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Tinker Field / Orlando
Tinker Field is a ballpark in limbo.
Most recently it was the home of the Orlando Rays (Class AA;
Southern League) until the Rays moved to
Cracker Jack
Stadium in 2000, and in fact the stadium looks exactly
like it did after the Rays' final game there. Signage for the
Rays is everywhere and there are still taps in the beer booth,
although most everything else in the ballpark is rapidly
deteriorating. It's more like a ghost stadium than a real
ballpark. Which is a shame, since Tinker Field is one of the most
historic baseball spots in Florida. Baseball has been played
at this site since 1914, and the stadium was named after Joe Tinker -- he of
"Tinker to Evers to Chance" fame -- who came to
Orlando after his playing days and is buried there. The
original 1,500-seat wooden Tinker Field was built in 1923 and
served as the spring-training home of the Cincinnati Reds from
1923 through 1933. The Brooklyn Dodgers trained there in 1934
and 1935. In 1936 Clark Griffith moved the
Senators' spring training to Tinker Field, and for many years
the Twins' AA affiliate played at Tinker Field. Almost 1,000
of the seats were moved to Tinker Field from Griffith Stadium
when it closed. Over the years it has served as home to
various Florida State League and Southern League teams.
It's a shame that Tinker Field is now basically a glorified high-school
field, because it's actually a pretty decent ballpark that just needs some TLC.
Even though baseball has been played at Tinker Field since 1914, the present
Tinker Field configuration dates back to 1963 and has been updated several times
since. It features an open design: the press box is totally open to the crowd,
and a set of fans sit in the back of the grandstand. A concourse area in back of
the grandstand contains concessions, ticket offices and team offices. There's
plenty of room in this back concourse, which was obviously designed more to
accommodate large The area surrounding Tinker Field has changed dramatically as well.
Originally the entire area was open space, but over the years a commercial
district, a freeway and the Citrus Bowl encroached on the Tinker Field ambiance.
Since the Rays left, various youth teams have played at Tinker Field, and its
future is under some debate. It has definitely fallen into disrepair -- the
wooden bleachers are warping something fierce and the metal box seats are
rusting away -- and at some point the city will need to decide what to do with
the facility. One option that's been floated is to renovate the facility in
hopes of attracting another Florida State League team. To that end, the city has
applied for a National Historic Designation for the baseball field, which may
make the entire property eligible for Professional baseball seems to be dead at
Cracker Jack Stadium for the time being, and Tinker Field -- which is located
just west of downtown Orlando -- is seen as being better able to support
professional baseball.
Note the open press box and the fans in back of the
grandstand.
Rust never sleeps.
The wooden bleachers are in pretty bad shape and will need
to be replaced if another pro team moves to Tinker Field.
The Citrus Bowl does make its presence felt.
The outer concourse still features advertising signs from
the Orlando Rays tenure there.
Tinker Field in its spring-training heyday.
A postcard showing Tinker Field when it was the
spring-training home of the Cincinnati Reds with its original
wooden grandstand.
Year Opened
1963
Capacity
5,104
Dimensions
340L, 425C, 320R
Address/Directions
287 South Tampa Av.,
Orlando. The ballpark is part of the Citrus Bowl
complex, right off the East West Expressway. Just take
the Tampa Avenue exit north and the ballpark is to your
left.
Description
This bulletin board left over from the Orlando Rays still
hangs next to the ticket booths.
A tribune to Clark Griffith sits at the entry
of Tinker Field.
Photos
