North Carolina ballpark named minor league baseball’s best in its class
If you haven’t yet made the trip to Kannapolis this summer, you might want to. It’s home to one of the best ballparks in minor-league baseball — at least according to one survey.
Atrium Health Ballpark, home of the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers, was named Ballpark Digest’s best Low-A stadium in the country during its Best of Ballparks 2021 contest. All 30 Low-A parks were in the running, and Kannapolis lasted through five rounds of voting before beating the Bradenton Marauders’ LECOM Park for the final honor.
“This award would not be possible without the vision of the city of Kannapolis, all of the design and construction partners that collaborated on the project, and most importantly the continued support of our community and fan base,” Cannon Ballers General Manager Matt Millward said in a release. “We are beyond honored to receive the distinction as Best of the Ballparks, but this is only the beginning of an amazing future ahead for the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers and Atrium Health Ballpark. The best is yet to come.”
More than 35,000 fans voted for the award. Kannapolis is a 35-minute drive northeast of uptown Charlotte just off of Interstate 85.
The Cannon Ballers, the Low-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox — who have farm teams in Winston-Salem (High-A) and Charlotte (Triple-A) — are in their first season with a new name. It’s also the inaugural season for Atrium Health Ballpark, which was set to open for the Cannon Ballers in 2020 before the coronavirus pandemic wiped out the entirety of last year’s minor-league schedule.
Kannapolis’ previous minor league team was known as the Intimidators, paying homage to hometown hero Dale Earnhardt, but announced a name change in 2019 because the club didn’t own “Intimidator” could not build marketing and branding around it.
Atrium Health Ballpark, located in the middle of a revitalized downtown Kannapolis and blocks from the town’s Amtrak station, is a $52 million ballpark and serves as a community park and splash pad on non-game days.
The Cannon Ballers have four more week-long home series this season, beginning Tuesday against Salem.
