The Minor League Ballpark Guides series spotlights each stadium across baseball’s affiliated ranks. Each edition provides ballpark highlights, from concessions to seating options to in-game entertainment to mascots. Ballpark Guides also take travelers through each facility’s surrounding area, encompassing the best places in town to eat or drink, nearby tourist attractions and more. Plan your Minor League Baseball road trip today!

For Rangers prospects, the road to the big leagues runs west into the heart of Texas. Along the way, that journey includes stops in four distinct ballparks — two in North Carolina, two in the Lone Star State. Texas fans who want to explore them all now have a new resource to do so.

The Rangers system, in four parts:

Single-A: Down East Wood Ducks, Grainger Stadium
The ninth-oldest ballpark in the Minor Leagues, Grainger Stadium in Kinston, North Carolina gives fans a sense they’ve been transported back in time. It is baseball-centric paradise rooted in history and replete with modern upgrades like the Mother Earth Pavilion. The 10,000 square-foot, two-level outdoor bar patio and seating area allows fans to sample the area’s legendary barbecue, sip local craft beer and entertain a visit from either of the team’s two mascots, DEWD the Wood Duck or Cornbread the Collard Green. Read More »

High-A: Hickory Crawdads, LP Frans Stadium
Tasty crustaceans are all the rage in west-central North Carolina, hence the Crawdads. A bucolic small town environment prevails at LP Frans Stadium, where walking the concourse constitutes literally crossing a county line. Verdant woods, great BBQ and motor racing add to the character in Hickory, which also prides itself as the “Furniture Capital of the World.” Read More »

Double-A: Frisco RoughRiders, Riders Field
The architecture at Riders Field is unique in Minor League baseball, featuring 26 luxury suites, bullpens nestled inside the seating bowl and even a 174-foot long lazy river. Floating fans can gulp Beer Bats as they take in the game, watching hungry players on the field close enough to taste the Majors. Located just north of Dallas, Riders Field is only 35 miles from Globe Life Field in Arlington, the Rangers’ big league home.
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Triple-A: Round Rock Express, Dell Diamond
It's easy to call something "Texas-size" when talking about something in Texas, but in the case of Dell Diamond it's true. Nolan Ryan’s influence looms large at the 11,631-seat park, which features a rock-climbing wall, a spacious pool, a giant train themed playground and more. Other unique amenities include the Home Run Dugout, where fans can take real swings against a virtual version of Ryan. Read More »