Added to the fact that the city of Tampa has been a Yankee minor league city for 25 years. Pete and Tampa is a known retirement destination for a lot of New England fans which means a lot of residents are Yankee and Red Sox fans. Their other major problem is that the area of St. By the time they became consistently competitive, it was too late. Yes, the Marlins built a reputation as a fire sale team, but the (Devil) Rays reputation was so bad, they had to change their name. The other 90s expansion teams were all in the playoffs within their first 5 years and 2 of them even won the World Series. A team like the Pirates or Royals could withstand a long stretch of being non-competitive because they had a longtime brand recognition, but the Rays did not. When the Rays should have been building a fan base, they were consistently in last place for their first decade.
The problem is not the past 10 years, the problem is the 10 years before that. Preliminary estimates are that the new park would cost $892MM to install. Club president Brian Auld acknowledges, regarding financing, that the team still does not “have those answers yet,” as Topkin adds ( Twitter links). Public financing will be a hot topic surrounding the Rays’ prospective facility, no doubt, with supplemental economic opportunities representing an important element.Īs John Romano of the Tampa Bay Times explains, in a nice overview of the broader situation, the general circumstances seem favorable to finally getting something done, but the dollars and cents remain a looming obstacle. Of course, the Marlins Park troubles aren’t really related to ballpark design so much as financial and political considerations.
(Some images are available at the above link.) At first glance, it seems a rather appealing means of balancing local peculiarities with a classic ballpark experience, though it’s certainly not a design that will be loved by purists. Sliding glass walls would also allow natural light while permitting partial exposure to the outside elements, though unfortunately grass is not considered compatible with the approach. That would make it the smallest MLB park in existence.Īrchitecturally, the plan is unique: a fixed, translucent roof with flourishes that evoke the manta ray that originally inspired the team’s nickname and still features in its logos. The design unveiled today is for a cozy and quite unusual facility with a total capacity that would max out at 30,842 paying visitors (with 28,216 fixed seats). The Tampa Bay organization is surely hoping to avoid some of the pitfalls from that experience. And it’s an issue that has plagued the Rays’ neighbors to the south, the Marlins, even since they got a shiny new ballpark. Of course, poor attendance is now a leaguewide concern. The domed facility has long drawn criticism for its inconvenient location, among other demerits, and the club has never drawn particularly well.
Since beginning play in 1998, the then-Devil Rays have utilized Tropicana Field as a home park. While hurdles still remain for making the vision a reality, it’s certainly an encouraging moment for the organization and supporters of baseball in the region. The Rays held a long-awaited press conference today to announce the team’s plans for a new ballpark in the Ybor City neighborhood of Tampa, Florida, as Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports in a still-developing story. Projected Arbitration Salaries For 2022.
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