Target Field Bat & Barrel Named Best MLB Renovation for 2018

The Minnesota Twins’ new Target Field club, Bat & Barrel, was recently awarded the 2018 Ballpark Digest Award for Best MLB Renovation. Created in collaboration with Shea Inc. to replace the former Metropolitan Club, Bat & Barrel is open to all fans, offering Twins fans a new way to take in the game in one of Major League Baseball’s most awarded ballparks.

“During the season, you’d see plenty of folks moving in and out of the space, many for an inning or three. It certainly was a hot spot and attracted a prime sports-going demographic: millennials who don’t spend nine innings glued to their seats,” said Kevin Reichard Publisher of Ballpark Digest.

Designed as an open, social gathering space to immerse fans in Twins history, the club features large field-facing operable glass walls, an infield-shaped bar, Minnesota-based original artwork and 1987 and 1991 World Series trophies in addition to other prominent awards won by Twins players. A new signature stairwell and elevator connected to the main concourse make Bat & Barrel accessible to all Twins fans.

“By making it open for all fans, it became a much more active space and much more of a destination in the ballpark than it was,” said Dave St. Peter, Minnesota Twins President and CEO. “Younger customers aren’t looking for a fixed seat, but a shared experience with friends. But Bat & Barrel also caters to different fans. There’s a lively pregame atmosphere with season-ticket holders as well.”

Changes at Target Field will continue in 2019 with the Twins extending Gate 34 closer to First Avenue, creating a new plaza. In-line with Bat & Barrel’s goals, the new project creates another space where Twins fans can gather before, during and after a Twins game. New entry gates will be added to adapt to new security and ticketing needs, and a multi-use pavilion and plaza will create additional in-game entertainment options for fans.

“Populous has always operated under the need to change the status-quo, a sentiment that the Twins also share. As a result we’ve been fortunate to work with the team to create new types of amenities in Target Field and reset expectations for what a ballpark can offer fans,” said Bruce Miller, Senior Principal at Populous.

Designed by Populous and unveiled on opening day in 2010, Target Field was named Sports Facility of the Year by Street & Smith’s Sports Business Journal and ranked the best stadium experience in all of professional sports in North America by ESPN the Magazine.

To learn more about increasing fan engagement at your ballpark, contact Bruce Miller.