcias “Tie a Yellow Ribbon ‘Round the Old Oak Tree.” Speedy Keon Broxton got the “I’ve got a brand new pair of roller skates” line. There were probably more references, but I didn’t catch them. A tenor from the Atlanta Symphony had serious pipes on God Bless America.

 

I was saving up for barbecue after the game, so I didn’t sample any food. Fans around me didn’t seem to have anything distinctive, however.

 

Compared to places like Pittsburgh and San Diego, with their stunning views of the city, and Dodger Stadium looking out to the mountains, the view over the outfield was underwhelming – unless skyscrapers are supposed to represent Atlanta’s view of itself as the hub of the south. I was struck by the fact that a crowd of only 31,364 showed up (63 percent of capacity) for what was a beautiful (weather only in the low to mid 80s, I’m guessing) Sunday afternoon in the middle of summer. I hope that’s not an omen. Speaking of weather, it was reasonably okay yesterday, but I have to imagine that some afternoon games are going to be cookers.

 

I also wasn’t impressed with the scoreboard information. I don’t need goofy, and there weren’t many non-baseball distractions there, but when you’re seeing a game between two teams you’re not that familiar with, it’s nice to get some of the addition details and factoids about a player’s career. This was pretty basic – line score and batting average. Not an OPS to be found.

 

So again –solid. Worth a visit, but probably not a place that’s going to be climbing folks’ “Best of…” lists.

[biggentleben]

I appreciate the review. As a Braves fan, I've had a lot of talks with fans who have been there, and as a writer, I've had talks with the team about some of the ideas that went into the stadium.

 

The stadium has played as a hitter's park this year so far, but Freeman is not a great example as he's hit everywhere for a calendar year now as one of the 3-4 best hitters in the entire league. You did note the most notable thing to me that makes the park play as a hitter's park, which is the limited foul space (note that the most pitcher friendly parks in the league have little to do with their distance to the fences, but more with their amount of foul ground. For instance, Oakland's stadium is only 330 down both lines, but the amount of foul ground allows plenty of mi****s to be caught, preventing the opportunity to take advantage of those lines.

 

I'd also note that no single player had any influence on the design of the park. The lack of foul ground had to do with the exterior of the ballpark and what ground was allotted in the (shady) deal with taxpayers. The Braves are building their organization around pitching, and they would have preferred more space, but that was not afforded them.

 

All that said, Milwaukee among the best is surprising to me, especially if you've ever seen a game there when it's been raining.

[Monkeypaws]

I feel like the Braves and SunTrust aren't gonna get the stadium honeymoon a place like Target Field got, rescuing the Twins from an awful stadium: Turner wasn't even that old, decent, and in a more interesting part of town than a freeway interchange.

[biggentleben]

 

I feel like the Braves and SunTrust aren't gonna get the stadium honeymoon a place like Target Field got, rescuing the Twins from an awful stadium: Turner wasn't even that old, decent, and in a more interesting part of town than a freeway interchange.

 

They have, though. Attendance is quite positive. Turner was forced on the team by the Olympics, so a lot of things they wanted weren't in the stadium, specifically in the area around the stadium. I think the Braves would still be there if the city of Atlanta had invested into the area around the stadium some.

[Shaitan]

I'm curious to read a review of how it compares to Turner Field, a mid-aged stadium. Are there any aspects of the fan experience where you preferred Turner?

[spinowner]

 

 ...but I wouldn’t list anything as so spectacular as to rank up with my top five of (in some order) Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Boston, and Minnesota.

 

 

I hope to visit many parks that I have yet to see. Of these I've been only to Target Field and Fenway and I can see how those would make someone's top 5. Same with PNC and Kauffman. From what I've seen, what I've heard and what I've read I'm surprised to see Miller Park on your list. A friend of mine who attended a game there said he felt like he was sitting in a giant coffee can. But to each his or her own.

[IndianaTwin]

I'm curious to read a review of how it compares to Turner Field, a mid-aged stadium. Are there any aspects of the fan experience where you preferred Turner?

Biggentleben would probably be better to respond than me on comparing SunTrust and Turner, since I've only had one visit to to the former and two to the latter, but I'd welcome hearing his thoughts too.

[IndianaTwin]

I hope to visit many parks that I have yet to see. Of these I've been only to Target Field and Fenway and I can see how those would make someone's top 5. Same with PNC and Kauffman. From what I've seen, what I've heard and what I've read I'm surprised to see Miller Park on your list. A friend of mine who attended a game there said he felt like he was sitting in a giant coffee can. But to each his or her own.

Yeah, people tend to be surprised when I list Miller. These rankings are inherently subjective, and I find they are often affected by first impressions that may or may not be relevant. For example, I froze on my first trip to PAC Bell, and I was with folks I didn't really know, so it didn't seem that spectacular. I also didn't have time to walk around much. As I've thought about it afterward, I can certainly understand why others rank it higher than I do.

 

Similarly for Miller, I had great first experiences. Three things stand out. First, it was quite affordable. They had what seemed to be the last of the $5 seats, and their good seats were under $30 for a long time.

 

Second, the outside-the-game experience is good. I've joked that you can put on five pounds just smelling the brats as you walk through. Milwaukee and KC are a couple of the few that consider tailgating a part of the experience.

 

Third, I have a son with a moderate physical limitation, so he used a walker through much of childhood and now uses a cane as a young adult. I've found Miller to be the most accessible of any park. The handicapped parking spots are actually close and easy to get to, the concourse is wide enough to handle big crowds well, the seating sections aren't deep, so getting to and from seats is easier than at most places.

[biggentleben]

 

Yeah, people tend to be surprised when I list Miller. These rankings are inherently subjective, and I find they are often affected by first impressions that may or may not be relevant. For example, I froze on my first trip to PAC Bell, and I was with folks I didn't really know, so it didn't seem that spectacular. I also didn't have time to walk around much. As I've thought about it afterward, I can certainly understand why others rank it higher than I do.

Similarly for Miller, I had great first experiences. Three things stand out. First, it was quite affordable. They had what seemed to be the last of the $5 seats, and their good seats were under $30 for a long time.

Second, the outside-the-game experience is good. I've joked that you can put on five pounds just smelling the brats as you walk through. Milwaukee and KC are a couple of the few that consider tailgating a part of the experience.

Third, I have a son with a moderate physical limitation, so he used a walker through much of childhood and now uses a cane as a young adult. I've found Miller to be the most accessible of any park. The handicapped parking spots are actually close and easy to get to, the concourse is wide enough to handle big crowds well, the seating sections aren't deep, so getting to and from seats is easier than at most places.

 

That latter point is why Citi Field ranked very well with our bus tour from our honeymoon, but the rain really hurt Miller in the overall rankings. I found Progressive to have very good assistance services and concourses as well.

[biggentleben]

 

Biggentleben would probably be better to respond than me on comparing SunTrust and Turner, since I've only had one visit to to the former and two to the latter, but I'd welcome hearing his thoughts too.

 

Being in South Dakota, I've only been to Turner once myself, though covering the team, I've had phone and email conversations with team officials about the new park and am part of a collection of fan forums where I've read reviews (positive, neutral, and some critical) of the new park.

[spinowner]

 

Yeah, people tend to be surprised when I list Miller. These rankings are inherently subjective, and I find they are often affected by first impressions that may or may not be relevant. For example, I froze on my first trip to PAC Bell, and I was with folks I didn't really know, so it didn't seem that spectacular. I also didn't have time to walk around much. As I've thought about it afterward, I can certainly understand why others rank it higher than I do.

Similarly for Miller, I had great first experiences. Three things stand out. First, it was quite affordable. They had what seemed to be the last of the $5 seats, and their good seats were under $30 for a long time.

Second, the outside-the-game experience is good. I've joked that you can put on five pounds just smelling the brats as you walk through. Milwaukee and KC are a couple of the few that consider tailgating a part of the experience.

Third, I have a son with a moderate physical limitation, so he used a walker through much of childhood and now uses a cane as a young adult. I've found Miller to be the most accessible of any park. The handicapped parking spots are actually close and easy to get to, the concourse is wide enough to handle big crowds well, the seating sections aren't deep, so getting to and from seats is easier than at most places.

A bad Wisconsin brat is probably better than a good brat from any of the other 49. Although I'll say Kramarczuk can stand up to anyone anywhere.

[Pardon My Dinger]

Miller Park is ver weird and very cool. One of my favorites for sure. Of course, as you'd expect, the culture is less baseball-centered and more about getting wrecked in the parking lot.

[Sarah]

If you like ballparks with beautiful views AT&T Park and Coors Field should be on the list. From the upper deck at AT&T Park you can see the Bay Bridge off to one side and the Golden Gate Bridge off to the other side. At Coors Field you can see the mountains in the distance. Stunning. Thanks for the review of Sun Trust - never been to Atlanta but that one is on my list. I have been to KC but that was about 15 years ago before their renovations so I need a return visit, especially since it's easy to drive there from the Twin Cities! 

[biggentleben]

 

If you like ballparks with beautiful views AT&T Park and Coors Field should be on the list. From the upper deck at AT&T Park you can see the Bay Bridge off to one side and the Golden Gate Bridge off to the other side. At Coors Field you can see the mountains in the distance. Stunning. Thanks for the review of Sun Trust - never been to Atlanta but that one is on my list. I have been to KC but that was about 15 years ago before their renovations so I need a return visit, especially since it's easy to drive there from the Twin Cities! 

 

I loved the views with PNC in Pittsburgh. That, and the walking area within the stadium easily has it #1 for me, though I've not been to a ballpark west of Coors - yet.

[biggentleben]

 

Miller Park is ver weird and very cool. One of my favorites for sure. Of course, as you'd expect, the culture is less baseball-centered and more about getting wrecked in the parking lot.

 

I just don't like getting wet inside a closed-roof stadium. The whole point of a closed roof is to not let water get through, not to focus it more on specific saps that happen to sit under a seam in the roof.

 

The Braves protested a game already this year due to water drops hitting on the pitcher's mound. The Braves won the game, but you have to make an official protest for the league to force the team (and owner) to do something to the stadium or risk forfeiting future games featuring the same issue. Having water fall onto the pitcher's mound during a game in a closed stadium is not okay.

[IndianaTwin]

If you like ballparks with beautiful views AT&T Park and Coors Field should be on the list. From the upper deck at AT&T Park you can see the Bay Bridge off to one side and the Golden Gate Bridge off to the other side. At Coors Field you can see the mountains in the distance. Stunning. Thanks for the review of Sun Trust - never been to Atlanta but that one is on my list. I have been to KC but that was about 15 years ago before their renovations so I need a return visit, especially since it's easy to drive there from the Twin Cities!

 

Yes, a bunch of my best sunset photographs are from the upper deck at Coors Field. I probably missed two innings of action while taking pictures. Unfortunately I was in the lower deck at AT&T. I really need to find a way for a return trip there.