Smith's Ballpark

Smith's Ballpark
April 2009
Map
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
Coordinates40°44′28″N 111°53′35″W / 40.741°N 111.893°W / 40.741; -111.893
Public transitBallpark station
OwnerCity of Salt Lake City
OperatorLarry H. Miller Sports & Entertainment Group
Capacity14,511[7]
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[1]
OpenedApril 11, 1994 (1994-04-11)[2][3]
30 years ago
Construction cost$23 million[3]
($47.3 million in 2023[4])
ArchitectPopulous and Valentiner, Crane, Brunjes & Onyon
Structural engineerH/T Engineers[5]
Services engineerBredson & Associates[6]
General contractorSahara Construction[3]
Tenants
Salt Lake Bees (PCL/AAAW) 1994–2024
Utah Utes (Big 12) 1994–present
Smith's Ballpark at sunset in 2009
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.

History

[edit]

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.[3]

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

[edit]
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

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

Redevelopment

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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

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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

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References

[edit]
  1. ^ Evensen, Jay (May 20, 1993). "Dignitaries Dig in, Break Ground for New Stadium". Deseret News. Salt Lake City. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
  2. ^ Jorgensen, Loren (April 12, 1994). "A new era". Deseret News. Salt Lake City. p. D1.
  3. ^ a b c d "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.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ "About". H/T Engineers, Inc. Retrieved September 22, 2011.
  6. ^ "Pro Baseball Sports Facilities". Bredson & Associates. Archived from the original on April 10, 2002. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
  7. ^ "Salt Lake Bees". 2017 Pacific Coast League Sketch & Record Book. Minor League Baseball. 2017. p. 65.
  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.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Smith's Ballpark.
Events and tenants
Preceded by
first stadium
 Home of the
Salt Lake Bees
1994 – present 		Succeeded by
current
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