Blue Wahoos claim 'Best Seat' honors

A panoramic view of the ocean is an obvious attraction to Pensacola's Bayfront Stadium, but Blue Wahoos president Jonathan Griffith says the iconic vista isn't everything.

"We really push the customer service and satisfaction and helping the quality life of Pensacola -- that's what we do," he said. "The view is just icing on the cake."

Really, really delicious icing, of course. The Southern League team's scenic stadium won MiLB.com's first-ever "Best Seat in the House" contest Thursday after fans across the nation voted the view from the Double-A club's field the best in the Minors.

Pensacola Bayfront Stadium, which opened in 2012, boasts plenty of reasons to head south: the Florida weather, modern ballpark construction, variety of local food and a never-ending view of the Gulf of Mexico has made the Blue Wahoos a hot attraction since the team opened its doors. The club, which ranks second in the Southern League this season in average attendance, edged Quad Cities (2) and Fort Wayne (3) in fan voting along with a pair of Triple-A ballparks with downtown city views in Nashville (4) and Indianapolis (5) rounding out the top five.

"We're extremely excited," Griffith said. "It really shows off our community here in Pensacola. The whole reason for this ballpark was to help the economic development of downtown Pensacola and improve the quality of life. Getting this, where you're No. 1 -- it shows people across the country what a great area we live in."

The specific view offered up by the team for voting is from near Section 103 atop the third-base line, where the Hancock Bank Club offers "breathtaking views of both Pensacola Bay and the playing field."

The stadium was designed by Populous (formerly known as HOK Sport), the agency that first gained wide praise for its construction of Oriole Park at Camden Yards in 1992. Since then, the group has helped create ballparks around the country, including PETCO Park in San Diego, both throwback-inspired Yankee Stadium and Citi Field in New York and modern facilities like Target Field in Minnesota and Marlins Park in Miami. The company also designed Fort Wayne's Parkview Field and Nashville's brand-new First Tennesssee Park, among dozens of other Minor League fields.

The view of Pensacola Bay, Griffith said, is the Minor League equivelent of San Francisco's oceanfront AT&T Park.

"I think it's really that view -- it's pretty unique," Griffith said. "A lot of people that come down here compare us to San Francisco as beng right on the bay like that. It's really a unique setting -- we're very fortunate to see the Gulf of Mexico from the upper deck."

Griffith said fans in Pensacola have a choice of whether they'd like a sprawling view of the ocean or an up-close seat near the dugouts and field, where the Cincinnati Reds' affiliate plays. 

"[The view] is really all around the ballpark, unless you're in the front row," he said. "Everywhere you sit, you have a view of the water, and in the lower deck, you're more into the game. We tell everyone -- we have about 2,400 season-ticket holders --- all of them, they have a chance to switch their seat every year, and you get some that say, 'Hey, I want that Gulf breeze,' and you have the others that just want to be down there and smell the dirt. We get a little of everything, so it's really a great situation. Even the so-called worst seats on the berm, on one side, you're right on the bay."

Quad Cities' Modern Woodmen Park has been a familiar view in the Midwest League since 1931. Fans in Iowa can see a ferris wheel in left field, the nearby Mississippi River and the arching Centennial Bridge over the right-field fence.

Parkview Field in Fort Wayne, Indiana, opened in 2009 and includes a section called the Ortho NorthEast Treetops, which "provide an experience reminiscent of the famed Wrigley Rooftops -- but at a fraction of the cost."

Other top-10 finishers include Salt Lake, which offers a striking view of snow-capped mountains; Durham and its iconic snorting Bull sign; Frisco's Dr Pepper Ballpark, where you can watch the game from a swimming pool; and Nashville, which opened in April and offers a gigantic guitar-shaped videoboard in right-center.

"As we always say, we have one of the largest fish tanks a stadium could provide in Pensacola Bay," Griffith said. "We have the Port of Pensacola out past center field, and we have a lot of unique things, different ships that come in. That sets us apart."

Speaking of similar views, the Staten Island Yankees' Richmond County Bank Ballpark finished 13th in voting -- that stadium provides a view of Lower Manhattan, the ocean, One World Trade Center and the many passing ships and ferries connecting Staten Island to the rest of New York City.

Fans also voted for photos of favorite fan-submitted ballpark views, with another Southern League club, the Chattanooga Lookouts, claiming victory after gaining support on Twitter and Instagram. Pensacola finished No. 2 in that vote.

Griffith thanked the fans in Pensacola for the support and said the feeling is mutual.

"I think the overall support in Pensacola has been amazing -- this really this is the Gulf Coast's baseball team," he said. "We put [the contest voting] on social media; we did announcements in ballpark as well letting all of our resources know. They embrace the team, and being able to vote is how they showed their support. I think more than the view, it's our customer service -- we pride ourselves on that more than anything."