Where to sit at Steinbrenner Field

The good news, and we say this in all sincerity, is that there is not a bad ticketed seat in Steinbrenner Field. This is a Spring Training/minor-league stadium, so every seat is close to the action.

The bad news: occupancy at Tropicana Field was 25,0000, but Steinbrenner’s is just 10,000. That drastic change in availability, along with the novelty of seeing the team play in an intimate ballpark and, on nice days, outside, leads us to wonder how affordable tickets will be.

The lowest posted face-value ticket for any game this season is $36 (though see our Stadium Insiders Tip in the standing-room-only section for how you can get one for $20), with that price soaring for games against the Braves, Yankees, Red Sox, and other popular teams.

Our advice: if there is a game you really want to attend, buy as far in advance as possible to make sure you don’t get gouged on third-party resale sites. But if you just want to attend a game and the schedule isn’t an issue, look for tickets on resale sites for games with less desirable opponents and/or on slower nights. But we’ve also got a few hints about buying tickets directly from the Rays that may be worth it.

Our favorite seats

Our least favorite seats

Seating Areas

The great thing about deciding where to sit at Steinbrenner Field is that it is a small ballpark with a limited variety of different seating options (and we don’t necessarily mean that in a negative way). Once you decide whether you want to be in the main bowl, outfield, or premium sections, picking a specific seat will simply come down to price and/or your preferred vantage point.

Sun and Shade

New to Rays fans after playing their entire history in a dome is sun. And the sun is HOT in Tampa Bay. First-base seats face toward the north, and the third-base seats face toward the east. Generally speaking, and depending on the time of day, you’ll get more sun along the first-base line and in the outfield, so if you’re not working on a tan, you’ll almost always be safer choosing a seat behind home plate or along the third-base line, and the 200 section offers more shade than the 100 section.

Main Bowl: 100 & 200 Levels

Again, Steinbrenner Field is not complicated. The main bowl, which is the seats from home plate down the first- and third-base lines, has just two levels – 100 and 200. And the 200 level would easily be considered the top of the 100 level at any other Major League stadium, so no elevators or escalators or winding ramps needed – just a few stairs.  So if you’re sitting here, you are close to the action and your choice depends on how close to the field you want to be. If we really had to pick the “worst” seats, we’d say a few seats in the last rows of sections 203 and 219, which might feel slightly claustrophobic because of an overhang from the rooftop porches. That being said, these seats are under cover, which is a big help in protecting from sun and rain.

Premium seating

One of the biggest challenges the Rays faced in moving from Tropicana Field to Steinbrenner Field was how to take care of their guests who had become accustomed to the comfort and trappings of premium seating. No sugar-coating it – the limited supply of tickets has had the biggest effect on the price of premium seats, so be prepared for a little sticker shock, especially when you see what comes – and doesn’t come – with these options. But if you can’t put a price on location, these spots might fit the bill for you.

The Dugout Club (Sections 1-12, Rows AAA-BBB)

These are seats in the first two rows just behind home plate. They have padded seats – perhaps not as luxurious as other Major League stadiums, but clearly a step up from all other seating at Steinbrenner Field.

Fans here have access to the Dugout Club, located underneath the concourse, which is accessed via steps right behind these seats. The Club includes complimentary food, beer, wine, and soft drinks (the Rays do not include liquor in any premium section’s free offerings, but it is available for purchase). The menu includes all of your ballpark favorites, like hot dogs, popcorn, pretzels, and a rotating menu that could include such dishes as shrimp & grits, house-smoked brisket, and a macaroni & cheese bar with lobster.

It’s sadly a far cry from the offerings in Tropicana Field’s premium clubs with their carving stations and fresh-rolled sushi, but as we detail in our Gameday section, the Rays’ hands are tied by a couple of issues affecting food service at Steinbrenner. 

Dugout Club seats are only available to season-ticket holders and are not sold to the general public as individual tickets, so you’ll have to find one on third-party resale sites. 

Home Plate Box (Sections 107-115, Rows AA-BB)

These are seats in Rows AA and BB, which are the third and fourth row behind home plate. They are slightly wider than regular seats, and the seat bottom is padded (but not the back), and not as padded as the Dugout Club seats. 

Like The Dugout Club, food, beer, wine, and soft drinks are complimentary, but instead of accessing a club, you’ll have to order from the attendants. The rotating menu is a little less impressive than the Dugout Club as well, with options headlined by caprese paninis and jalapeno cheddar sausages. 

If you can get a good price on these seats, or you can eat enough food and drink enough beer to justify the cost, sure … go right ahead. But if the price here is significantly higher than seats a handful of rows back, we’re not so sure that it’s worth a huge premium. 

Loge Boxes

These seats are at the top of Sections 204-207 along the first-base side and Sections 215-218 along the third-base side. These are free-standing chairs with a bar top in front of you, and we like both of those things. You can move the chairs to get a little more comfortable, especially if the folks on one or both sides of you don’t show, and you have plenty of space for your food, drink, and anything else you don’t want on your lap. The views from the seats are great, too, though obviously far removed from the right-on-top-of-the-action spots that the Dugout Club and Home Plate Box offer.

Food, beer, wine, and soft drinks are also included with these tickets, though with a smaller menu that rotates every homestand. Expect things like empanadas, Cuban sliders, Italian sausages, and a nacho bar, as well as popcorn, churros, and pretzels.

Stadium Insiders Tip: Read our Standing Room Only section for a less expensive option to the Loge Box amenities.

Outfield

No, this isn’t a typical minor league stadium with a lawn in the outfield. Instead, the entire area from foul poul to foul pole is a combination of reserved seats (all with free-standing chairs and food railings), multi-seat tables, and some really compelling general admission options. 

Here are your options ….

Left Field

These seats are higher up than the rest of the outfield, so choose this section if you prefer that higher vantage point. Just note that the team offers these seats to groups, so they might not always be available.

Center Field

These seats are almost field level. While the left-field seats are the most intimate of the outfield options, we find the center-field seats to be more intimate than the right-field ones, as it is simply one row of ticketed seats right on the wall with a single row of standing-room-only high tops behind them.

Right Field

Just like with the center-field seats, you have the option of buying the first row and being right on top of the wall. But right field offers six additional rows, including a top one in a semi-circle configuration around the Viva bar, that are ticketed as the “Viva Victory Ledge.” We found all of these seats to be comfortable and the advantage right field has over the other outfield locations is proximity to the Viva bar, a small concession stand with drinks and snacks and a slightly larger concession stand with hot food. If you choose center or left field, you’ll have to walk a bit to find concessions. 

One other neat option if you have a party of four are tables on the Maintenx Patio. They are semi-circle in shape with four free-standing chairs. They are arranged in a single room so it’s not crowded at all. You do have to buy the entire table of four tickets, though, and when we’ve seen them available, it’s been more than $100 a ticket – so you’ll be paying a premium.

Most games you should be able to find an outfield ticket for $36 from the team site, but we’ve also seen them half that price or cheaper on third-party resell sites, so this is by far the most affordable way to catch a Rays home game this season with a guaranteed seat.

Standing room only

In most ballparks, the standing-room-only options are the “break glass in case of emergency” tickets you buy when all other options are prohibitively expensive, and, unless you get to the ballpark at or near gate opening, your chances of actually securing a seat that you are permitted to sit in are dicey. But we’re pleased that is not the case at Steinbrenner Field. Worst case, you’ll find plenty of acceptable vantage points to stand in, but there are so many open-to-anyone tables and seats that if you get to the park early enough to snag one, you’ll be set for the game in a spot that you gladly would have paid more for. And, one particular standing-room-only ticket option we believe is a diamond in the rough and the best ticket value you’ll find at Steinbrenner Field. 

Important note: SRO tickets only go on sale just before each homestand. For the cheapest option, text RAYS to 42086 and you’ll get a link before each homestand to buy some of the limited number of $20 SRO tickets made available. However, you’ll be able to buy rooftop SRO tickets directly from the team site without a link.

Center Field

These are your prime standing-room-only spots and we advise you to get to the game early to snag one, especially if it’s just two of you. Center field has a row of ticketed seats right on the wall, but just behind them are an endless line of two-person high tops that are open to anyone. And because they are high tops, unless you are really short or the fan in the ticketed row is really tall, you should have a completely unobstructed view of the field. It’s like watching the game at a bar … except you are in the stadium! There are also some standing locations right on the fence in center field.

Right field and left field

If you don’t get to the game in time to snag a center field table, your next best option for a great view of the field is in right field or left field. We’ll steer you to right field first, where you’ll be able to find a limited number of tables without chairs at the outer fence line. You’re still standing, but at least you have a table to put your food and drink on. 

If you miss out on those options, standing room is available for a decent stretch just before each foul pole, with a little extra space in left field, which is a great spot to watch the Mascot Race.

Webullpen Club and Third Base Club

Your chances of seeing the field are remote in both of these places, though better in the Third Base Club (just past Section 120) than the Webullpen Club (just pass Section 102), but if you strike out elsewhere or – more importantly – need to rest your legs for an inning or two, these two spacious and comfortable bars are a good insurance policy for the standing-room-only ticket gamble. Both feature plenty of bar seating with TVs as well as a number of high-top tables. It’s also air-conditioned in these spots, which is a huge plus as we get later into summer scorching season. And don’t forget the cozy back room of the Third Base Club. Dim lighting, comfy couches and several TVs make this a great place to recharge before fighting for a new standing-room-only spot somewhere around the field.

First-Base Rooftop Porch (and Third-Base Rooftop Porch on select games)

We told you there was a diamond in the rough, and here it is! The Rays don’t appear to sell these tickets too far in advance, but once they are on sale, they are a steal. For $72 including fees, you’ll get access to the First-Base Rooftop Porch just above Section 203) (or the Third-Base Rooftop Porch – just above Section 219 –  if it’s not sold to groups). With access to these porches, you get a wristband that entitles you to a complimentary buffet for three hours, with a rotating list of items that could include empanadas, Cuban sliders, Italian sausages, hot dogs and a nacho bar, as well as popcorn, pretzels and churros, as well as complimentary domestic beer, wine and Pepsi products until last call. Since the lowest-priced seated ticket for any game is $36 with fees, you’re looking at an additional $36 without having to buy food or drink almost the entire game. 

But the real steal here is that these areas have lots of unticketed seating. Only the first row in both sections is seated ticket (and those tickets go for $88), so everything else is available first-come, first-served. Choose from bar top tables that are higher than the front row, or additional seating without a view of the field. Be aware that even the seating facing the field doesn’t give you an unobstructed view of the entire field, but the value here is strong nonetheless.

Bottom Line

Steinbrenner Field is one-year-only opportunity for fans to see a regular season game in such an intimate location with literally not a bad seat in the house. The limited capacity, however, has driven prices up, especially in the premium sections, but there’s plenty of value to be found in outfield or standing-room-only tickets, especially on the rooftop porches.