Best Values Can Be Found in the Best Division in Baseball

SI.com has issued their Fan Value Index 2006 -- an analysis of what ballparks provide fans with the best overall experience for their dollar, as judged by the fans themselves.

The survey looked at:

• Average ticket price
• Average cost of concessions/souvenirs
• Accessibility
• Amenities
• Atmosphere
• Neighborhood
• Team

The top five team/ballpark experiences as ranked by the fans are:

1) Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (Angel Stadium)
2) Colorado Rockies (Coors Field)
3) Pittsburgh Pirates (PNC Park)
4) Milwaukee Brewers (Miller Park)
5) Texas Rangers (Ameriquest Field)

The five worst team/ballpark experiences are:

26) Los Angeles Dodgers (Dodger Stadium)
27) Florida Marlins (Dolphin Stadium)
28) Boston Red Sox (Fenway Park)
29) New York Mets (Shea Stadium)
30) Washington Nationals (RFK Stadium)

And, for those who can only recognize baseball team names if they are deified by ESPN, other notables include:

19) New York Yankees (Yankee Stadium)
24) Chicago Cubs (Wrigley Field)

What is most interesting about this list is when you look at it on a division-by-division basis you find that the best fan value can be found in the best division in baseball, the American League Central.

Here is the proof:

For comparison purposes, I grouped the rankings by division, and then averaged the score for all of the teams in that division. This yielded the following results (lower score is better -- remember, these are rankings):

AL Central: 8.00
NL Central: 11.83
AL West: 12.25
NL West: 15.8
AL East: 21.40
NL East: 23.80

Based upon these figures, one can't help but conclude that the fans attending the Tigers/Twins/White Sox games making up the AL wild card chase are enjoying perhaps the best wild card value, ever.