Blair Field Facelift A Boon To Area Code Games, Long Beach State Alike

As far as recognizable baseball landmarks go, Blair Field in Long Beach, Calif., probably isn’t one. To casual fans, the 3,238-seat stadium—sandwiched neatly between Wilson Classical High School and Recreation Park Golf Course—is likely indistinguishable from the countless other amateur baseball stadiums that dot the Southern California landscape.

But thanks in large part to the stadium’s longstanding relationship with the Area Code Games, there might not be another stadium in the country that has played host to more baseball talent over the years.

Although it seems difficult to prove, Long Beach State, which has played its home games at Blair Field since 1993 and leased the field from the city of Long Beach in 2010, claims “more future major leaguers have played in high school, Legion, Connie Mack or collegiate games at Blair Field than any other field in the country.”

Brewers West Coast crosschecker Corey Rodriguez is the general manager of the Brewers Area Code Games team and has been involved in the event for more than 20 years. He is armed with his own impressive factoid about Blair Field, which is that every first-rounder in the history of the MLB Draft from Southern California has played there at least once.

And one of the premier prep baseball showcases—the Area Code Games, which began last week with teams hosting regional tryouts around the country—has been a key contributor to that history. What started as a small regional tournament in Northern California, the Games moved to Blair Field in 1991 and aside from one year at San Diego State, have been at Blair Field ever since.

Organizers love it for its central location, which makes coordinating player travel easier. Players love it because there are few better settings for baseball than an August night in Long Beach. And most importantly, the scouts love the setting for the indelible baseball memories that have been made there.

“Every guy that comes here can remember when Ryan Braun hit two home runs here as a sophomore or when Chase Utley hit a line drive off the pitcher’s shoulder,” Rodriguez said. “You what Clayton Kershaw did or what Nolan Arenado did because they did it in the very same place these kids are doing it now. There is just something about this place … like it has a different energy.”

The relationship between the Blair Field and the Area Code Games has always been good. But it really began to blossom when Long Beach State assumed control of day-to-day operations in 2010. It isn’t hard to see why the relationship is mutually beneficial. With the Area Code Games, Long Beach State got a premier baseball showcase that brings buzz and arguably the largest collection of prep baseball talent in the country to its backyard.

“The Area Code Games had been playing (at Blair Field) since before Long Beach State took over operations. But for us, it was a no-brainer to keep inviting them back,” said Wayne Stickney, senior associate athletic director at Long Beach State. “Not only does (the Area Code Games) bring exposure to the field and the school, but it benefits our program as well because it is a great recruiting tool.”

In January, Long Beach State broke ground on Phase One of a $17 million renovation project, which included the construction of a new outfield fence that would make the park a bit more hitter-friendly. When that was done in February, the school on May 1 broke ground on Phase Two, which is involves a batting facility (funded by alum Troy Tulowitzki) and a three-mound bullpen (funded by alum Jered Weaver). Future phases will likely include the construction of a new clubhouse and some new fan amenities.

Perhaps the only people as excited about the renovations as Long Beach State personnel themselves are Area Code Games officials. Rodriguez says that the new dimensions will help the field play “truer” and Area Code Games baseball director Kirsten Leetch says the fence already gives the stadium a newer feel.

Although the Area Code Games weren’t the root cause for the renovations, the two are directly connected. Long Beach State assistant athletics director for facilities Sam Dores has worked with Leetch on the Games since he arrived at the school and he says the two are already communicating several times a week with updates and progress–a gesture Leetch found refreshingly uncommon in what is ostensibly a landlord-tenant relationship.

Given how friendly these new dimensions will be for hitters, it is possible scouts like Rodriguez will have a whole new trove of memories to recall when the tournament comes back to Long Beach in 2017.