Surprise Stadium
Surprise, AZ
Review by Gary
SURPRISE! The current spring training home to both the Kansas City Royals and Texas Rangers is in Surprise, Arizona. The town got its name by a seemingly cynical woman named Flora Mae Statler, a real estate developer’s wife who named it thus as she uttered that she "would be surprised if the town ever amounted to much.” Ouch. In later years, this town about 25 miles northwest of Phoenix would house an air force base and later, a haven for springtime Major League baseball and the AZL’s Surprise Saguaros in the fall.
Our visit to Surprise Stadium was for the first game of the 2024 pre-season for both the Royals and the 2023 World Champion Rangers. Since neither team had to travel far to their home field, it was no “surprise” that this game would start on time. What was startling was that both teams would be wearing powder blue ball caps and royal blue jerseys, making watching the game a tad bit confusing. The only thing different about these uniforms was the color of their pants. The home team Rangers were donned in home white chaps while KC wore gray breeches.
As for the cleverly named Surprise Stadium, this ballpark complex opened in 2002 and holds 10,700+ fans of whatever team they choose to root for. Surrounded by numerous practice fields, fans visiting the main baseball diamond can opt for great fixed seats close to the action or a spacious grassy berm around the outfield, or maybe your own personal wheelchair, of which an arsenal awaited any fans needing assistance upon entering the third base gate. This collection of pushcar offerings had never been seen in the 350+ ballparks we’ve visited, but is a nice touch for those requiring one. The ballpark is flanked by a two-level building beyond either foul pole, presumably for offices and clubhouses for each team.
The coolest feature of Surprise! Stadium is the cactus garden planted in front of the batter’s eye, echoing the landscape of the terrain outside, and not at all a distraction to the batter. What seemed unusual was the quietness of the crowd and lack of piped-in music or cheer-prompting messages for fans to clap or scream. There were no mid-inning entertainments, like dizzy bat races, t-shirt throws or kiss cams. Even the stadium announcer was strangely quiet, sounding more like a late-night DJ playing smooth jazz records. While the quietude was refreshing, it seemed a bit too silent for a major league contest.
While we were treated to unexpected free parking, the overpriced MLB ballpark food remained consistent and unimaginative. Fans can walk around the entire stadium on a spacious concourse while watching the action on the field. The ballpark splits its décor with that of the Royals and Rangers, highlighted by both teams’ recent World Champion displays for fans to pose in front of. The best seats in this house could be found by ascending to the 2nd level bar area seating on the 1st base side. Here, better sight lines and shaded seats helped to identify which of the similarly clad teams was in the field and which was at bat.
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