There are two things that every baseball organization should strive to bring to their fans: a quality product, and to do no harm to them.

Baseball stadium construction is, broadly speaking, a giant racket. The Oakland Athletics are currently in the midst of trying to secure public funding for a new stadium in order to relocate the team to Las Vegas, with Rob Manfred claiming studies that show that new stadiums are good for boosting the local economy. Residents of the St. Louis area have seen with their own eyes how this is not the case–the presence of the St. Louis Cardinals-owned Ballpark Village did not boost the economy but rather funneled more money to the new entity and less money to the existing bar and restaurant scene in the downtown area. And relatively speaking, the construction of the 2006-opened Busch Stadium was fairly ethical, with public funding kept relatively minimal for a city of its size (smaller cities, see Milwaukee currently, tend to get the knife twisted harder because the threat of relocation is more viable; the New York Yankees self-funded Yankee Stadium in 2009 because they could not credibly claim they were going to skip town).

I have never understood the fascination with newer, shinier baseball stadiums. Busch Stadium is objectively pretty nice, but is my enjoyment of actually watching a game there any higher than at the previous stadium? The Dome at America’s Center fell into quasi-intentional obsolescence but it’s not like the modernity of luxury boxes made a difference to me and how much I enjoyed or did not enjoy watching Jeff Fisher call for a Daryl Richardson draw play on 3rd and 8. I have never attended a game at Fenway Park but I have toured the place, and knowing that I was walking through a stadium where Babe Ruth once played gave me chills. For a sport that is constantly selling its own history, this seems like an obvious move.

I want to offer a minor reward to teams that have built a strong team while not building new stadiums by ranking the greatest player at each active Major League ballpark. There is a certain silliness and arbitrariness to this whole process but you might pick up on some neat trivia questions along the way. Feel free to write out your own guesses and play along!

---

#30: Texas Rangers, Globe Life Field

Adolis García, 9.9 fWAR: Only two players on this list have ever played for the St. Louis Cardinals, and this is one of them. This is typically where fans voice their discontent, as though Cardinals fans did not overwhelmingly want to catapult Adolis out of town after he slipped while running home in a must-win September game in 2017. But instead, I will mock the Rangers, who have constructed two new baseball stadiums in my lifetime. There are three current MLB stadiums which pre-date the construction of Arlington Stadium, which was two stadiums ago for the Rangers. Yes, García has been a nice player for the Rangers since the stadium opened in 2020 (though his rookie season was 2021), but this is a comically low total. They deserve your scorn.

#29: Atlanta Braves, Truist Park

Ronald Acuña Jr., 22.7 fWAR: Speaking of organizations that go through stadiums at ludicrous rates, the Atlanta Braves opened Truist Park in 2017 after having played at Turner Field for just two decades. That stadium was built for a 1996 Summer Olympics that I remember watching! Unlike the Rangers, however, the Braves have been consistently pretty good since moving into their new stadium, and just this year, Acuña passed Freddie Freeman as the stadium’s top player.

#28: Minnesota Twins, Target Field

Joe Mauer, 24.5 fWAR: While the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome was an eyesore, the stadium was built in 1982 and only made it a decade into the 21st century. But I guess when you can get the opportunity to build a fully outdoor stadium in Minneapolis, you just have to jump on that opportunity! A feather in the Twins’ cap is that the stadium’s best player is at least a local icon, with St. Paul native Joe Mauer leading the pack.

#27: Miami Marlins, LoanDepot Park

Giancarlo Stanton, 27.1 fWAR: The 2012 Miami Marlins have hopefully not missed their window for an ESPN 30 for 30 documentary, because this team was NUTS. In minor fairness to the Marlins, the team’s previous stadium was built for the Miami Dolphins, a fact which was very clearly the case any time they played a home game, so it’s not the worst case of poorly adjusted priorities in stadium financing. But everything about the 2012 team was bizarre–the re-brand to Miami instead of Florida Marlins, the bizarre sculpture in center field of the new stadium, the fact that for some reason they brought out Muhammad Ali to throw out the stadium’s ceremonial first pitch, and the fact that for once in their history, the Marlins actually spent money entering 2012, and then promptly had a firesale (citation needed on whether they returned the public financing they received once they ceased to field a competitive team). But one of those who rebranded in 2012 was the former Mike Stanton, who instead went by his legal first name of Giancarlo, and promptly emerged as the brightest spot on the Marlins before being traded to the New York Yankees for peanuts in order to get out from under his contract.

#26: San Diego Padres, Petco Park

Jake Peavy, 28.2 fWAR: I don’t want to take too many shots at the Padres because this is an organization that, by the standards of billionaires, is mostly doing the right thing–their ownership is investing in the team and they are a ton of fun. But also, they have some of the saddest history in the sport. They have existed since 1969 and yet, aside from Tony Gwynn, the greatest player in Padres franchise history is probably Dave Winfield, whose didn’t even have enough WAR with the franchise that he would qualify for that Top 24 WAR collage photo that franchises have on Baseball Reference for the Cardinals. Jake Peavy, however, was at least a really good pitcher, so by the standards of San Diego Padres trivia questions, this isn’t a complete embarrassment, though I assume either Manny Machado or Fernando Tatis Jr. will pass him soon enough.

#25: Washington Nationals, Nationals Park

Max Scherzer, 38.0 fWAR: If you had told me when the Nationals signed Max Scherzer that Max Scherzer would cease to be a National before Stephen Strasburg but would surpass Strasburg in fWAR with the team, I would have thought you were nuts. But the pride of Chesterfield was a superstar, helping lead the team to its first World Series title in 2019. Scherzer edged out the likes of Strasburg, Anthony Rendon, and Bryce Harper for the fWAR leadership.

#24: New York Yankees, Yankee Stadium

Aaron Judge, 39.0 fWAR: Look, Yankees, you had The House That Ruth Built, one of the great cathedrals in the sport. Even if you wanted to only count (I would) the 1970s Yankee Stadium in your accounting, your fWAR leader could easily be Derek Jeter here. But instead, the Yankees have their super-corporate stadium. Granted, Aaron Judge isn’t a bad player to have here and despite his injuries right now, he should have a chance to build upon this lead into the future, but it could just be so much more. This is the organization where Derek Jeter and Mariano “Got 100% of Hall of Fame Votes” Rivera probably aren’t on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore because Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle, and Joe DiMaggio exist.

#23: Milwaukee Brewers, American Family Field

Ryan Braun, 43.7 fWAR: One of the more easily identifiable franchise leaders on the board is Ryan Braun, who is pretty easily behind only Robin Yount and Paul Molitor among the franchise’s greatest players. Love him or hate him, his accomplishments are pretty easily the best among players at the former Miller Park, even if FanGraphs’s love of Jonathan Lucroy gave him a respectable second place finish.

#22: New York Mets, Citi Field

Jacob deGrom, 43.9 fWAR: Although the Mets built a (mostly self-aggrandizing) reputation for ineptitude during the Citi Field era, it helps having the greatest pitcher in baseball at the peak of his powers. Despite David Wright playing most of his career at Citi Field (though had his seasons at Shea Stadium been part of the new stadium, he’d be at the top of the list), it is Jacob deGrom, the multi-time Cy Young winner (who also deserved the 2018 NL MVP, no disrespect to fans of the Milwaukee Brewers who felt the urge to keep on reading once they saw their team), who takes the cake.

#21: Baltimore Orioles, Oriole Park at Camden Yards

Mike Mussina, 45.0 fWAR: Although it is hard not to think of Cal Ripken Jr. trotting around Camden Yards after breaking Lou Gehrig’s consecutive games streak, most of his prime actually came at Memorial Stadium. Although Mike Mussina started his career at Memorial Stadium and eventually moved on to the Yankees, his peak performance came during the Camden Yards era, where he won 146 games and finished in the top 6 in American League Cy Young voting on seven separate occasions.

#20: Cleveland Guardians, Progressive Field

Jim Thome, 45.6 fWAR: Although José Ramírez is likely to take the crown by the end of 2023 and certainly by the end of his current contract, which runs through the end of the 2028 season, the big lunking slugger from Peoria takes the cake for the time being. Although Thome spent parts of three seasons at the old Cleveland Municipal Stadium, he came into his own in his nine seasons at then-Jacobs Field, where Thome hit 324 home runs and finished the near-decade with an OPS over 1.000.

#19: Pittsburgh Pirates, PNC Park

Andrew McCutchen, 47.3 fWAR: The Pirates struggled mightily in their first decade at the gorgeous PNC Park, but once McCutchen arrived, the franchise ascended and he became arguably the most popular player Pittsburgh has had since Willie Stargell. There is a reason Pittsburgh made an effort to bring McCutchen back last off-season: even if he is not quite a Hall of Famer, he’s the kind of guy who is the subject of statues outside the stadium.

T17: Toronto Blue Jays, Rogers Centre

Roy Halladay, 48.3 fWAR: Here we get to our first stadium opened in the 1980s. Although the Blue Jays have been largely respectable throughout their history, they don’t necessarily have a litany of long-tenured superstars, though in the case of Roy Halladay, one of the best pitchers of the aughts in Toronto, they have a worthy #1.

T17: Tampa Bay Rays, Tropicana Field

Evan Longoria, 48.3 fWAR: One of only two franchises to have spent their entire existence in one park, the Tampa Bay Rays shed “Devil” from their name and suddenly became competitive in 2008, and the arrival of third baseman Evan Longoria played a major role in their ascent. Longoria’s superb blend of offense and defense (not to mention signing a cheap early extension, which Tampa Bay clearly loves to see) made a once-dormant franchise look respectable–although he is no longer a Ray, the vibes of his competence permeate with their current greatness.

#16: Houston Astros, Minute Maid Park

Lance Berkman, 51.1 fWAR: Soon it’s going to be Jose Altuve, but for now, the underrated slugger Lance Berkman, who was on the team when then-Enron Field opened in 2000, takes the prize. Berkman was the young reinforcement who helped to solidify the aging core of Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio and he for several seasons after the Astros declined was the unquestioned best player on the team.

#15: Arizona Diamondbacks, Chase Field

Randy Johnson, 53.5 fWAR: Like the Rays, the Diamondbacks have only called one stadium home. Unlike the Rays, their top player is not a reflection of newfound competence but of one of the most imposing players in the history of the sport. Already established as one of the sport’s premier pitchers when he signed with the Diamondbacks in 1999, Randy Johnson was a force of nature in his six years in the desert, winning 103 games and with a startling 2.65 ERA and 2.57 FIP in one of the most offensive-heavy eras in baseball history. Oh, and the four consecutive Cy Young Awards, plus another runner-up finish to boot, helped.

#14: St. Louis Cardinals, Busch Stadium

Yadier Molina, 54.0 fWAR: It was nearly Albert Pujols, far and away the dominant figure at the stadium for its first half-dozen seasons, but the longevity of Yadier Molina, who spent 17 seasons at the park cementing his reputation as arguably the greatest defensive catcher in baseball history. Among Pujols, Molina, and Adam Wainwright, there’s a solid top tier without an overwhelming leader for a franchise with a single losing season at the stadium, but top half still ain’t half bad.

#13: Seattle Mariners, T-Mobile Park

Ichiro Suzuki, 54.2 fWAR: The stadium opened with Ken Griffey Jr. and Álex Rodríguez on the team, but it would be a couple years later until the defining player of their new ballpark came into the fold. The ultimate legacy of Ichiro Suzuki, of course, cannot be defined by fWAR–between his cannon arm and contact-based hitting approach, he might be the most aesthetically pleasing player I have ever personally witnessed. But purely on production, Ichiro was a Hall of Fame-caliber star, and he edges out Félix Hernández for the Mariners crown.

#12: Colorado Rockies, Coors Field

Todd Helton, 54.9 fWAR: It was a nail-biter between Helton and Larry Walker, who was a certified Good MLB Player by the time he arrived in Denver, but the lifelong Colorado Rockie, a perennial Hall of Fame candidate whose case is gaining steam, wins out in the end. Even if his stats were somewhat inflated by playing at the super hitter friendly Coors Field, park-adjusted numbers still reveal him to be one of the better hitters of his era.

#11: Detroit Tigers, Comerica Park

Justin Verlander, 57.5 fWAR: Even if you may not necessarily associate the last two-plus decades of Detroit Tigers baseball with sustained excellence, they put forth two very respectable candidates for their crown, with Miguel Cabrera hitting 370 home runs and counting for the club, but it is 2011 MVP Justin Verlander who takes the cake. From 2005 through 2017, Justin Verlander finished in the top three in Cy Young balloting four times and won 183 games for the Tigers as the consistent presence for a team that frequently bolstered a top starting rotation.

#10: Cincinnati Reds, Great American Ball Park

Joey Votto, 58.2 fWAR: A more predictable fWAR leader, Joey Votto has spend his entire big-league career with the Reds, and in a city with a ton of icons, Votto fits comfortably alongside the likes of Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan, and Barry Larkin, despite his relative lack of team success. Votto has a reputation as a sabermetric darling more pronounced for drawing walks than hitting bombs, but he still has 2,098 hits and 345 home runs to his name.

#9: Philadelphia Phillies, Citizens Bank Park

Chase Utley, 59.0 fWAR: In a righteous world, Chase Utley would be a sure-fire Hall of Famer. Adept at second base but also one of the best offensive players regardless of position in the sport, Utley was a major fulcrum for the 2008 World Series champion Phillies, and while he was often overshadowed by his RBI machine teammate Ryan Howard, Utley was the most valuable position player on the Phillies every year from 2005 through 2010 despite two teammates (Howard and Jimmy Rollins) winning MVP awards that Utley never picked up.

#8: San Francisco Giants, Oracle Park

Barry Bonds, 61.9 fWAR: That Buster Posey, a future Hall of Famer who spent his entire career playing his home games at Oracle Park, trails Barry Bonds, who was eligible to be president with Oracle Park opened, by fWAR is in no way an indictment of Posey and instead a reflection on how unbelievable Bonds was. In just his first five seasons at the park, which history has shown to be difficult for most hitters, Bonds hit 258 home runs and had a .535 on-base percentage.

#7: Chicago White Sox, Guaranteed Rate Field

Frank Thomas, 65.7 fWAR: We’re venturing into the final stadium on this list which opened in the 1990s or later, a lovely reward for those who understand that old baseball venues work, too. To be fair, Comiskey Park lasted for a really long time and as far as I can tell, Guaranteed Rate Field is probably going to last a while longer too, and Frank Thomas was the perfect king for the early years of the park. After one partial season at the old Comiskey Park, Thomas became an MVP-caliber superstar once he got to the new stadium and cleared 2,000 hits and 400 home runs at the park as a first baseman and designated hitter.

#6: Oakland Athletics, Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum

Rickey Henderson, 68.6 fWAR: As the Athletics attempt to destroy their own history, here is a reminder of what they would be sacrificing–the golden years of the greatest base thief and one of the greatest on-base machines in the history of the sport. All so that Shea Langeliers or whatever can lead the Las Vegas Athletics in fWAR accumulated at MGM Allegiant Classical Ballpark or whatever. Oakland forever.

#5: Chicago Cubs, Wrigley Field

Ron Santo, 71.9 fWAR: The Chicago Cubs have been famously rather bad most of the time they’ve played at Wrigley Field. Let’s put it this way: their I-55 rival St. Louis Cardinals have won two World Series titles playing at their current stadium, which opened when I was a junior in high school, and the Cubs have won one World Series playing at their current stadium, which opened before any of my four all-now-deceased grandparents were born. But when you spend 107 years at a stadium, you’re going to have stars, and topping Ernie Banks is Ron Santo, the legendary Cubs third baseman.

#4: Los Angeles Dodgers, Dodger Stadium

Clayton Kershaw, 77.7 fWAR: Did you know that the Los Angeles Dodgers, who have been more good than bad since moving to LA, have played at Dodger Stadium since 1962 and their best position player by fWAR during that time is Ron Cey? Isn’t that wild? How is that even possible? Anyway, luckily, Clayton Kershaw is way above him, and unlike fellow Dodgers legends like Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale, his entire career has been spent at Dodger Stadium. That doesn’t hurt.

#3: Kansas City Royals, Kauffman Stadium

George Brett, 84.6 fWAR: Look, I don’t love that Kansas City built their stadium on the outskirts of town where public transportation to and from the park is essentially impossible, but credit where it’s due: they built a real nice looking stadium a half-century ago and it still looks great. I, of course, reserve my right to get mad at them when they try to milk Kansas City to build a new stadium downtown, but for now, let’s just gaze at George Brett. He was really good.

#2: Los Angeles Angels, Angel Stadium

Mike Trout, 84.9 fWAR: My favorite tradition in modern baseball is seeing what players Mike Trout, who is still only 31, is passing in career WAR, and apparently he passed George Brett this year. This is neat for the Angels, who are being rewarded by playing at the same stadium since 1966, a stadium where they have played since before the original-run Los Angeles Rams moved there.

#1: Boston Red Sox, Fenway Park

Ted Williams, 129.8 fWAR: In a world where Ted Williams was never born, #1 on this list would be Carl Yastrzemski. That is how clearly Boston, who has played at Fenway Park since 1912, rises above the rest in this exercise–a franchise with a strong history, even with an 86-year title drought mixed in, and a whole lot of history from which to choose. And Ted Williams, one of the best dozen or so players in baseball history (conservatively) spent his entire career playing his home games at Fenway Park. This is a recipe for success.