Tinker Field

Tinker Field
Map
Location287 South Tampa Ave, Orlando, Florida
Coordinates28°32′19″N 81°24′17.2″W / 28.53861°N 81.404778°W / 28.53861; -81.404778
OwnerCity of Orlando
OperatorCity of Orlando
Capacity5,014 (1965–2015)
4,000 (1933–1964)
1,500 (1923–1932)
Field sizeLeft Field - 340 ft (104 m)[1]
Center Field - 412 ft (126 m)[2][3][4]
Right Field - 320 ft (98 m)
SurfaceGrass
Construction
Broke ground1914
Built1914
Opened1923
DemolishedJune 2015
Tenants
Cincinnati Reds (MLB) (spring training) 1923–1933
Brooklyn Dodgers (MLB) (spring training) 1934–1935
Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins (MLB) (spring training) 1936–1990
Orlando Rays (SAL/SL) 1963–1999
Orlando Suns (FCSL) 2008
Tinker Field
Tinker Field is located in Florida
Tinker Field
Location in Florida
Tinker Field is located in the United States
Tinker Field
Location in United States
Location1610 W. Church St., Orlando, Florida
Area7 acres (2.8 ha)
Built1922 (1922)
NRHP reference No.04000456[5]
Added to NRHPMay 14, 2004

Tinker Field was an outdoor baseball stadium in Orlando, Florida, United States. Named after Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Joe Tinker, it was located in the West Lakes neighborhoods of Downtown Orlando. In April 2015, the City of Orlando tore down the grandstands and removed all other extant buildings, due to its proximity to renovation work on the Orlando Citrus Bowl football stadium (later renamed as Camping World Stadium). The ballpark is now memorialized by Tinker Field History Plaza.[6]

Constructed in 1914, Tinker Field was the spring training home of the Brooklyn Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds, Washington Senators, and Minnesota Twins. It was also the home park of the Orlando Rays minor league baseball team before they moved to Cracker Jack Stadium in 2000. It was located directly adjacent to the western side of the aforementioned football stadium and boasted a capacity of 5,100 before the grandstands were removed in 2015.

  1. ^ "Tinker Field - Ballpark History". springtrainingonline.com. Retrieved March 18, 2016.
  2. ^ "Pitchers Look Good As CBs Work Out". The Orlando Sentinel. April 1, 1954. p. 16. "Charlie [Big Dike] Wilson[...] showed decided promise. [...] He connected for two doubles, one of them hitting the fence in dead centerfield on one bounce, 412 feet from home plate. Yesterday's workout was the first at Tinker's Field for the CBs." Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  3. ^ Sokolove, Michael (March 9, 1987). "Reds' 8-7 loss not beautiful, but young players raise value". The Cincinnati Post. p. 22. "It's hard to imagine what's more quickly forgotten than a March 8 game at Tinker's Field against the anonymous Twins. [...] Utility candidate Lloyd McClendon had a strange day. He hit a double to the base of the 412-foot centerfield wall, and walked in all three of his other at-bats." Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  4. ^ Greenberg, Steve (1990). The Minor League Road Trip. New York: Viking Penguin. p. 52. ISBN 0828907714.
  5. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
  6. ^ "Tinker Field History Plaza". orlando.gov. Retrieved August 20, 2023.