Jason Cooper, a resident of Ohio and an avid “stadium chaser” who has caught games in 30 Major League Baseball stadiums and another 25 in minor league parks, was with his wife visiting family near Antioch when they decided to pop into Sacramento to see an Athletics game in the May series against the New York Yankees.
Cooper is part of a nationwide fan base now zeroing in on West Sacramento’s Sutter Health Park, which joined an elite fraternity this year by being one of 30 cities hosting a MLB team. Overnight, in addition to local fans, Sutter Health Park, highlighted through sites like Facebook’s Stadium Chaser, has become a destination for out-of-town fans following their teams on the road or those who try to visit as many MLB parks as possible.
“I thought it was fantastic,” Cooper said of the ballpark. “It’s a very intimate setting to see a Major League Baseball game. If anybody asked me, ‘Would you recommend going to a game there?’ I’d say, hell yes, I would.”
“I thought it was fantastic,” Cooper said of the ballpark. “It’s a very intimate setting to see a Major League Baseball game. If anybody asked me, ‘Would you recommend going to a game there?’ I’d say, hell yes, I would.”
Halfway through the first season the Sacramento area has hosted an MLB team, the spotlight remains squarely on West Sacramento’s 25-year-old Sutter Health Park and home of the minor league Sacramento River Cats, which was recently refurbished to better fit MLB standards and weather the daily wear of two teams playing there. As the A’s residence makes Sutter Health Park one of the busiest minor league ballparks in America, hosting a total of around 150 A’s and River Cats games through September, the impacts on both sides of the Tower Bridge will continue to be felt.
A’s arrival part of ballpark’s 25-year progression
The Athletics’ controversial arrival to West Sacramento followed the team leaving their Oakland Coliseum home of 57 years to temporarily reside in West Sacramento for at least three years while preparing for a scheduled move to Las Vegas for the 2028 season. The sold-out March 31 opener when the A’s took on the Chicago Cubs was attended by 150 members of the media and vaulted the region into the MLB stratosphere.
A’s arrival part of ballpark’s 25-year progression
The Athletics’ controversial arrival to West Sacramento followed the team leaving their Oakland Coliseum home of 57 years to temporarily reside in West Sacramento for at least three years while preparing for a scheduled move to Las Vegas for the 2028 season. The sold-out March 31 opener when the A’s took on the Chicago Cubs was attended by 150 members of the media and vaulted the region into the MLB stratosphere.
Former West Sacramento Mayor Christopher Cabaldon, who helped bring professional baseball to his city, notes that construction of the $46.5 million ballpark in 2000, then called Raley Field, sparked a years-long renaissance of the industrial area that birthed West Sacramento’s Bridge District.
Having served as mayor of West Sacramento from 1998 to 2020, Cabaldon, now a state senator, points out that the A’s arrival is a natural progression of the vision leaders had when the Yolo County city incorporated in 1987.
Having served as mayor of West Sacramento from 1998 to 2020, Cabaldon, now a state senator, points out that the A’s arrival is a natural progression of the vision leaders had when the Yolo County city incorporated in 1987.
“It isn’t as though you open the stadium in 2000 and then suddenly the entire district is built out like somebody was building a theme park,” said Cabaldon, who lives three blocks from the ballpark. “Instead, it created the conditions by which all the other development that has occurred since then.”
Before the A’s announced in April 2024 that they were headed to West Sacramento, there were multiple housing and office developments serving the Bridge District, with names like the Edge, The Block, The Foundry, Capitol Yards, Rivermark and the recently opened 805 Riverfront Apartments, all located within walking distance from the ballpark. There are currently other properties in the district under construction, including Pierside and West Gateway Place II.
Before the A’s announced in April 2024 that they were headed to West Sacramento, there were multiple housing and office developments serving the Bridge District, with names like the Edge, The Block, The Foundry, Capitol Yards, Rivermark and the recently opened 805 Riverfront Apartments, all located within walking distance from the ballpark. There are currently other properties in the district under construction, including Pierside and West Gateway Place II.
The Athletics’ arrival adds 81 home games to the River Cats’ 69-game schedule. Businesses near the park, including in DOCO and Old Sacramento, and on the West Sacramento side, are all part of the ballpark area businesses looking to benefit. Birdies, a new 6,650-square-foot sports-themed nightclub on the bottom floor of 805 Riverfront, is scheduled to open later this summer.
“Having a major league baseball and a minor league baseball team sharing Sutter Health Park has really boosted the local economy with many restaurant owners reporting that businesses have greatly improved since the arrival of the A’s,” West Sacramento Mayor Martha Guerrero said at the State of the City address on June 5.
Since MLB has designated that “Athletics” is the team’s sole name — not the Sacramento Athletics — A’s players wear a badge depicting Sacramento and the Tower Bridge but there’s no official MLB gear that includes Sacramento. As a result, sellers like Sacramento Sports & Souvenirs and Pro Image Sports in Old Sacramento, and Kulture in Midtown, are producing their own hot-selling Sacramento A’s logo gear.
“Having a major league baseball and a minor league baseball team sharing Sutter Health Park has really boosted the local economy with many restaurant owners reporting that businesses have greatly improved since the arrival of the A’s,” West Sacramento Mayor Martha Guerrero said at the State of the City address on June 5.
Since MLB has designated that “Athletics” is the team’s sole name — not the Sacramento Athletics — A’s players wear a badge depicting Sacramento and the Tower Bridge but there’s no official MLB gear that includes Sacramento. As a result, sellers like Sacramento Sports & Souvenirs and Pro Image Sports in Old Sacramento, and Kulture in Midtown, are producing their own hot-selling Sacramento A’s logo gear.
The A’s, while featuring several talented young players like Rookie of the Year candidate Jacob Wilson, slugger Nick Kurtz and dynamic centerfielder Denzel Clarke, have struggled on the field and reside in last place in the American League’s West Division. Through 45 games after the sold-out three-game series against San Francisco that ended July 6, the A’s have drawn a total of 445,144 fans for an average of 9,892 tickets sold per game at a stadium that holds around 13,000, for the MLB, according to ESPN’s 2025 MLB Attendance Report.
The River Cats, meanwhile, have drawn 168,801 fans during their 36 home dates (six scheduled home games in mid-June were moved to Tacoma, Washington, while the field was being resurfaced), for an average of about 4,700 tickets sold per game, down from last season’s 5,400 average.
The River Cats, meanwhile, have drawn 168,801 fans during their 36 home dates (six scheduled home games in mid-June were moved to Tacoma, Washington, while the field was being resurfaced), for an average of about 4,700 tickets sold per game, down from last season’s 5,400 average.
Even though A’s attendance ranks last in the MLB, that’s still almost a half a million more fans descending on West Sacramento through June compared to last year.
“This has definitely been a fun ride so far,” said Joseph Lozoya, retail events manager at the 7-year-old Drake’s: The Barn, which is located along the Sacramento River in the Bridge District and is one of the busiest establishments near the ballpark. Lozoya said they planned to add staff for its July Fourth fireworks watch party while the San Francisco Giants were in town.
“This has definitely been a fun ride so far,” said Joseph Lozoya, retail events manager at the 7-year-old Drake’s: The Barn, which is located along the Sacramento River in the Bridge District and is one of the busiest establishments near the ballpark. Lozoya said they planned to add staff for its July Fourth fireworks watch party while the San Francisco Giants were in town.
Two teams bring in new area residents
The presence of two professional baseball teams also brings dozens of new players and team personnel — though mostly transitional — into the Sacramento housing market, such as A’s team photographer Justine Willard, who moved from the Bay Area to a Bridge District apartment near Sutter Health Park, and radio announcer Johnny Doskow, who lives in an apartment on the Sacramento side just past the Tower Bridge.
The overall housing market is in a slowdown right now, and the impacts from both the A’s and River Cats are “a drop in the bucket” compared to the area’s entire regional housing market, according to analyst and real estate appraiser Ryan Lundquist, founder of the Lundquist Appraisal Company. Lundquist noted that, however, “some owners have clearly benefited from their individual properties being rented or purchased from players and personnel.”
The presence of two professional baseball teams also brings dozens of new players and team personnel — though mostly transitional — into the Sacramento housing market, such as A’s team photographer Justine Willard, who moved from the Bay Area to a Bridge District apartment near Sutter Health Park, and radio announcer Johnny Doskow, who lives in an apartment on the Sacramento side just past the Tower Bridge.
The overall housing market is in a slowdown right now, and the impacts from both the A’s and River Cats are “a drop in the bucket” compared to the area’s entire regional housing market, according to analyst and real estate appraiser Ryan Lundquist, founder of the Lundquist Appraisal Company. Lundquist noted that, however, “some owners have clearly benefited from their individual properties being rented or purchased from players and personnel.”
For obvious privacy reasons, information on where players reside is close-held, though A’s communications director Mark Ling said “lots and lots” of players, including some Solving Sacramento talked with such as rookie shortstop Jacob Abbott, outfielder Lawrence Butler, relief pitcher Tyler Ferguson and All-Star closer Mason Miller, are residing near the ballpark.
“We have a place close to the park and are really enjoying ourselves,” said Miller, who had never been to Sacramento before this year, while attending a personal appearance at the Sacramento SPCA on June 18 with his wife, Jordan Miller, and other A’s players. “I’m from Pittsburgh, and we have a nice set of rivers coming through the city, so I enjoy the [Sacramento] River and I’ve been able to walk along it.”
“We have a place close to the park and are really enjoying ourselves,” said Miller, who had never been to Sacramento before this year, while attending a personal appearance at the Sacramento SPCA on June 18 with his wife, Jordan Miller, and other A’s players. “I’m from Pittsburgh, and we have a nice set of rivers coming through the city, so I enjoy the [Sacramento] River and I’ve been able to walk along it.”
Another recent “stadium chaser” visitor who was impressed was longtime New York resident Kevin Bohannon, who now lives in Santa Clarita.
“I saw the announcement that they were going to play in Sacramento and at that moment I was like, ‘I am absolutely driving up and seeing at least a game in Sacramento,’” said Bohannon, who has now visited 21 MLB stadiums. He caught two games of the Yankees series in West Sacramento. “It was just a last-minute thing; I just was looking for a weekend getaway; thought [Sacramento] was fabulous.”
While local officials have always considered the A’s’ temporary stay in West Sacramento a possible path toward acquiring a permanent team in the region, Cabaldon advises fans to just “revel in the glow” now of an MLB team playing locally.
“I saw the announcement that they were going to play in Sacramento and at that moment I was like, ‘I am absolutely driving up and seeing at least a game in Sacramento,’” said Bohannon, who has now visited 21 MLB stadiums. He caught two games of the Yankees series in West Sacramento. “It was just a last-minute thing; I just was looking for a weekend getaway; thought [Sacramento] was fabulous.”
While local officials have always considered the A’s’ temporary stay in West Sacramento a possible path toward acquiring a permanent team in the region, Cabaldon advises fans to just “revel in the glow” now of an MLB team playing locally.
“Who knows what’s going to happen, years, or a couple of years from now?” he said. “We’ve got something really special, and it’s unexpected. We haven’t been working on this forever; it just basically fell in our lap, and here it is. Let’s enjoy it, support the team and appreciate it. Others will keep working on long-term possibilities.”
This story is part of the Solving Sacramento journalism collaborative. Our partners include California Groundbreakers, Capital Public Radio, Hmong Daily News, Outword, Russian America Media, Sacramento Business Journal, Sacramento News & Review and Sacramento Observer. Support stories like these here, and sign up for our monthly newsletter.