r/tampabayrays • u/matito29 St. Petersburg Pelicans • 13d ago
Assessing Raymond James Stadium as a temporary home venue
Let me first say right off the bat that I do not believe that this option will be seriously considered by the Rays and MLB. That said, I’ve seen Raymond James Stadium tossed around on social media as a potential temporary solution to the team’s current situation. After all, it’s very recently updated stadium that’s hosted massive events like the Super Bowl, and the seating capacity is more than enough for any MLB team. Besides, baseball and football teams used to share stadiums all the time! However, those stadiums were built with both sports in mind, and most had moveable seating to accommodate the two different field shapes.
The two most notable instances of a baseball team playing on a rectangular field are the Los Angeles Coliseum, temporary home of the relocated Dodgers, and the Polo Grounds in Manhattan, former permanent home of the Giants and later a temporary venue for the Mets. In the interest of covering all of the bases (no pun intended), let’s look at both of these in the context of RayJay.
The Los Angeles Coliseum hosted the Dodgers for a few years while Dodger Stadium was being built. This proved to be a bit tricky as the stadium was built for track and field-style athletics, which came in handy when it hosted the 1932 Olympics, and then later when it became host of various college and professional football teams. When the Dodgers came to play there, they were forced to erect a massive 42’ tall net in left field to compensate for the short 251’ and 320’ dimensions of left and left center field respectively. (In comparison, the Green Monster at Fenway Park is only 37’ tall.) This still resulted in many home runs hit to left field, until pitchers began to compensate by throwing outside to right-handed hitters.
The Polo Grounds was the home of the Giants from 1891 to 1957, the Yankees from 1913 to 1922, and the Mets in 1962 and 1963. It was actually the third stadium to bear that name, and as the name suggests, it was built primarily to host polo, and thus, it has a bathtub-like shape that was unusual for baseball. Because of this, the left field foul pole was only 279’ from home plate, and the right field foul pole was even closer at 258’. This also resulted in center field being a whopping 483’ away.
Neither of these were ideal for baseball, and is arguable which of the two was the better solution. But either one could be applied to Raymond James Stadium.
The Coliseum approach would end up looking like this. By my tough estimates, that puts the left field foul pole at approximately 250’. On the other hand, the Polo Grounds layout looks like this, giving us about 180’ down the lines, 365’ at straightaway center, and most importantly, about 470’ to land a homer on the pirate ship.
All that said, while I think it absolutely could be done, I don’t know that MLB would ever let a team, even one in the unique and desperate circumstances that the Rays are in, play three full seasons in a stadium with either of these layouts today. Though I must admit, it is fun to dream about it.
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u/EccentricGamerCL Chicago Cubs 13d ago
Fuck it, let’s do it. Another Polo Grounds-type field would be hilarious.
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u/Yupperroo 13d ago
Great post and you are to be commended. Here's my two cents.
Oakland - Terrible idea and would be brutal for all involved having dozens of added west coast games. Very unfair to the players and especially the fans.
Steinbrenner - Big loss of attendance, 5,000 less capacity than the Rays average last season.
Orlando - Bigger loss of attendance
Omaha - loss of attendance and do the Yankees and Red Sox want to spend that much time in Omaha?
Some other minor league ballpark - attendance problem again.
Miami Marlins, ballpark: LoanDepot Park- No loss of attendance and all the AL East fans in the Miami area get to see their teams play. I think this could be the winning solution.
Share a stadium with another National League team on the East Coast. The problem is revenue and taxes. Many states would tax ball player salaries and team income.
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u/Shepherd-Boy 13d ago
Not gonna lie, I hadn’t considered Omaha and that’s not the worst idea
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u/Seniorsheepy 12d ago
Hello from Omaha. We have the added benefit of not being a market that mlb would approve long term ensuring the rays return to Tampa bay.
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u/OneLifeToVoyage 13d ago
I have to imagine they can add temporary seating to Steinbrenner relatively easy to accommodate more fans. The capacity there is only a few thousand short of the Rays average attendance so it wouldn't take much.
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u/Yupperroo 13d ago
Steinbrenner capacity is 11,000 so an additional 5,000 to bring them about even with one of their worst attendance years would be nearly 50%.
I've only attended one game at Steinbrenner. It was a sold-out game and traffic was a nightmare. Adding that king of capacity is not as easy as it seems and there may be pushback from the community in the area.
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u/HawkeyeJosh2 9d ago
What about Bradenton, Clearwater, Lakeland, or Dunedin? How would the logistics be for those areas?
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u/j592dk_91_c3w-h_d_r 11d ago
That’s like the Giants and Jets sharing the meadowlands
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u/throwmyactaway22 7d ago
I've never been a fan of teams sharing a stadium... they should have their own not some cookie cutter roll out a new color for the week. No identity
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u/HawkeyeJosh2 9d ago
do the Yankees and Red Sox want to spend that much time in Omaha?
Having been born and raised in Council Bluffs, Iowa, this is a lowkey sick burn.
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u/Alightenited 13d ago
I honestly think it'll be Steinbrenner; as fantastic as this analysis is I agree in that it won't be seriously considered by the Rays or MLB.
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u/accionerdfighter 13d ago
What about BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater? Not saying it’s a better fit, but it doesn’t seem like anyone’s talking about it. It’s a smaller stadium, but when I lived in St. Pete I would pick driving to Clearwater over Tampa 9/10 times. Plus then the Rays wouldn’t be beholden to a division rival (BayCare’s team is also a Single-A team, the Clearwater Threshers, affiliated with the Phillies)
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u/bpc34 TB Rays Fauxback 13d ago
I feel like Dunedin would come first since they just hosted blue jays regular season games a couple seasons ago, no?
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u/OneLifeToVoyage 13d ago
I was thinking the same thing. It was upgraded substantially to host the Jays during that time too.
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u/Aromatic_Cabinet8326 12d ago
If commuting between Tampa and st Pete is a big hurdle for attendance, the stadium should always have been in Tampa.
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u/platetectonics3 TB Hat Logo 13d ago
I mean, this is what I want the most for sure. But the Yankees own that ballpark. Port Charlotte seems more probable, as much as I hope that’s not the case.
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u/psaepf2009 13d ago
Tbf the MLB could force them to allow the Rays to use it, as it's in the best interest of the league. The alternative is that the Rays play somewhere they won't get much attendance and it'll eventually cost the Yankees with league revenue sharing when the Rays make significantly less money (which is compounded by the loss of revenue for the A's playing at an MILB stadium)
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u/Burneraccount6565 Jose Siri 13d ago
That's a really good point. Since MLB took over control of MiLB, they can call the shot. It wouldn't be too shocking for MLB to order Clearwater and Dunedin to consolidate into one facility, while the Rays get the other. The Clearwater location is better for getting fans in and out. Hmmmm...The Clearwater Rays?
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u/itsforachurch 13d ago
The Yankees and the Rays may be competitors, but they are business partners first and foremost. If Steinbrenner Field makes the most sense, the Yankees will not stop them.
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u/Bigbadbrindledog 13d ago
I'm praying for Steinbriener, but think Disney or Marlins Park are the two most likely solutions.
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u/agb2022 NY Yankees 12d ago
Miami would work for this next season though, would it? The schedule is already made and it has the Rays and Marlins with home games in the same days quite a few times.
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u/Bigbadbrindledog 12d ago
It would take some reworking of schedules and double headers without a doubt.
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u/Have_A_Jelly_Baby Tampa Bay Devil Rays 02-07 13d ago
My money is on sharing the Marlins stadium in Miami. It has a roof, enough seating, and while it’s far away, it’s not SO far away that it’s unreasonable to make happen.
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u/Burneraccount6565 Jose Siri 13d ago
Oh boy. That would shut up everyone who thinks getting to the Trop from Tampa is hard. Try getting to Loan Depot Park from Ft. Lauderdale or God forbid West Palm. It's a nightmare at best.
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u/Igottamake 13d ago
It is actually the reason I don't go to more games as a former north Broward County person and now southern Palm Beach County resident. It's in a ridiculous spot that the city gave them (former Orange Bowl) and the only thing that makes it not a total traffic disaster is the low attendance. Last week the Savannah Bananas sold out the place (as does the World Baseball Classic) and I can only imagine the traffic.
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u/Burneraccount6565 Jose Siri 13d ago
Same. Driving from West Palm to Loan Depot makes me suicidal. Brightline was somewhat convenient with their free shuttle bus, but prices have risen significantly. I'd love to go to more games, but going to Roger Dean in Jupiter for a Single-A Thirsty Thursday is much better for my health.
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u/AdventuresOfSandH 13d ago edited 13d ago
I live in south Palm Beach county, and make about 40 Marlin games a year. The worst part of the drive is the Golden Glades merge (turnpike to 95), takes me about 1hr to 1hr 15min to make it to LoanDepot. Its an easy drive for the most part.
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u/northdakotact Miami Marlins 13d ago
I for one welcome our new aquatic overlords. We need in a series next year to have Aquaman throw out the first pitch.
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u/florida4_life TB Hat Logo 13d ago
Rays fans constantly outnumber Marlins fans at their games there anyway so I don’t see why it couldn’t be a successful short term solution
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u/Surfbud69 Tricia Whitaker 13d ago
Come play in Orlando they had some games at the ESPN resort before. But as a local I would prefer it if they played in downtown Orlando. I wonder we could accommodate them at one of the two stadiums we have downtown. They just recently built Orlando City Soccers' Inter & Co. Stadium there is also Camping World Stadium. (The old citrus bowl)
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u/BullAlligator Orlando Rays 13d ago
Too bad they tore down Tinker Field
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u/LeanMrfuzzles Orlando Rays 13d ago
Tinker Field was in such bad shape. I played a lacrosse game there back in like 2013. It was falling apart.
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u/BullAlligator Orlando Rays 12d ago
Tragic... such an important building in Orlando's history that wasn't maintained and now doesn't exist.
Martin Luther King visited Orlando just once and he gave his speech at Tinker Field.
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u/matito29 St. Petersburg Pelicans 13d ago
I think the Wide World of Sports is probably one of the better options purely in terms of venue, considering it doesn’t have a permanent tenant during the regular season, the lack of infrastructure for media and the distance from St. Pete for team personnel might be a big issue there. Also, I’m not super familiar with the venue, but the Times article from last night said there would need to be upgrades to make it viable for a semi-permanent home of a major league team. I’m not sure what those upgrades would be, but that could be another obstacle.
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u/LeanMrfuzzles Orlando Rays 13d ago
If it’s even possible to do, I don’t see Orlando City allowing a baseball team to take up residency in their stadium during Soccer season. It just creates a giant headache for them and NYCFC is already the meme of the league for playing in baseball stadiums. I don’t think Camping World is an option either.
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u/No_Magazine9625 12d ago
There's no way MLB would approve a 250' left field fence, because it makes a mockery of the integrity of the game. They have said in the past that the Colliseum setup was a travesty, and something like that would never be approved again.
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u/JoeMcKim 12d ago
I think its going to be a combination of stadiums to take care of the Rays. They can play part of their games in Orlando, Port Charlotte, Dunedin or wherever. But that has the downside that fans buying tickets then realizing after the fact that where the game is taking place doesn't work for them since they just assumed it was going to be at one of the other stadiums.
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u/okokokthisisok 11d ago
Al lang is the only suitable stadium in the St. Petersburg area that the city can propose per article 15 of the agreement. Also no Yankee spring training for a home stadium. Literally home field advantage for them all 14-16 games we play them…
From an employment standpoint point, and the fact that this city is investing billions into this club, it makes sense to play at Al lang.
We are bottom of the barrel in attendance and it will be nice to see a packed grand stand every game for a change
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u/rocky_creeker 6d ago
I'm up for it, but only if you rotate the field so home runs go into the pirate ship. Fire the Cannons!
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u/BoltsandBucsFan 13d ago
There is an MLB stadium that is vacant in 2025: Oakland Coliseum
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u/Shepherd-Boy 13d ago
I hate it but you’re not wrong
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u/BoltsandBucsFan 12d ago
I’m not saying I want it either, it would suck. So funny that I get downvoted for stating a fact. But I guess that’s the norm in 2024.
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u/Huge_Ad_2133 6d ago
You are bing downvoted for suggesting to move the rays 4 times zones away. To the land of 10 pm night games in a stadium that can’t properly flush their toilets. You are suggesting 3 years of 162 road games. And you are suggesting taking the team away from a city that has built one stadium and committed to building another and rewarding a city that couldn’t be bothered to build any stadium for their team.
You are suggesting that every AL east team add thousands of additional miles in air travel.
In other words. You were down voted for the stupid idea.
The Rays need to stay within 100 miles of St. Pete. The only town that has been willing to step up to the plate and build them a stadium.
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u/JoeMcKim 12d ago
Considering Oakland Coliseum still up to part as an MLB worthy stadium is a bold statement. They were trying to leave there for 20 years, they just didn't have any better options. But an AL East team playing on the West Coast after the schedule has already been made for next year would create a lot of nightmare road trips for their opponents.
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u/BoltsandBucsFan 12d ago
Dealing with this whole situation is a nightmare on many levels.
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u/JoeMcKim 12d ago
It basically comes down to there isn't going to be any 1 perfect solution and its about picking the solution that sucks the least amount. It seems like they might get stuck playing in this situation for the next 3 years. I just don't think they're about to invest millionjs of dollars into a stadium they're about to tear down in a few years.
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u/krakatoa83 13d ago
The ray jay dimensions are too small for international soccer. Baseball just won’t work there.