LECOM Park — Attraction in Bradenton

Hard to believe the Pirates think this is a great fan experience. The neighborhood is very depressed and I would not feel safe walking at night. Field has no official parking associated with it that I can see. The police close off the block near the entrance (9th St W) before the game so you are left driving around the shady neighborhoods. No place to eat before the game within walking distance other than a Domino's pizza. Even a police officer confirmed there is no place that he would recommend. However, there are 3 or 4 local auto repair shops directly across the street from the stadium if you want to get your car serviced while you go to the game, I guess. We parked in a church sponsored parking lot off 17th Ave W for $5 vs. taking our chances on the street. The stadium itself is odd. Standard, typical ball park fare with major league prices. The courtyard has minimal seating so you most likely will eat what you purchase at some of the stand up tables. There are 3 or 4 Adirondack chairs, a few picnic tables and then space. Try to get to the bar in the outfield. Although expensive, there is shade and table seating. Only 2 of the seating sections have a roof and are in the shade. The end sections are bleachers not seats. The weirdest thing was some guy "renting out" chair pads for $1 which are to be returned after the game if I understood what he was saying correctly. Sounds like they made some nice improvements but the overall fan experience was average. We still like Clearwater the best out of the 7 we have...

My son and I are baseball nuts. We follow the Florida State League (Especially the Clearwater Threshers) We were totally surprised on a recent trip here for a ballgame. We hadn't been here for a few years. We avoided coming here. The stadium crew were always friendly and attentive. But, the place was dimly lit. And, they had a huge gnat problem as well. And the food? Well... You were better off going next door to Domino's before or after the game. But, Domino's is gone and so is the name McKechnie Field. Now replaced with the name LECOM Park... It's much more than a name change! They added lighting around the stadium. The gnats are gone. They now have a great selection of food, with great flavor. And, the prices are better too! Their staff is still outstanding as well. i think they are one of the best crews in the FSL. (along with the crew in Charlotte and my hometown crew in Clearwater!) LECOM now features an ability to walk around the stadium 360. (A trend started in Clearwater!) A really cool feature in centerfield is the wall documenting all the Mauraders playing in the majors. But, the best feature is the video replays of the game in progress. I haven't seen this in any other park. This is my favorite place to see a ballgame in Florida....

Had a great time watching some spring training. Great views from all around the stadium. Didn’t eat, but a lot of options. Couple places to buy some souvenirs. Saw Mitch Keller signing some autographs behind right field while I was walking around. I loved being able to walk around the ballpark.

Couple of downfalls. Major one is parking. Got there about 45 minutes before game time and the lot by home plate was full. We ended up parking in someone’s front yard a block and a half away for $10. I saw some people parking on the street, and wasn’t sure of the rules on it so decided to just pay. You may be able to street park for free though. Although by the time we got there you’d have to park pretty far away.

As far as the stadium, we were in the top row. We had great seats, but they almost felt loose. We kind of felt like we were leaning forward in our seats and they were extremely tight.

I was also disappointed in the right field area. I’ve seen the bar and the seating on TV, but it was all reserved for groups. Not sure if that the norm for spring training or not, but I was disappointed not to be able to grab a beer and sit on the boardwalk out there.

I still had a blast and would love to come back...