Kauffman Stadium fares poorly in Sports Illustrated’s ranking of MLB stadiums
There are many Royals fans who would be happy to see the team remain at Kauffman Stadium for an extended period of time.
The love the fountains and the ease of parking.
But the Royals are intent on moving into a new ballpark when their lease expires at Kauffman Stadium, and a new ranking of all 30 MLB stadiums seems to back the need for new digs.
Sports Illustrated released its list of the ballparks on Wednesday and Kauffman Stadium came in way down at No. 19. One reason for the poor showing? It’s too spacious.
Here is what Tom Verducci wrote about Kauffman Stadium: “The fountains never get old. Kauffman is a reliable old friend. Nothing crazy. Just a comfortable, pleasant place to watch baseball. The one element it most lacks is what the top six ballparks on this list all have: intimacy. The best baseball parks create a welcoming, cozy vibe. You’ve got to be more park-like and less stadium to be an elite baseball venue. Even the original Yankee Stadium, as massive as it was, had it because the pillars pulled the upper levels close to the field. Kauffman’s design makes such coziness almost impossible. Coors Field is the only ballpark with more square footage of field (121,429).”
You can see the full rankings here, and Kauffman Stadium is one spot behind Houston’s Daikin Park.
This story was originally published March 26, 2025 at 1:39 PM.
