Reno Aces 6 at Salt Lake Bees 2 (PCL) - April 9, 2025

The Salt Lake Bees had one of baseball's best ballparks but there were some problems with the surrounding area, prompting the Larry H. Miller Company, owner of the franchise, to move the club to Daybreak. This sports-anchored, mixed-use development that the company owns is located about 20 miles southwest of Salt Lake City in South Jordan and the 200-acre site will eventually include apartment buildings, restaurants and shops, making it similar to The Battery in Atlanta. But as you can see below in a shot I captured landing in Salt Lake City, right now there is nothing but the ballpark.

Still, all I cared about was adding the first new minor league ballpark to my list since 2021 and with Salt Lake City close to San Antonio, it made sense to get it on this trip. As well, I was able to obtain a media credential as I would be doing the Stadium Journey review. After landing at SLC exactly a month after seeing six events including the Leafs at Utah Hockey Club, I took the TRAX Green Line downtown, where I changed to the Red Line that takes you all the way out to South Jordan. The switch is problematic as there is only a single track and if your train is behind the one you need, you will have to wait for the next one, which is usually 15 minutes. As such, the entire trip from the airport can take 90 minutes, though it is only a 30-minute drive should you prefer to rent a car (parking is $15 in one of several lots surrounding the stadium). If you have a game ticket, you can enter via the outfield gate (below); otherwise head around to the front where the box office trailer is located.

The venue is named The Ballpark at America First Square, a rather lengthy moniker. It hosted its first game the night before and is still experiencing teething problems as I found out when it took a while to pick up my credential. Once inside, I was quite impressed, mostly with the premium areas which many fans will not get to see.

Of course, as with any ballpark in Utah, a mountain backdrop is essential.

The stadium design is typical if a bit small for AAA, with capacity of 8,000 including the right field berm. This makes it the fourth smallest at this level, behind Tacoma, St. Paul, and Sugar Land. 

The first premium area that you will see are the Founders Suites, four private rooms right off the main concourse behind the plate.

These offer very comfortable seats above the seating bowl, with dedicated concessions included right next door. 

Nearby is another section with special seats, though this one is used as part of a promotion from what I could tell.

From here, I took a full tour around the concourse, starting along third base. As you can see below, the sections behind the plate are quite limited as the dugouts and field level suites take up quite a bit of space, so there are no front-row seats in these areas available to the general public.

Up top are the premium decks, one above first base and one above third. Both were empty for the game and hence available to the all fans, but few knew about it or bothered to explore.

The view from here is pretty cool and I spent a part of the game walking between the two decks.

The two are separated by the terrace club, which requires a wristband to enter and has a tempting buffet that is included, along with soft drinks. Alcohol is available at prices cheaper than in the rest of the stadium.

Below is the view from the terrace club seats directly below the camera. I watched the first inning from here and consider it one of the best views in baseball.

Moving back to the concourse, the unique feature here is a miniature golf course, which is free to play during the opening homestand, but will have a nominal charge after that. There is also a small kids area here and a separate concession stand with kids meals, which might attract a few adults given how expensive regular concessions are.

To be fair, there are dozens of excellent choices for food and drink here, but prices are equivalent to what you would find in a major league venue. I don't want to recap everything but the cheapest hot item I saw was a jumbo hot dog at $8, the same as I pay at Citi Field. The J. Dawgs truck seemed to be a reasonable alternative with their presumably larger dawgs going for $9. Best bet might be the spicy chicken sandwich basket with fries that is $10.

The Mediterranean stand had hummus nachos for $15 and an extra 'D'. Oops.

The last section down the lines turns in to face the field, a welcome change from the old style ballparks where you would have to turn your neck to watch the action. The entire seating bowl is protected by netting, though of course, pop fouls do reach the seats on occasion. The scoreboard is large and sits above the left field fence.

Looking back down the line next to the left field foul pole, you can see the entire stadium structure.

Below the scoreboard are two rows of seats where home run hopefuls can gather.

Bullpens are underneath these seats, and you can stand above and watch the pitchers warm up, which is what the fans to the left are doing in the photo above.

From center field, you get a great view of the entire ground, with the sun in the background for night games.

The berm is in right field and angles down to the concrete. It was quite crowded on this night, mainly because these are the cheapest tickets at a ridiculous $18. There are specials on Tuesday where you can get four tickets here for $40, but that should be the price at all times.

Looking back past the batters eye, you can see a couple of sections next to the bullpens which cost $30, while the seats above the bullpen are $39! This is severely overpriced for AAA baseball and might explain why only 2,725 were on hand for the second game in the ballpark's history.

As you walk back along the first base concourse, you will see a few picnic tables, where you could eat your food if you could afford it. Which few fans seemed able to do seeing as how the tables were empty.

As I was doing my tour, I saw fellow Club 124 member Kevin, clad in his Expos jersey and hat. It was the second week in a row that I had run into a friend unexpectedly at a ballpark, and he happened to be with Mark (also in Club 124), Bob, and Russ, all sports travelers. Kevin pointed out that his seats had been misnumbered slightly, a source of amusement for the ushers as well.

He also noticed that the pitch clock was not yet operational. The ballpark was rushed to get it ready in time and obviously a few kinks still need to be worked out.

The mascot is Bumble and he made his way around the ballpark greeting fans and keeping them entertained. There were no on-field promotions between innings, though there were a couple of scoreboard ones such as the dance cam and cap shuffle. Presumably as the club gets their bearings, these will appear, not that I missed them as I prefer the sounds of the ballpark over a screaming P.A. announcer.

Midway through the game, I used my media pass to go down to the field level suites, which are ten separate private rooms with food service.

I found one empty suite and spent a few innings watching the game from there, right next to the visiting team dugout. It really provides a different aspect to the game and if you are able to get a group together, worth it for one evening out.

As the game neared an end, I went back behind the plate along the concourse and stood next to the drink rail there. If I were to buy a ticket, I would simply get a berm ticket and then stand along one of the many drink rails along the concourse. 

Overall, The Ballpark at America First Square is the first step in what promises to be an interesting development - can a minor league stadium be the centerpiece of a business area? Right now, prices are too high and the lack of a surrounding neighborhood means fans are traveling a long way just for the game. Next season should be different and I might return as I would like to see how the Delta Center is renovated for hockey at some time in the future.

The Game

The Reno Aces (Arizona) were in town having lost the night before 13-10. I was hoping for a quick game so I could take the train back to the airport for a midnight flight, but then Kevin offered me a ride there as he was staying close by, with the added bonus of a stop at In 'n' Out, so I could relax and enjoy the evening without worry. Which is good, because the game ended up being quite long.

Chase Silseth (on the mound above) started for Salt Lake, while Yilber Diaz was the Aces non-ace. After a 1-2-3 top of the first, Gustavo Campero was hit leading off the bottom half. He stole second and scored on a J.D. Davis single. The same events happened in the Salt Lake second, with Ryan Noda getting hit, stealing second, and scoring on a Chuckie Robinson single. Diaz then walked two more batters, ending his evening, but Christian Montes De Oca got out of the jam.

The first 2 innings took nearly an hour, but after that, things moved quickly. Silseth finished five, yielding just two hits and two walks and he was replaced by Carl Edwards Jr. (waving to me above), who won the World Series with the Cubs nearly a decade ago. Edwards tossed two more scoreless innings, while the Reno relievers kept the Bees from adding to their lead.

Connor Brogdon came in for the 8th for Salt Lake and safe to say, he will not be getting called up to Anaheim anytime soon. After walking Kevin Graham, he gave up a homer to leadoff man Jorge Barossa that tied the game. Jordan Lawlar and Trey Mancini (above, after striking out earlier) singled and then Idelmo Vargas launched a three-run blast. Tristin English followed with another dinger and it was 6-2 Reno in the blink of an eye. Brogdon was Brog-done and although the Bees loaded the bases in the 8th, they could not score. In the 9th, a single and hit batsmen gave a glimmer of hope to the Hive but Chad Stevens struck out to end the evening, as the Bees left 16 on base in the 6-2 loss.

The game took 3:04, and if I had not met Kevin, I probably would have missed the last half inning to catch a train back to the airport. Instead, we enjoyed an In 'n' Out meal and just nine hours later, I was back at my home in NYC.

Notes

This was my 196th unique minor league ballpark and 381st overall. 

Next Up

Two more minor league parks next week in Spartanburg and Knoxville as I take my daughter on a spring break trip. Check back for recaps then.

Best,

Sean