The Renderings Of The Rays New Proposed Ballpark Look Incredible....But They Still Will Struggle To Draw Fans There

Klemmer talked yesterday about the new deal for the Rays to get a brand spanking new stadium in St. Pete, huge news for Tampa Bay Rays fans and that franchise. 30K seats, a dome, located right near where the Trop is currently sitting as well. They've been after this stadium for a while and they finally get it, good for the Rays. 

But can we talk about how incredible this ballpark is going to be? The renderings look incredible. Look at that massive cathedral like ceiling, the amount of glass windows that surround it allowing you to see directly out. I will say, those Rays love their catwalks. Catwalks are included in this rendering too, an ode to the Trop. Very nice.

Best part of all is THEY ARE KEEPING THE RAY TANK! One of the cooler, more unique aspects of the Trop is the Rays tank they have down there. Come by, watch a game, pet some rays, what a day that is. Looks like some fountains in dead center too. Multi level standing room only it appears as well. Nice open concept there, Property Brothers would love that. 

I do really like the look of that outfield. The batters eye may have change but it looks fantastic out there. TONS of standing room makes sense if you're only going to have 30K seats, that allows for so much open air space. I think this looks great. 

From the outside it's like a mini pyramid. I don't love how it looks from outside but who really cares? It can't be as bad as the Trop so that immediately is an upgrade. Still will be the only fixed roof in baseball, not quite sure why they can't do a retractable lid. Pop the top if it's nice! It's not always 107 out there. 

Maybe one thing the renderings could have done without is the Wander Franco jersey in the corner. Just can't have that. Editor missed that one I guess. Yikes. 

But I hope this ballpark is awesome, I hope it turns out looking like this and the Rays fans enjoy it. God knows they need it. I really think the idea of a 30K seat ballpark is a good thing. Stop making these monster ballparks and stadiums and start sizing down. If you can fit 30K sitting and another 10K standing, that is a great crowd. It should be noted that the main point the Rays complained about their attendance was….the location. St. Petersburg. This is still in St. Pete. 

I guess they are hoping that since it's the new shiny toy the fans will come out for it, but it's still not that close to Tampa Bay. There is a chance some fans still won't want to drive to the new ballpark because of where it is. That was the whole issue before. I think they can get fans there, especially if they keep winning but I don't like the move to stay in St. Pete. All they've done is complain about the location, and now they stick there. Will be interesting to see how it goes when the ballpark is up and running. But man oh man does this thing look sick.