Clover Park (Florida)

Clover Park is a baseball stadium located in Port St. Lucie, Florida. The stadium was built in time for the 1988 season and holds 7,160 people. It is the spring training home of the New York Mets (who moved from St. Petersburg's Al Lang Stadium), as well as the home to the St. Lucie Mets Class A team and the Gulf Coast Mets Rookie League team. The stadium also sometimes hosts college games.

Clover Park
Former namesThomas J. White Stadium (1988–2004)
Digital Domain Park (2010–2012)
Tradition Field (2004–2009; 2012–2016)
First Data Field (2017-2019)
Location31 Piazza Drive
Port St. Lucie, FL 34986[1][2]
Coordinates27°19′31.01″N 80°24′16.18″W
OwnerSt. Lucie County[3]
OperatorSt. Lucie Parks & Recreation Department[3]
Capacity7,160
Field sizeLeft field: 338 feet (103 m)
Left-Center field: 371 feet (113 m)
Center field: 410 feet (120 m)
Right-Center field: 371 feet (113 m)
Right field: 338 feet (103 m)
SurfaceGrass
Construction
Broke groundDecember 19, 1986[3]
Built1987
OpenedMarch 5, 1988[3]
Renovated2019
Construction cost$11 million
($23.8 million in 2019 dollars[4])
ArchitectHoon & White[5]
Structural engineerLantz Jones Nebraska, Inc.[5]
General contractorHunzinger Construction[5]
Tenants
New York Mets (MLB) (spring training)
St. Lucie Mets (FSL) (1988–present)
GCL Mets (GCL) (1992–1999; 2004–2011; 2013–present)

Naming rights

Thomas J. White, the person for whom the stadium was originally named, was a real estate developer from St. Louis, Missouri who worked with sportswriter Jack Champion on the successful campaign to bring the Mets to Port St. Lucie. He was the master developer who gave birth to the town of St. Lucie West. In 2004 the Mets changed the name of the venue to Tradition Field.

On March 23, 2010, during a Mets spring training game against the Atlanta Braves, it was announced that effective immediately the stadium would be renamed Digital Domain Park as a result of a multi-year partnership between the Mets and Digital Domain.

At the end of the 2012 season, the Mets announced that Digital Domain would no longer own the naming rights to the ballpark, and that the stadium would temporarily be renamed Mets Stadium. On February 7, 2013, the Mets struck a new deal with Tradition, Florida, and the ballpark was once again called Tradition Field, the park's name from 2004 to 2009.[6]

On February 23, 2017, the Mets announced a 10-year strategic partnership with First Data to rename the ballpark First Data Field.[7] First Data's 2019 acquisition by Fiserv led in February 2020 to the ballpark being renamed Clover Park for the company's Clover point-of-sale-platform.[8]

Tradition Field in 2009

Improvements

The Stadium featured several new amenities in 2012. The right field bleacher was replaced with 500 field-level seats, highlighted by an outdoor bar and grill similar to the third base-side Tiki Bar. The right field section was also connected to the outfield grass berm area for easy access throughout the facility. The scoreboard was upgraded to include a larger screen featuring replay highlights in HD.[9]

The stadium was renovated for the 2020 Spring Training season. The improvements included new concessions, clubhouse, and additional outfield areas for spectators.

Florida State League All-Star Games

Since opening, Clover Park has hosted the Florida State League All-Star Game a total of three times. The most recent time was in 2015, following the 1994 and 2004 editions of the exhibition game.[10]

References
  1. Natale, Michael (January 16, 2020). "Mets COO Jeff Wilpon Refuses to Comment on the Status of Carlos Beltran's Job". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  2. "Mets honor Mike Piazza by renaming road to spring training facility '31 Piazza Drive'". SportsNet New York. January 16, 2020. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  3. Knight, Graham (May 6, 2010). "Digital Domain Park". Baseball Pilgrimages. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
  4. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  5. "St. Lucie County Sports Complex" (PDF). PCI Journal. September 1989. p. 123. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  6. "Mets Strike Deal with Tradition Florida". Minor League Baseball. February 7, 2013. Retrieved February 9, 2013.
  7. "First Data and New York Mets Announce Long-Term Naming Rights Deal for First Data Field". www.businesswire.com. February 23, 2017.
  8. "New for 2020: Clover Park". Ballpark Digest. August Publications. January 13, 2020. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  9. "Tradition Field Bio" (PDF). Minor League Baseball. Retrieved March 5, 2014.
  10. "St. Lucie Mets set to host 2015 FSL All Star Game". Minor League Baseball. Retrieved June 21, 2014.


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