Summer of Baseball: Rochester is well worth the trip

The 2016 baseball season is underway.

That also means the Summer of Baseball is back and in action. Six games are in the books already (including a doubleheader), but there’s only one new stadium among those.

On a cool spring Friday night, the road took a couple of us to Rochester for a doubleheader between the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders and the Rochester Redwings. This stadium is one that was on the schedule last year, but it had to be skipped a couple of times so it was nice to get there early this season.

And Rochester is an excellent spot for a game.

The unfortunate part to this is it was a spring game where the weather was less-than stellar, thus meaning the attendance wasn’t that good. Though they announced a semi-decent number, reality is it wasn’t that high. But that happens in the northeast, for sure.

Anyway, we showed up a tad early and went to get tickets. After walking over, batting practice was going on, and a ball came toward the fence. Unfortunately, it hit the bottom of the fence as I was ready to grab and bounced away but a nice usher hooked me up with the ball. A few minutes later, when we got in, I grabbed another BP ball, which is pretty cool.

OK, on with the review.

Frontier Field is a solid spot to watch a game. The seats we originally had are tighter and not the most comfortable. Some rain came in (light), so we hightailed it to go higher and under some cover and the seats were much more comfortable, so it seems like there are different seats in different parts of the park.

The main concourse is under the main stands, thus meaning it’s not an open-aired stadium where you can see the field from all parts. Still, it’s spacious and easy to get around. Further, the choices of concessions is excellent. There are local favorites, as well as traditional ballpark fare. The beer selection was top notch and the prices were pretty decent. I’d say it’s some of the best concessions I’ve seen in the minors. People were friendly and helpful all around, especially in the concession area, which is always welcomed.

Walking around the park, the sight lines are pretty solid. Depending where you sit, you could miss some things if they get into the corners of the outfield. You can see the bullpens (and if somebody is warming up) and there are plenty of opportunities for foul balls. Seriously. In the night we were there, there had to have been 50 foul balls that landed in the stands. It’s spacious behind the field and that’s kind of cool if you are looking for foul balls.

Parking is $6 and right across from the stadium, but it needs some work. The pavement is pretty shoddy and there are caution cones and such all over.

There are a couple of grassy berms, one down each line. It seemed like a place for kids to hang out and play, which is cool.

I would love to come back in the warmer months to see the atmosphere here. Though it wasn’t bad the night we were there, with the lack of people it was a little hard to get a feel for how it is with many more people

There is one thing where Rochester stands above other minor league stadiums I’ve been to — they have an organist. This might be the coolest feature there. The organist is excellent and gives that old-school traditional feel to the ballpark. That he plays the national anthem, and God Bless America, and Take Me Out To The Ballgame is an added bonus on top of all the other things. Kudos to Rochester for having an organist.

In the end, the stadium is an excellent place for a baseball game. I would highly encourage anybody to go check a game there if you have a chance. It’s one I am thankful I had the chance to add this one to the stadiums I’ve been to.

Park Notes:  

Frontier Field
Rochester, New York
Home of the Rochester Redwings (Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins)
Visited on: April 29, 2016
Opponent: Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders (Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees)

Ratings (out of 10)

• Stadium: 8/10
• Concessions: 9/10
• Parking: 7/10
• Ambiance: 7/10
• Friendliness: 9/10

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