Valley Strong Ballpark

• Name: Valley Strong Ballpark
• GPS-able Address: 300 North Giddings Street, Visalia, CA 93291
• Ballpark Owner: City of Visalia
• Architects: Unavailable
• Groundbreaking: 1946
• Minor League Baseball/Professional Development League Teams: Visalia Rawhide (A) 2021-present; Visalia Rawhide (A+) 2009-2020; Visalia Oaks (A+) 1995-2008; Central Valley Rockies (A+) 1993-1994; Visalia Oaks (A+) 1990-1992; Visalia Oaks (A) 1977-1989; Visalia Mets (A) 1968-1975; Visalia White Sox (C) 1962; Visalia Athletics (C) 1960-1961; Visalia Redlegs 1957-1959; Visalia Cubs (C) 1954-1956; Visalia Stars (C) 1953; Visalia Cubs (C) 1946-1952
• Pro Baseball Class/League History: A/California League 2022-present; A/Low-A West 2021; A+/California League 1990-2020; A/California League 1963-1989; C/California League 1946-1962
• First Pro Baseball Game: April 1946; stadium debut of Class A Cubs
• Others Playing or Operating Here: None
• Previous Ballpark Names: Recreation Ballpark 1946-2020 (continues to apply to the city's surrounding recreational park)
• LF: 320 CF: 405 RF: 320
• Seats: 1,888
• Stated Capacity: 2,468
• House Baseball/Softball Record Attendance (as currently configured): 4,039, 7/3/2019

Valley Strong Ballpark in Visalia, CA, is the home of the Visalia Rawhide, the Arizona Diamondbacks' Single-A California League farm team. Its 2,700 stated capacity - including "pasture" seating - is Organized Baseball's smallest, but it hosted its first 4,000+ crowd July 3, 2019.

That house record crowd is the smallest of any stadium currently hosting Single-A baseball.

A seven-year renovation that justified a 10-year lease turned a no-frills 1946 facility into a modern, albeit still small, brick beauty. More third-base seating, new seating off right-field, a grass picnic area, party suites and a new grandstand helped increase attendance 70% from 2006 through 2009.

However, that renovation falls short of ballpark standards MLB enacted in its 2021 Minor League Reorganization. On December 22, 2022, Visalia became the first city to sue its Professional Development League licensee over who will pay the resulting costs. The lawsuit says the team turned in a list of necessary improvements that totals $10 million; the city points out it has put $15 million into the ballpark since 2003.[1]

The Rawhide website long referred to the playpen as Rawhide Ballpark, but the city-owned facility's signage said Recreation Ballpark until Valley Strong Credit Union bought naming rights in April 2021 - finally unifying the name.

The ballpark reflects its tenant with images or structures that evoke old television westerns if not the specific 1959-1965 series Rawhide.

The home of the Visalia Mets (1968-1975), Visalia Oaks (1977-1992, 1995-2008) and Visalia Rawhide (2009-present) seats 1,888.