Major League Parks in 1954 and 1986

[Ubiquitous]

Major League Parks in 1954

http://seansatt.pbwiki.com/f/stadtotalpic.GIF

[Ubiquitous]

Perhaps a smaller version to let you see the overall effect
http://seansatt.pbwiki.com/f/finall.JPG

[Clash City Rocker]

Awesome! I was looking for something like this. Was almost gonna ponyup the $ for an ebay sportingnews dope book. This guy was apparently a huge fan of Ebbets.....

[PeteU]

That was before they put the inner fence in at Memorial Stadium. I don't know if they had one homerun to center at Memorial that year.

[Elvis]

Wow, Ebbets Field was ranked pretty badly with this player - even worse than Shibe park.

[RichardLillard1]

This is great! It also really shows that Fenway didn't have the biggest wall. Gives you an idea of how watered down the current stadiums are. Every place used to have something special that made it distinct.

[Knick9]

This is great! It also really shows that Fenway didn't have the biggest wall. Gives you an idea of how watered down the current stadiums are. Every place used to have something special that made it distinct.

I second that. Now almost every place has nothing special to make it unique at all. 325-375-400...yawn! Boring! Change the channel! :rolleyes:

People back then had the guts to put the foul lines at 365 or 400 and also put a deep centerfield...440 or more. Today, you put the foul lines at a distance more than 335 feet and players will already complain. If the power alleys aren't at 370 feet they will complain also. If center field is deeper than 415, they will complain. Watered down indeed!

Nice graph, by the way.

[64Cards]

Thanks for post, very interesting!

[riverfrontier]

So Briggs Stadium was deemed state-of-the-art back then. Soon-to-be-demolished is its present-day status. At least it's still hyphenated. The continuity of baseball. Nice-a** post, you biquitous, you.

[Ubiquitous]

Here are major league park fence distances as of 1947:

[Ubiquitous]

Here they are for 1986

[Ubiquitous]

National League

[Yankees12]

Here's something hard to believe, looking at those 1986 diagrams.

Of the AL parks, 5 of the 14 still exist, with 1 of those having been massively renovated since then, another in its final season in 2009, and another scheduled to be replaced.

Of the NL parks, 2 of the 12 still exist.

Once Cisco Field is built, only 4 of the 26 will still exist (Fenway, Wrigley, Dodger, and Anaheim).

I doubt anyone in 1986 could have predicted that.

[DrBear]

It's notable that in 1954 County Stadium had a "poor" rating for accessibility. It was designed to be at the intersection of two freeways, but they had not been built yet, and it was 40 some blocks from the downtown area, thus the complaints from those who stayed downtown at the Schroeder or the Pfister, and had to take a bus or taxi. The parking lots were huge - the first ballpark to really be surrounded by a huge parking area, now standard - but in those days, it was public transport that mattered.

[tugger]

How does St. Louis rank No. 7 in the NL with Good, Good, Fair, Fair, No. 1, while Wrigley ranks No. 2 with: Good, Good, Not Good, Fair, Poor?

Jeez, CMS was already bottom of the barrel in 54 and had to stagger on another 17 years.

[Ubiquitous]

I don't think the order is correct.

The guy doing the rating has Detroit, Baltimore, Boston as 1, 2, and 3 in the AL but it isn't listed that way.

[NunuMet]

http://www.baseball-fever.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=59569&stc=1&d=1232307327

Shea has always had a reputation as being big and being a "pitchers" park .. I am for one SHOCKED to see how small she looks there ... I am assuming that the drawing is to scale .. Wow ... Shea looks as tiny as Wrigley .

[Yankeefan3783]

I don't think it's to scale. The diamond looks smaller than Olympic Stadium's for example.

[NunuMet]

I don't think it's to scale. The diamond looks smaller than Olympic Stadium's for example.

And the Vet too ... Good call! :thumbsup:

[PurpleMustReign]

Here are major league park fence distances as of 1947:

Jeez, 505 feet to center at the Polo Grounds? Did anyone ever hit a hr to canter at that place?

[jpr281]

I am assuming that the drawing is to scale

Look to the left of Shea, Olympic Stadium. The 404' CF mark is farther from home plate than Shea's 410' (even though it technically was 408').

[Fudbutter]

Jeez, 505 feet to center at the Polo Grounds? Did anyone ever hit a hr to canter at that place?

4 times since the post fire renovation in 1911

Luke Easter (Negro Leagues in the '40's)

Joe Adcock as a Brave in the 50's

Then in its next to last year, Lou Brock and Hank Aaron on consecutive days

[PurpleMustReign]

4 times since the post fire renovation in 1911

Luke Easter (Negro Leagues in the '40's)

Joe Adcock as a Brave in the 50's

Then in its next to last year, Lou Brock and Hank Aaron on consecutive days



WOW! I;m impressed that you got that info. :nod: thanks!!

[Kentucky Bomber]

4 times since the post fire renovation in 1911

Luke Easter (Negro Leagues in the '40's)

Joe Adcock as a Brave in the 50's

Then in its next to last year, Lou Brock and Hank Aaron on consecutive days

Never to dead center...the HR's listed were into the bleachers on each side, some 75 ft closer.

Interesting to see the ratings for Ebbets Field, which so many of its fans call the greatest park ever, which was a dump in its last days, and I suspect in many days before that as well.

[BigRon]

Ubiquitous- great post!

This brought back memories. In 1956, when I was 10, I got a copy of the 1956 Vest Pocket Encyclopedia of Baseball, by Hy Turkin and S.C. THompson. This little gem was 4" by 3", had the "stats"- G, BA, W-L, of all players active in the Majors in 1955, plus those of all Hall of Famers. It also had World Series results, and maybe best of all- diagrams of all the Major League Parks!

This was a veritable treasure trove back then- this kind of information almost didn't exist. Without doubt this was the real beginning of my love affair with the statistical side of baseball.

I remember pouring over this book endlessly, and being amazed at the BAs of Ty Cobb.

The ballpark diagrams- similar to the ones you posted except that seating arrangements were also displayed- were fascinating. After that, when I listened to Bob Prince calling games from Brooklyn or Cincinnati, I could visualize things "perfectly".

I had that little book for years. Somewhere along the line it got lost, but I never forgot about it.

Amazingly, many years later- about 15 years ago- my wife and I were in a little antique store in Western Maryland, and, miracle of miracles, there was the same book on a table- for sale. I bought it and have had it ever since- in fact, I just pulled it off the shelf and am looking at the ballpark diagrams as I write this.

The one extra bonus in the encyclopedia is that there also was a diagram of Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City, because the Dodgers were to play 7 games there in 56- and also in 57. Wonder how many knew at that time what that presaged?

Just for the record, Roosevelt was symmetrical- 330 down the lines, 377 to the alleys, 401 to deepest left and right center, 411 to CF. Fence heights were 11' down the lines, and 4' most of the way around the outfield, except for a 7' stretch in right center.

[NYFan1stYankFan2nd]

Perhaps a smaller version to let you see the overall effect
http://seansatt.pbwiki.com/f/finall.JPG

Now THAT's the field that should have gone into NYS! But noooh, there'd be no room to put the centerfield rethtaurant.... :crazy

[NYFan1stYankFan2nd]

Another Analysis of OYS:
Or:
Was this field modified more times than any other in MLB history?? :crazy

[azseamhead]

I totaly agree with BigRon on the 1956 Vest Pocket Encyclopedia of Baseball being a nice little tool. I received one from my daughter at Christmas and love reading through it!
Also, I went to one game at Roosevelt Stadium in the late 70's when the Indians had a Double A team there.