Worth the Trip: Philadelphia and the Ballparks Around It

Philadelphia and the surrounding area offer some great places to catch a ballgame.

The Phils are the obvious first choice but there are teams to see with historic ties to the game that are within a reasonable driving distance from the city. It is well worth it to take a drive to see one of the minor league teams around and see up and coming prospects. Not to mention going to the ball yard for the night at a great value. If you are not from the area or want to put together a mini park tour, but have a spending budget closer to the Pirates than the Yankees (in relative terms), then this small swath of baseball parks is for you. With the Phightin’s being the team to see I’ll give some background on baseball tied to the city of Philadelphia in general and then add some scouting capsules on where else you can go to see America’s Pastime at its grass roots best.

Here are some facts on Philadelphia baseball that you may not know – the good, the bad and the ugly…or the Mike Schmidt, the Steve Jeltz and the Mitch Williams trying to throw strikes.

The Schmidt (Good)–Philadelphia is fourth all-time with 7 World Series championships since 1903. The Phillies have won two (1980 & 2008) and the Athletics five (1910, ’11, ’13, ’19, ’30).

Philadelphia has given baseball arguably the greatest 3rd baseman of all-time in Mike Schmidt, its most respected manager in Connie Mack who managed for a staggering 50 years, and a left hander with a legendary slider in Steve Carlton. A city where such Hall of Famers suited up as Ty Cobb, Eddie Collins, Mickey Cochrane, Jimmie Foxx, Richie Ashburn, Tris Speaker, Nap Lajoie and Lefty Grove to name a few along with some others who are just as well known for their missteps than their greatness like Pete Rose and “Shoeless” Joe Jackson.

The Jeltz (Bad)–The Phillies were the last of the original 16 teams from 1903 to win the World Series, and it took them 98 years to do it. Phils fans have to have a special place in their hearts for those Cubby fans – any year now guys!

The Phillies had 16 consecutive losing seasons from 1933 to 1948, and only ONE winning season from 1918 to 1948 (that was in 1932). Imagine being head of ticket sales and marketing during that time period.

The Williams trying to throw strikes (Ugly)–The Phils are the only franchise in professional sports with over 10,000 losses.

Mention 1964 to someone who was around then and get ready to either duck or watch a man cry. The Phils infamously blew a 6.5 game lead with only 12 to play and this is often mentioned among the historical collapses in sports.

1977 and “Black Friday.” Not even sure where to start with this one. Some feel they were the best team in baseball in 1977 and they were playing the Dodgers in a best of five for the N.L. Pennant. The series was tied 1-1 and the Phils were up 5-2 with 2 outs in the top of the ninth and a 0-2 count on the batter. Remember that you don’t go 98 years without winning your first World Series by mistake – through an improbable sequence of fielding miscues, questionable managerial decisions and blown umpire calls they managed to lose the game 6-5 and the Pennant the following day. Many are still in therapy over this one.

The Ball yards

I’ve provided below the inside scoop on the Phils and other minor league teams you may want to consider with some personal scouting added.

Philadelphia Phillies 2008 World Champs

Worth it to go see: Where do I start? How about a chance to see Ryan Howard hitting a mammoth bomb, Chase Utley forever hustling, Raul Ibanez putting on a hitting clinic and Cole Hamels throwing that filthy changeup for starters.

History:Long and often tortured (see above) but you can feel the tide turning the last few years. The Bucs have been kind enough to tie the Phils string of consecutive losing seasons at 16 and can break it this year. Their division rival Mets have made many forget about the collapse of ’64 with their debacle in 2007 (not to be confused with the one of 2008).

Scouting Report:

• Get there early and head out to right center field where you can watch the opposing pitcher warm up about as close as you can get. Be an honorary Phil’s fan and join in the heckling that goes along with the proximity.

• Visit “Ashburn Alley” where you can get some of the areas finest food and staples such as Philly cheese steaks and the “Schmitter.”

• Not a bad seat in the place but why not try a seat in the outfield to give yourself a shot in this home run hitters ballpark?

Wilmington Blue Rocks– Frawley Stadium, Wilmington, DE
Affiliation:K.C. Royals, High Class A Ball, Carolina League

Notable Alumni:Johnny Damon, Carlos Beltran, Zach Greinke, Jacoby Ellsbury

Worth it to go see:Mike Moustakas, a left-handed hitting 3rd baseman, was the #2 pick overall by KC in the 2007 draft. Rated KC’s #1 overall prospect by Baseball America the last two years. KC hopes that Moustakas along with Alex Gordon and Billy Butler can bring them back to respectability in the near future.

History:Originally came into existence in 1940, owned by Connie Mack, and was a minor league affiliate of the Philadelphia Athletics. Folded after the 1952 season and then were called the Blue Rocks once again in 1993 when minor league ball came back to Wilmington.

Scouting Report:

• I-95 overpass is located beyond left field and you start to ask yourself “If the wind is blowing out and he gets a fastball….” it can’t be done but it is still fun to ponder.

• Be careful if you park beyond the outfield fences, if someone gets a hold of one you may return to your car with a souvenir and a busted windshield to go with it.

• When the Blue Crew scores a run be sure to pay attention to the backstop vicinity, it is not every day that you see a huge celery stalk running around in celebration. That would be Mr. Celery you see.

Trenton Thunder– Mercer County Waterfront Park, Trenton, NJ
Affiliation:N.Y. Yankees, Double A Ball, Eastern League

Notable Alumni:Kevin Youkilis, David Eckstein, Robinson Cano, Chien-Ming Wang

Worth it to go see:Jesus Montero, catcher, and Yankees’ #2 rated prospect in their system by Baseball America . At 19 years old, this kid is one of the youngest players in the Eastern League and the Yanks signed him when he was only 16. He started in the Florida State League and ripped it to the tune of .356/8/37. Played in the Future’s Game last year and was named by BA the organizations’ Best Power Hitter.

History:Minor league ball left Trenton in 1950 (Willie Mays played here when they were a NY Giants affiliate) but came back with a vengeance in 1994 with the Trenton Thunder. In ’94 Trenton was affiliated with the Detroit Tigers for one year and then became a Red Sox affiliate from 1995-2002…a BoSox team right outside of NYC? Believe it or not, fans still showed up, in droves, obviously putting aside personal grudges for the love of baseball. In 2003, though, all became right in the world once more as the Thunder became a Yankee’s affiliate and have been ever since. The Thunder have won back-to-back Eastern League titles the last 2 seasons as the big league club hopes it’s a sign of things to come.

Scouting Report:

• Kids 12 and under eat free, which is a great deal during these tough economic times.

• For the adults, skip the food served in the concourse and head out to the grill along right field. Don’t leave without trying the Chickie’s and Pete’s Crab Fries at the grill.

• Will host the 2009 Eastern League All-Star Game this year, so here is your chance to see something special in the area.

Reading Phillies– First Energy Stadium, Reading, PA
Affiliation:Philadelphia Phillies, Double A Ball, Eastern League

Notable Alumni:Mike Schmidt, Ryne Sandberg, Ryan Howard, Cole Hamels, Chase Utley

Worth it to go see:Kyle Drabek the Phillies’ #1 draft pick in 2006. Drabek is in his first full season back after missing most of 2008 recovering from Tommy John surgery. Drabek got warmed up in the Florida State League to start the year and was promoted to Reading after going 4-1 with 74 Ks in 61 IP. Drabek is a hard throwing righty whom the Phils dream of teaming up with Hamels within the next or so. Before you ask…..yes it is Doug’s son.

History:Completed in 1951, this is the oldest ballpark in the Eastern League. Reading became a Phillies’ affiliate in 1967, and has been ever since, making it the 3rd longest between a Major League club and its farm team.

Scouting Report:

• You want old school? This is the place. Despite extensive renovations the stadium has done well to keep the integrity of the original park in tact. One of the few places in baseball that you can go anymore and still be in a real old time park, being a purist this is important to me.

• For the best seats try to get tickets in the deck boxes over the left field wall. The coolest seats (figuratively and literally) are if you can get a party of 10 or more and sit in the pool pavilion. They actually have a 1,000 square foot heated pool just over the right field fence. Where else on the east coast can you watch a game from a pool AT the ballpark??