Hammond Stadium is a baseball

Baseball

Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...

 field located in the Lee County

Lee County, Florida

Lee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. Located in southwest Florida, the principal cities in the county are Fort Myers and Cape Coral...

 Sports Complex in South Fort Myers, Florida

South Fort Myers, Florida

South Fort Myers is an unincorporated area of Lee County, Florida, United States. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2000 the area had a population of 49,912....

, United States. The stadium was built in and holds 7,500 people. It is the Spring Training

Spring training

In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...

 home of the Minnesota Twins

Minnesota Twins

The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...

, and houses their Class A Advanced affiliate, the Fort Myers Miracle

Fort Myers Miracle

The Fort Myers Miracle is the Class A Advanced minor league baseball affiliate of the Minnesota Twins Major League Baseball club, currently managed by Jake Mauer. Home games are played at the Lee County Sports Complex in Hammond Stadium, which has a capacity of 7,500, and opened in...

, in the Florida State League

Florida State League

The Florida State League is a Class A-Advanced minor league baseball league operating in the state of Florida. They are one of three leagues currently operating in Class A-Advanced, the third highest of six classifications of minor leagues...

. The Twins' Rookie League affiliate, the Gulf Coast League Twins

Gulf Coast League Twins

The Gulf Coast League Twins are the Rookie "A" Level Minor League Baseball affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. The team plays in Fort Myers, Florida, at the Lee County Sports Complex....

 also play in the Lee County Sports Complex, however, not at Hammond Stadium.

The stadium is named in honor of current Lee County Deputy Administrator, William H. Hammond, Jr., who was instrumental in getting the Lee County Sports complex built to draw the Twins from their previous Spring home, Orlando, Florida

Orlando, Florida

Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...

. Hammond Stadium's outer facade was designed with Churchill Downs

Churchill Downs

Churchill Downs, located in Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, is a Thoroughbred racetrack most famous for hosting the Kentucky Derby annually. It officially opened in 1875, and held the first Kentucky Derby and the first Kentucky Oaks in the same year. Churchill Downs...

 in mind. The parking rows all feature streets signs named to honor former Twins greats-- including Bert Blyleven

Bert Blyleven

Bert Blyleven is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played from to , and was best known for his curveball. Blyleven was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2011...

, Kirby Puckett

Kirby Puckett

Kirby Puckett was a Major League Baseball center fielder. He played his entire 12-year baseball career with the Minnesota Twins and he is the Twins franchise's all-time leader in career hits, runs, doubles, and total bases...

 and Kent Hrbek

Kent Hrbek

Frequently injured , Hrbek retired after the players strike in 1994, citing his nagging injury problems and desire to spend more time with his wife and daughter at their home in Bloomington, MN...

. There is also a waterfall fountain near the stadium's entrance.

The Twins won the World Series

World Series

The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...

 following their first Spring Training in Hammond Stadium. Their agreement with Lee County for use of the complex runs through 2011. The Florida State League held the 48th annual Florida State League All-Star Game at Hammond Stadium in June . The previous time the league held the mid-season classic in Fort Myers was .

Hammond Stadium is one of three Spring training facilities in Fort Myers. The Boston Red Sox

Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...

 train in City of Palms Park

City of Palms Park

City of Palms Park is a stadium in Fort Myers, Florida primarily used for baseball, although the City of Fort Myers uses the venue for the occasional concert. Former Boston Red Sox left fielder Mike Greenwell is from Fort Myers, and was instrumental in bringing his team to the city for spring...

 in Downtown Fort Myers. Terry Park Ballfield

Terry Park Ballfield

The Terry Park Ballfield is a historic site in Fort Myers, Florida, United States. The park is named after the family that donated the land in the 1920s. For years the stadium has hosted Major League Baseball spring training as well as a dozen years of Florida State League baseball...

 (also known as the Park T. Pigott Memorial Stadium) in East Fort Myers is currently not in use, however, it is the former home of the Philadelphia Athletics, Cleveland Indians

Cleveland Indians

The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...

, Pittsburgh Pirates

Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...

 and Kansas City Royals

Kansas City Royals

The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...

.

Field Dimensions

Hammond Stadium's dimensions compared to Target Field

Target Field

Target Field is a baseball park located in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the home ballpark of the Minnesota Twins, the city's Major League Baseball franchise. It is the franchise's sixth ballpark and third in Minnesota. The Twins moved to Target Field for the 2010 Major League Baseball...

are:

Left Field	9 feet shorter	330' vrs. 339'
Left-Center	_ feet shorter	___' vrs. 377'
Deep Left-Center	_ feet shorter	___' vrs. 411'
Center Field	2 feet longer	405' vrs. 403'
Right-Center	_ feet shorter	___' vrs. 365'
Right Field	2 feet longer	330' vrs. 328'

External links

• William H. Hammond Stadium Views - Ball Parks of the Minor Leagues