Smith's Ballpark

Last updated

Smith's Ballpark
Smith's Ballpark.PNG
Spring Mobile Park Apr09.jpg
April 2009
Smith's Ballpark
Former namesSpring Mobile Ballpark
(2009–2014)
Franklin Covey Field
(1997–2009)
Franklin Quest Field (1994–1997)
Location1365 South West Temple
Salt Lake City, Utah
United States
Coordinates 40°44′28″N111°53′35″W / 40.741°N 111.893°W / 40.741; -111.893
Public transit Ballpark station
OwnerCity of Salt Lake City
Operator Larry H. Miller Sports & Entertainment Group
Capacity 14,511 [1]
Record attendance16,531 (July 22, 2000,
vs. Albuquerque)
Field sizeLeft field: 345 ft (105 m)
Left-center field: 385 ft (117 m)
Center field: 420 ft (128 m)
Right-center field: 375 ft (114 m)
Right field: 315 ft (96 m)
SurfaceNatural grass
Construction
Broke groundMay 19, 1993 [2]
OpenedApril 11, 1994 (1994-04-11) [3] [4]
30 years ago
Construction cost $23 million [4]
($47.3 million in 2023 [5] )
Architect Populous and Valentiner, Crane, Brunjes & Onyon
Structural engineerH/T Engineers [6]
Services engineerBredson & Associates [7]
General contractorSahara Construction [4]
Tenants
Salt Lake Bees (PCL/AAAW) 1994–2024
Utah Utes (Big 12) 1994–present
Smith's Ballpark at sunset in 2009 Spring Mobile Ballpark sunset view.jpg
Smith's Ballpark at sunset in 2009
An entrance gate in 2013 Spring Mobile Ballpark.JPG
An entrance gate in 2013

Smith's Ballpark (formerly known as Franklin Quest Field, later Franklin Covey Field, [8] and more recently Spring Mobile Ballpark) is a baseball park in Salt Lake City, Utah. It was the home field of the minor league Salt Lake Bees of the Pacific Coast League and the collegiate Utah Utes of the Big 12 Conference.

Contents

History

Smith's Ballpark opened in 1994 with a seating capacity of 15,400, the largest in the Pacific Coast League. It is located on the site of its predecessor, Derks Field, with a similar unorthodox southeast alignment, [9] toward the Wasatch Range. Derks Field was originally known as Community Field. [10]

In its first season in 1994, the Buzz set a PCL attendance record with 713,224 fans. [11] The team led the PCL in attendance in each of its first six seasons in Salt Lake. The largest crowd at the ballpark is 16,531 in 2000; the Saturday night opponent was the Albuquerque Dukes on July 22. [4]

Besides hosting the Salt Lake Bees, Smith's Ballpark has played host to two exhibition games featuring the Minnesota Twins, a spring training game featuring the Seattle Mariners and the Colorado Rockies, concerts, soccer matches, and high school and college baseball games, including a Mountain West Conference tournament. [12]

The ballpark has hosted the Triple-A All-Star Game twice. In 1996, a team of National League-affiliated All-Stars defeated their American League opponents, 2–1. Salt Lake's Todd Walker was selected as the PCL MVP. [13] The game returned to the park in 2011 with the International League All-Stars beating the PCL team, 3–0. [14]

In January 2023, the Larry H. Miller Company, owner of the Salt Lake Bees, announced that they would be building a privately-financed stadium in the Daybreak section of suburban South Jordan, Utah, with a planned opening in the spring of 2025, ending a 31-year run at Smith's Ballpark. [15]

In April 2023, the University of Utah announced plans to explore a fundraising drive for a construction of a new ballpark for the Utah Utes baseball program on the site of their current practice facility. The move—which could be completed as early as 2025—would relocate the Utes program from Smith's Ballpark to the new facility. [16]

On June 21, 2023, outfielder Jo Adell hit a 514-foot home run at the ballpark, the longest home run ever hit – in either minor or major league baseball – since Statcast tracking started in 2015. [17]

The Bees plan to leave Smith's Ballpark for Daybreak Field at America First Square, a new ballpark in South Jordan, Utah, after the 2024 season. [18]

Naming rights

Franklin Covey Field FranklinCoveyFieldSat.png
Franklin Covey Field

When the ballpark opened in 1994, it was called Franklin Quest Field, for which the Franklin Quest Company paid $1.4 million in the summer of 1993 for 15 years of naming rights. [19]

In 2009, the Bees announced on April 7 that they had reached a multi-year naming-rights deal with Spring Mobile (a Salt Lake City-based AT&T authorized retailer) to provide the ballpark's new name of Spring Mobile Ballpark which ran for five seasons. [20]

In March 2014, it was announced that Salt Lake City-based Smith's Food and Drug had signed a six-year naming rights deal, giving the park its current name. [21]

Features

Smith's Ballpark is noted for its views of the Wasatch Mountains over the left and center field walls. [22]

Redevelopment

In early 2024, the Miller family foundation announced a $22 million donation to Salt Lake City's Ballpark NEXT fund. This fund, managed by Salt Lake City, is conducting a $100-million program to improve the neighborhood, including and surrounding Smith's Ballpark. [23]

Public transportation

Ballpark station is a light rail station in the People's Freeway neighborhood, served by all three lines of Utah Transit Authority's TRAX light rail system.The station is located at 180 West 1300 South (1300 South is a major east–west route through Salt Lake City and the station is easily accessed from that street). It is about a half a block northwest of the Smith's Ballpark.

See also

Related Research Articles

The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball (MLB).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pioneer League (baseball)</span> Baseball league in the Western United States

The Pioneer Baseball League is a professional baseball league based in the Western United States. It operates as one of four Major League Baseball (MLB) Partner Leagues in the American independent baseball league system without MLB team affiliations. The league is contested by twelve teams from the Northern California and Rocky Mountains regions, who play a regular season split into two halves. The top two teams at the end of each half qualify for a postseason tournament that determines the overall champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salt Lake Bees</span> Minor league baseball team

The Salt Lake Bees are a Minor League Baseball (MiLB) team that plays in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and are the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. Based in Salt Lake City, Utah, the team will begin play at Daybreak Field at America First Square in 2025. The team previously played its home games at Smith's Ballpark from its opening in 1994 until the end of the 2024 season. Formerly known as the Salt Lake Buzz from 1994 to 2000 and the Salt Lake Stingers from 2001 to 2005, the team adopted the Bees moniker in 2006. Since their inception in 1994, they have been a part of the PCL, including the 2021 season when the league was called Triple-A West.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deseret (Book of Mormon)</span> Term meaning honeybee in the Book of Mormon

Deseret is a term derived from the Book of Mormon, a scripture of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and other Latter Day Saint groups. According to the Book of Mormon, "deseret" meant "honeybee" in the language of the Jaredites, a group in the Book of Mormon that were led by God to the Americas after the construction of the Tower of Babel. Latter-day Saint scholar Hugh Nibley suggested an etymology by associating the word "Deseret" with the ancient Egyptian deshret, a term he translated as the "bee crown" of the Lower Kingdom, but which non-LDS scholarly sources translate as the "Red Crown".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oklahoma City Comets</span> Minor League Baseball team

The Oklahoma City Comets are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and play their home games at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, which opened in 1998 in the city's Bricktown district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daybreak (community)</span> Planned community near Salt Lake City, Utah, United States

Daybreak is a master-planned community of over 4,000 acres located in South Jordan, Utah. Daybreak was originally owned by Kennecott Land but as of 2024 was being developed by the Larry H. Miller Company.

The Salt Lake City Bees was a primary moniker of the minor league baseball teams, based in Salt Lake City, Utah between 1911 and 1970 under various names. After minor league baseball first began in Salt Lake City in 1900, the Bees were long-time members of both the Pacific Coast League and Pioneer League. The Salt Lake Bees played their home games at Derks Field.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hawaii Islanders</span> Minor league baseball team

The Hawaii Islanders were a minor league baseball team based in Honolulu, Hawaii, that played in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League for 27 seasons from 1961 through 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Utah Utes</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of the University of Utah

The Utah Utes are the intercollegiate athletics teams that represent the University of Utah, located in Salt Lake City. The athletic department is named after the Ute tribe of Native Americans. The men's basketball team is known as the Runnin' Utes; the women's gymnastics team is known as the Red Rocks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salt Lake City Trappers</span> Minor league baseball team

The Salt Lake City Trappers were a Minor League Baseball team of the Rookie level Pioneer League from 1985 to 1992. They were located in Salt Lake City, Utah, and played their home games at Derks Field. The Trappers were not affiliated with any Major League Baseball team. They won the Pioneer League championship four times: in three consecutive seasons from 1985 to 1987 and again in 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ballpark station (UTA)</span> Light rail station in Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.

Ballpark station is a light rail station in the People's Freeway neighborhood of Salt Lake City, Utah, in the United States, served by all three lines of Utah Transit Authority's TRAX light rail system. The Blue Line provides service from Downtown Salt Lake City to Draper. The Red Line provides service from the University of Utah to the Daybreak community of South Jordan. The Green Line provides service from the Salt Lake City International Airport to West Valley City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reno Aces</span> Minor league baseball team

The Reno Aces are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. They are located in Reno, Nevada, and play their home games at Greater Nevada Field, which opened in 2009. The Aces have been members of the PCL since 2009, including the 2021 season in which it was known as the Triple-A West. They won the PCL championship in 2012 and 2022. Reno went on to win the Triple-A National Championship Game in 2012.

Derks Field was a minor league baseball park in the Western United States, located in Salt Lake City, Utah. It was the home field of the Salt Lake Bees, Angels, and Gulls of the Pacific Coast League, Bees, Giants, and Trappers of the Pioneer Baseball League, and the Salt Lake Sting of the American Professional Soccer League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portland Beavers</span> Minor league baseball team

The Portland Beavers was the name of separate minor league baseball teams, which represented Portland, Oregon, in the Pacific Coast League (PCL). The team was established in 1903, the first year of the PCL.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Rumler</span> American baseball player (1891-1966)

William George Rumler, known as James Rumler during the 1918 season, and Red Moore during the 1921 season, was a professional baseball player, whose career spanned 19 seasons, three of which were spent in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the St. Louis Browns. He played catcher, and outfielder. Over his major league career, Rumler compiled a combined batting average of .251 with 15 runs scored, 43 hits, seven doubles, four triples, one home run, and 32 runs batted in (RBIs) in 139 games played. After making his MLB debut in 1914, he spent the next season in the minor leagues. He returned to the majors in 1916, and again for a final time in 1917.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Utah Utes baseball</span> Varsity baseball program of University of Utah

The Utah Utes baseball team is the varsity intercollegiate baseball program of University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The program's first season was in 1892, and it was a member of the NCAA Division I Pac-12 Conference from the start of the 2012 season until the conference's collapse after the 2024 season. The Utes will join the Big 12 Conference for the 2025 season and beyond.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gail Miller (businesswoman)</span> American businesswoman and wealthiest individual in Utah

Karen Gail Miller, is an American businesswoman. Upon the death of her husband, Larry H. Miller, she assumed the role of chairwoman of the Larry H. Miller Group (LHM) of Companies, now known as the Larry H. Miller Company (LHMCO). From 2009 until its sale in 2020, she had a majority interest in the Utah Jazz, a National Basketball Association (NBA) franchise located in Salt Lake City, Utah. As of 2023, she continues to retain a minority stake in the team and its associated businesses. Miller is a major supporter of Big League Utah, a campaign to bring a Major League Baseball team to Utah. She engages in philanthropy through her family foundation.

Daybreak Field at America First Square is a baseball park under construction in South Jordan, Utah, United States, which is scheduled to open in spring 2025. It will be the home of the Triple-A Salt Lake Bees of the Pacific Coast League. The ballpark will replace the Bees' former home, Smith's Ballpark, where the team has played since its founding in 1994.

References

  1. ↑ "Salt Lake Bees". 2017 Pacific Coast League Sketch & Record Book. Minor League Baseball. 2017. p. 65.
  2. ↑ Evensen, Jay (May 20, 1993). "Dignitaries Dig in, Break Ground for New Stadium". Deseret News . Salt Lake City. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
  3. ↑ Jorgensen, Loren (April 12, 1994). "A new era". Deseret News. Salt Lake City. p. D1.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "2011 Salt Lake Bees Media Guide" (PDF). Minor League Baseball. April 8, 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 12, 2011. Retrieved September 22, 2011.
  5. ↑ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–" . Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  6. ↑ "About". H/T Engineers, Inc. Retrieved September 22, 2011.
  7. ↑ "Pro Baseball Sports Facilities". Bredson & Associates. Archived from the original on April 10, 2002. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
  8. ↑ Benson, Lee (April 9, 2009). "Changing Names of Ballparks is a Tradition". Deseret News . Salt Lake City. Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved March 13, 2010.
  9. ↑ "Official Baseball Rules – 2016 Edition – Rule 2.01: Layout of the field" (PDF). MLB.com . Major League Baseball. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 21, 2017. Retrieved April 2, 2017.
  10. ↑ Larsen, Andy (September 20, 2024). "Andy Larsen: What are we losing with the Salt Lake Bees' move out of Smith's Ballpark?". Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
  11. ↑ Facer, Dirk (August 29, 1997). "Buzz Attendance Falls but Still Tops PCL". Deseret News . Salt Lake City. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  12. ↑ Facer, Dirk (June 28, 2009). "Ballpark Has Seen Plenty of Action in Its 16 Years". Deseret News . Salt Lake City. Retrieved March 13, 2010.
  13. ↑ "Triple-A All-Star Game Results (1993–1997)". Triple-A Baseball. Archived from the original on April 19, 2018. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
  14. ↑ "Triple-A All-Star Game Results (2008–2012)". Triple-A Baseball. Archived from the original on July 9, 2019. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
  15. ↑ Apgar, Blake (January 13, 2023). "Bees leaving Utah's capital for South Jordan's Daybreak. What this may mean for SLC's Ballpark area". The Salt Lake Tribune . Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  16. ↑ Reichard, Kevin (April 11, 2023). "New University of Utah ballpark proposed". Ballpark Digest. August Publications. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
  17. ↑ Butler, Alex (June 21, 2023). "Jo Adell smashes longest homer in history of MLB's Statcast". MSN . United Press International. Archived from the original on June 22, 2023. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  18. ↑ Williams, Carter (January 17, 2023). "Bees plan move to Daybreak; Salt Lake City seeks to 'reimagine' Smith's Ballpark". KSL-TV. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
  19. ↑ Benson, Lee (July 23, 1993). "Stadium's New Name Completes Salt Lake's Demolition of Derks". Deseret News . Salt Lake City. Retrieved April 30, 2012.
  20. ↑ "Home of the Bees Renamed: Spring Mobile Ballpark". Pacific Coast League (Press release). Minor League Baseball. April 7, 2009. Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
  21. ↑ "Smith's Ballpark Unveiled as New Stadium Name for Bees". Ballpark Business (Press release). Minor League Baseball. March 5, 2014. Retrieved March 5, 2014.
  22. ↑ Jarvis, Gary (July 4, 1999). "Franklin Covey Field". Minor League Ballparks. Archived from the original on July 22, 2002. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  23. ↑ Tullis, Mark (February 2, 2024). "Larry H. & Gail Miller Family Foundation Pledges $22 Million to Salt Lake City's Ballpark NEXT Fund". Tech Buzz. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
Events and tenants
Preceded by
first stadium
 Home of the
Salt Lake Bees
1994 – present		Succeeded by
current
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.