A revival is under way in Sacramento. A team of baseball enthusiasts from Sacramento’s past is working hard to revitalize a park that could be a big part of the city’s future. Renfree Field, once a jewel in Sacramento’s baseball history, today sits abandoned by time and desecrated by vandals who tried to steal copper wire from the electrical lines. A 2012 fire burned the press box and concession stand, leaving just a shell of a ballpark.
Renfree Field today.
But that is about to change, thanks to the vision of Leon Lee, a Sacramento baseball legend who played seven years in the St. Louis Cardinals minor league system before becoming a star in Japan. Lee also served as a consultant for the 1992 movie Mr. Baseball, starring Tom Selleck: Mr. Baseball Trailer
Lee’s vision to revitalize Renfree Field is no Hollywood dream. It’s rooted in Sacramento.
Renfree Field is now a virtually abandoned city park.
Lee told me about his plans during a recent visit to the Limelight – a restaurant that celebrates Sacramento’s baseball history. “The reason I was interested,” he said, is because of “council member and now vice mayor Allen Warren.” Lee explained that Warren asked him to take over the Renfree rebuilding project. “The main interest is just the history behind Renfree Field,” Lee said.
Harry Renfree Field was born in 1967 as Sacramento’s first ballpark with lights and it quickly became a showcase for area talent, featuring Derrek Lee (Leon’s son) of Sacramento’s El Camino High School, who later won a World Series championship with the Florida Marlins in 2003. Former L.A. Dodger Steve Sax (James Marshall High School in West Sacramento) played there too, along with one-time New York Yankee Nick Johnson (McClatchy High School in Sacramento).
Renfree Field to get big makeover.
“And once we got the investors involved, it looked like we could build a really family-friendly community baseball field for higher-level competitions,” Lee told me. “And now it’s getting ready to come to fruition.”
Sacramento baseball legend Leon Lee.
“The groundbreaking right now we’re projecting to be right around mid-June,” Lee explained. Look for the park to be completed in early November, said Lee. “And we’ll be ready to operate for all the high schools and spring activities in the spring. And we’re planning a Minor League fall program there. They’re going to have a developmental fall league for 35-40 games in the fall,” Lee told me. “Hopefully the fans will come out and enjoy it and have a good night and not even eat a hot dog – they might even eat a steak,” he said with a laugh.
“So what’s the field going to look like?” I asked.
“Well when you drive up you’ll see a beautiful plaza,” Lee said. “There’s going to be a street lined with nice palm trees. It’ll be a nice facade out there. You almost get a feeling like you’re walking into the old Wrigley Field.”
Rendering of the new Renfree Field.
Lee told me the park would have more than three thousand seats for the fans. The stadium will include “premium seats behind home plate,” Lee said, along with “outfield bleachers for the bleacher bums.” Imagine a venue with music, mascots and a majestic baseball diamond that will keep Sacramento’s legacy alive.
“At one time,” Lee told me, “we had five Major League managers in the big leagues from Sacramento at the same time.” Baseball legends Dusty Baker, Larry Bowa, Jerry Manuel, Jerry Royster and Buck Martinez all have roots in Sacramento.
Lee’s dream includes a museum honoring the Sacramento region’s biggest baseball stars. “Well you can remember guys like myself,” Lee laughed. You can add Leon Lee’s brother Leron to that list, along with his son Derrek. Throw in Greg Vaughn, Roland Office, Steve Sax, Jermaine Dye (Will C. Wood High School in Vacaville) , Dustin Pedroia (Woodland High School) , Darren Oliver, Chris Bosio, Butch Metzger plus the aforementioned player/managers and you’ve assembled a top-notch team.
So who’s involved in the project besides Lee? Start with Phil Swimley, the long-time baseball coach at UC Davis. Also, Dusty Baker, Jerry Manuel and Greg Vaughn are all on the advisory board for Renfree Field.
The history museum will connect kids from today with names from the past. “We want to recognize all the old ex-professional players that actually went through Harry Renfree,” Lee said. “This is what this field is going to be all about.”
And if you’re interested in baseball history, I’ll have some fun stories to tell and also a book signing for “Baseball Between Us”:
at Sacramento’s Limelight (1014 Alhambra Blvd.) on Friday, June 12 from 5-7 p.m.
Or you can catch me at Barnes & Noble/Arden Fair Mall on Saturday, June 13 from 2 to 4 in the afternoon.
Just in time for Father’s Day.
Hope to see you there!
