Birmingham Barons step back in time with visit to Rickwood Field ahead of new renovations

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. —

Less than a year from now, Major League Baseball will take over Rickwood Field. Lost in the excitement is the return of the Rickwood Classic next year. Before this year’s minor league season wraps up, the Birmingham Barons got a chance to see where Barons teams of the past called home.

“We felt like we hadn’t taken the opportunity to get over here to introduce the young men to the oldest professional ballpark in the United States that is that is loaded with all kinds of history,” Barons manager Lorenzo Bundy said. “I believe they need to hear this and they need to understand this, and obviously with the MLB playing here next year this gives them an opportunity to see what it is what it looks like right now and what it's going to look like.”

For a lot of players, this was their first time stepping foot inside Rickwood Field. They were excited to take a step back into time and Friends of Rickwood Board Chairman Gerald Watkins hopes some new upgrades will help preserve the field’s history.

“So many cities—Birmingham included—have torn down historic buildings over the years to do new things,” he said. “Rickwood Field survived all that, and it’s important because it’s the oldest ballpark—the last home field that the Negro Leagues can claim as an old field.”

Watkins said the ballpark is in good shape but not good enough for an MLB game.

“New grass, new infield dirt, the dugouts are going to be expanded,” he said. “There’s going to be extended netting down the foul lines and the whole place is going to be just spectacular.”

He and others hope an extra $4.5 million approved by the Birmingham City Council on Tuesday will get the field home run ready.

“It’s got a lot of history to it,” Barons player Alsander Womack said. “I know people probably have stories for days about it, and for it to still be up and running and still be able to play on it, it’s got to mean a lot to the city. It’s got to be something special to them.”

Womack experienced the magic of Rickwood for the first time today, and he said there’s no words to describe the chance to play on the historic field next year.

“Knowing that one of my favorite movies 42 was filmed here—just thinking about that scene—it’s just a surreal moment to actually be out here seeing everything in person,” Womack said. “My pops and the history he has in the game, and all the people that came before me—it would be an honor just to be out here and play where a lot of greats and hall of famers and legends played.”

Rickwood Field will host one more public event before shutting down for renovations next month. Watkins hopes the upgrades are done by May 2024 for Rickwood Classic and the Field of Dreams games.