Leidos Field at Ripken Stadium

• Name: Leidos Field at Ripken Stadium
• GPS-able Address: 873 Long Dr., Aberdeen, MD 21001
• Ballpark Owner: City of Aberdeen
• Architects: The Design Exchange; Ripken Design
• Groundbreaking: 10/23/2000
• Minor League Baseball/Professional Development League Teams: Aberdeen IronBirds (A+) 2021-present; Aberdeen IronBirds (A-) 2002-2020
• Pro Baseball Class/League History: A+/South Atlantic League 2022-present; A+/High-A East 2021; A-/New York-Pennsylvania League 2002-2020
• First Pro Baseball Game: 6/18/2002; stadium debut of Class A-Short Season IronBirds
• Others Playing or Operating Here: None
• Previous Ballpark Names: None
• LF: 310 CF: 400 RF: 310
• Seats: 5,747
• Stated Capacity: 6,300
• House Baseball/Softball Record Attendance (as currently configured): 6,904, 7/3/2012

Photograph Courtesy of (c) Eric and Wendy Pastore http://www.digitalballparks.com

Leidos Field at Ripken Stadium in Aberdeen, MD, is the home of the Aberdeen IronBirds, the Baltimore Orioles' High-A South Atlantic League farm team. The 'Birds are owned by Ripken Baseball, which is headed by Orioles great Cal "Iron Man" Ripken Jr.

In 2002, Ripken bought the Utica Blue Jays to move them to brand-new Ripken Stadium in the family's long-time hometown. The move would eventually end baseball's then-longest affiliation at 53 years, when the O's dropped the Appalachian League's Bluefield Orioles after the 2010 season. Bluefield and Aberdeen were in different levels of short-season affiliated baseball, and few organizations had teams in both.

The IronBirds sold out their first 10 seasons.

MLB's 2021 Minor League Reorganization greatly expanded existing standards for stadiums hosting affiliated teams. Maryland later folded upgrades for Professional Development League parks into a billion-dollar measure that will also improve the homes of the Orioles and the NFL's Baltimore Ravens. The owners of the stadiums where the IronBirds, as well as the Bowie Baysox and Delmarva Shorebirds, are seeking shares of that money to bring their ballparks up to grade.

Leidos, Inc., a Virginia-based technology firm, bought naming rights in 2015 but left the Ripken name on the playpen by putting its own on the field. The Ripken/Aberdeen relationship eventually degenerated into a lawsuit over stadium control, but it was settled in late 2019.

Ripken's ballpark went to artificial turf and a new set of lights in 2021.

View of the scoreboard.