Cheapest seats in baseball at Chase
Study: Diamondbacks offer best value for fans
The Arizona Diamondbacks so far this year are one of the hottest teams in baseball. The club also is giving fans a lot of bang for the buck.
A new study ranks the D-Backs as having the least-expensive tickets in baseball. The report also says the team has the lowest combined average costs for tickets, food, drinks, parking and souvenirs.
Pricing partly reflects what fans can afford, with metro Phoenix ranking relatively low in household incomes.
At $19.65, the Diamondbacks are the only team with an average ticket price below $20, according to the updated Fan Cost Index from Team Marketing Report. The average Major League ticket price is $32.44.
The Chicago Cubs top the standings with an average ticket price of $58.57, followed by the Boston Red Sox ($56.97), New York Yankees ($47.62), Washington Nationals ($42.02) and Los Angeles Dodgers ($41.13).
Overall ticket prices rose 2.7 percent compared with last year.
The report also provides an average combined cost for four adult tickets, parking and the least-expensive ballpark prices for two draft beers, four soft
drinks, four hot dogs and two baseball caps.
In this combined cost measure for a day at the ballpark, the D-Backs also offer the best values — an average of $145.58 for the four tickets, parking, food, drinks and caps. The Phoenix franchise has “had a stranglehold on the lowest (combined costs) since 2009,” the report said.
The Major League average for all that stuff is $230.98.
The Cubs top the list, again, at $368.28.
They’re followed by the Red Sox ($345.88), Yankees ($301.46), San Francisco Giants ($271.70), Dodgers ($268.02) and Nationals ($266.06).
Aside from the D-Backs, other lowest-priced clubs include the Tampa Bay Rays ($156.40) and Pittsburgh Pirates ($178.72).
This year marks the first time since 2009 that the Red Sox aren’t the most costly team, thanks to a partnership with various garages around Fenway Park in offering less-expensive parking.
In addition to cheap tickets, the DBacks also are among the least-expensive franchises for beer, soft drinks, hot dogs and caps.
“It is our goal to always be one of the most affordable and fan-friendly teams in not only MLB, but among all professional sports teams,” D-Backs President and CEO Derrick Hall said a prepared statement.
He said the team takes great pride in having had the lowest overall costs for the past decade.
Stadium size and team popularity are among the many factors that affect supply and demand.
In addition, ballpark prices correlate to what fans can afford.
Of the nation’s 25 most populous metro areas, Phoenix ranks 20th in household income, according to the Census Bureau, followed by Detroit, San Antonio and the Florida cities of Orlando, Miami and Tampa.
Ballpark costs for Detroit, Miami and Tampa also are below average, while San Antonio and Orlando don’t have Major League baseball teams.
Household incomes are highest in San Francisco, Washington and Boston.