Bowen Field, one of MiLB staff writer’s favorite minor league ballparks

BLUEFIELD — Benjamin Hill has personally visited 172 minor league ballparks — many of them more than once — including all 159 active affiliated minor league baseball venues.

Given that he’s seen all there is to see, his favorite rookie league park might surprise a few folks. It’s Bluefield’s own Bowen Field.

Hill, a University of Pittsburgh alumnus who is the chief writer for MiLB.com, recirculated the list of his best-loved ball yards earlier this week when he retweeted a link to an online story he wrote in October of 2018. The piece catalogued the high points of his nine-year pilgrimage to see every minor league ballpark in America.

With the entire baseball world frozen in stasis due to the COVID-19 pandemic, MiLB.com wanted to do something to acknowledge what would normally have been the first day of full-season minor league play.

“It came out for a reason, because it would have been opening day in minor league baseball yesterday [April 9]. There was a lot more tweeting of that nature, a sort of blowout of content across all platforms celebrating what would have been the start of the season,” said Hill, whose part-time gig on MiLB.com began in 2005 and ‘morphed’ into a full-time job in 2009.

Bowen Field, home of the Bluefield Blue Jays of the Appalachian League, has been placed in exalted company by Hill. His faves include shrines like Southwest University Park, home of the Class AAA El Paso Chihuahuas of the Pacific Coast League and Asheville, N.C.’s hallowed McCormick Field, home of the Asheville Tourists of the Class A South Atlantic League. Bowen nudged aside historic Calfee Park, home of the Appy League East division rival Pulaski Yankees (one of Hill’s runners-up).

“...there’s a timeless quality to this facility, a simple structure consisting mainly of a covered grandstand. Such a no-frills aesthetic is common in Rookie-ball, but Bowen Field’s gorgeous background makes it stand out. A lush, gently sloping expanse of trees rises behind the outfield, the green of the foilage complementing the natural grass of the playing surface. It’s a perfect home for birds; the team was an affiliate of the Orioles from 1958-2010 before switching to the Blue Jays,” wrote Hill, whose urge to run the table on every minor league park in America became a professional quest in 2010

There’s more to the story than trees. Hill’s experiences at Bowen Field were far too complex and nuanced to be done justice in the limited space of the capsule he wrote. But he really did like the trees.

“It was a gorgeous night when I was there and I did find it to be a gorgeous setting,” said Hill, who said the clubhouse atmosphere presided over by then-Bluefield Blue Jays manager Dennis Holmberg certainly contributed to his vivid memories of Bowen Field.

“I remember spending time with [Holmberg] before and after the game. Just going to that clubhouse and seeing all these flags representing the countries all his players had come from through the years. All sorts of goofy art on the walls ... recreations of album covers ... that kind of thing. That was one aspect. The sort of culture he established was kind of cool and quirky. It really spoke to how young the guys are in that league, which is something I think casual fans overlook. A guy like Dennis Holmberg can be a real kind of father figure and have a real understanding of what he’s dealing with ... very young men. Kids still, in a lot of ways,” Hill said.

“I interviewed ‘Double-Out’ Henry Belcher, the famous very-vocal fan. I wrote a story about him. I think he told his story about having met Boog Powell way back in the day. I got a lot of background from him. I spoke with George McGonagle just about what it was like to be in the market for so long. I had a great experience after the game. There was fireworks and I got to hang out with the people who did the fireworks and see it in terms of their perspective ... what it took for them to set it up. A lot of stuff was going on,” Hill said.

During his travels, Hill learned a great deal about the culture of baseball. He also learned a great deal about the parts of America situated outside the metropolitan areas that are blessed with big league franchises.

“Minor league baseball provides a context for travel and gives you a reason to go to places you might not otherwise go to. I’m not from [the Appalachian region] of the country and if I didn’t have Minor League Baseball I’m not sure I would ever have gone to Bluefield. I love that minor league baseball gives you a reason and a context and an excuse to go to places and get a small sense of these places and who the people are,” Hill said.

“Every minor league team and every minor league ballpark is a reflection of the community in which it operates. Therefore minor league baseball as a whole is a reflection of America. Each of these places is piece of America. To have as many pieces as possible to explore, to me, has always been a great thing,” he said.

When Hill originally wrote his story, there was no Major League proposal to eliminate 42 minor league teams — including every team in the Appalachian League except Pulaski. There was no COVID-19 pandemic to complicate that negotiating process. It’s a very different world from the one Hill wrote about.

Even in hindsight, Hill said he wouldn’t revise or second-guess a single thing. Bowen Field will always be his favorite ballpark at the rookie level, just as the other ballparks he cited at other levels will always retain his affections.

“I don’t know exactly what will happen going forward ... but nothing that can or will happen in the future will affect the experiences I had. Those are kind of set in stone,” Hill said. “No matter what the fates are going forward, I got to see every team in the Appy League and every team in the Pioneer League. My experiences there would remain the same. I’m proud of having that record of having been to all those places.”