MLB insider takes odd shot at SF Giants’ Oracle Park in ballpark rankings

SF Giants fans may be biased, but even fans of other teams have to admit that Oracle Park is one of the best ballparks in all of MLB. While many Giants fans might consider it close to perfect, MLB insider Bob Nightengale apparently has a gripe with it.

Nightengale recently ranked what he believes are the top 10 big league ballparks for USA Today and Oracle Park came in sixth place with Nightengale writing: “The park is already showing its age and its concourses are narrow and cramped, making it difficult to move around, with the Giants already out-growing the place and badly needing more space.”

What?

What is he talking about? People may complain about the price of concessions or beer, perhaps some take umbrage with the dimensions too, at Oracle but complaints about how it feels “cramped” are entirely foreign. Obviously this is just Nightengale’s opinion but it’s a very odd one.

He lists Fenway Park and Wrigley Field as his top two ballparks and as a Chicago resident I can assure you that the concourse area at Wrigley is not all that spacious. It has often taken me 10 to 15 minutes to get out of the park through the main gate after the game because of how cramped it is and everyone is stuffed like sardines.

What makes his critique even more strange is the fact that not a single negative thing was said about any of the other nine ballparks Nightengale listed. Maybe he feels Oracle is overrated and wanted to knock it down a peg or two but it’s really odd why he takes a shot at the Giants’ home park off all the ones listed.

Oracle Park will get put in the spotlight for 2028 All-Star Game

Oracle Park is going to play host to the 2028 All-Star Game and for national or east coast baseball types who have never been or only have Nightengale’s bizarre opinion to go off are going to think that they will be walking single-file like Tusken Raiders through the concourse, not to hide their numbers but because that’s the only way everyone can fit.

Any park is inevitably going to need some minor renovations and touch ups over the years. The Giants will surely continue to do that and who knows, maybe Nightengale threw that in his ranking because someone within the organization wants more funding to create more spacious concourses.

Whatever it is, it’s just bizarre. It’s just Nightengale though, so who cares? Giants fans know Oracle Park is the most beautiful place to catch a game and it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks.

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