Ed Smith Stadium

Ed Smith StadiumSarasota, Florida: For over twenty years, Ed Smith Stadium has played host to every level of baseball from high school to professional as well as hosted concerts, circuses and even political rallies. The tradition of baseball nearly came to an end, but a last minute vote by local government saved the tradition and brought with it a multi-million dollar renovation to the ballpark. Today the facility is the spring training home of the Baltimore Orioles.

Built in 1989, Ed Smith Stadium features seating for 7,500 people. The stadium has been the spring training home to the Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds and most recently the Baltimore Orioles. During the summer and fall, the stadium has hosted a minor league baseball team as well as high school and amateur tournaments. When baseball is not in season, the stadium offers its grounds for the Sarasota Blue Festival, Circus Sarasota and during the 2009 elections was the site of Barack Obama’s Sarasota rally.

  • 1989-1997: Chicago White Sox (major league spring training)
  • 1989-1993: Sarasota White Sox (minor league affiliate of Chicago White Sox)
  • 1994-2004: Sarasota Red Sox (minor league affiliate of Boston Red Sox)
  • 1998-2009: Cincinnati Reds (major league spring training)
  • 2004-2009: Sarasota Reds (minor league affiliate of Cincinnati Reds)
  • 2010-present: Baltimore Orioles (major league spring training)

The stadium came close to losing baseball in 2008. After county voters rejected a bond to renovate the aging Ed Smith Stadium, the Cincinnati Reds organization chose to not renew their lease with the city of Sarasota and moved their operations to Arizona. City and County government officials quickly worked to try and get another club to replace the Reds. They tried to lure the Boston Red Sox but the package failed. They then began negotiations with the Baltimore Orioles, who already had minor league operations across town at Twin Lakes Park. The Orioles and county officials reached an agreement and the Orioles agreed to train in Sarasota for the next thirty years.

Part of the agreement included a major renovation to the stadium. The $31 million dollar renovations will include new facades, increase seating to 9,000, addition of berm seating, new major league clubhouse facility and new minor league clubhouse at Twin Lakes. The renovations began at the end of spring training in 2010 and is expected to be completed by spring 2011.

Click the photo above to visit the Ed Smith Stadium photo gallery.

Updated November 8, 2010

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