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A smaller version of the "Green Monster" at Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox, is now at "The Show" youth baseball complex at Fort Utah Park in Provo.

Courtesy Provo City

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Four baseball fields at Fort Utah Park have kids dreaming of the "Big Show" after a Major League Baseball-inspired design theme.

Courtesy Provo City

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One of four dugouts in the colors of Major League Baseball teams for Provo youth teams at Fort Utah Park.

Courtesy Provo City

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It’s a kid’s dream, the young boys of summer, the baseball kids who one day hope to be called up to the “Big Show” now have a show piece of sorts of their own to play at in Provo.

Four new youth fields, reminiscent of iconic baseball stadiums, are striving to make that dream seem achievable for every aspiring professional. They are located at Fort Utah Park, 200 N. Geneva Road.

Since early summer, boys in grades 3-6 have had new surroundings to play on. Their final games are Friday. You may not get a fancy “Dodger Dog” or beer on tap at the stadiums, but the rest of the experience is giving players a vision what it’s like to play in a field of dreams.

The young girls’ softball teams play at Harmon Park at 900 East and 200 South.

“A vision 10 years in the making, ‘The Show’ is a four-field, youth baseball field — but through experienced-based facility design it pays homage to Major League Baseball (MLB), while serving as an inspiration to ‘ballers’ who envision themselves future baseball heroes,” Scott Henderson, Provo Parks and Recreation director, stated in a press release.

More than 200 baseball players have now experienced youth baseball as never before in Provo — with Major League Baseball elements including iconic ballfields, walk-up batting music and players’ name announcements. Leagues progress from Rookie, Minor to Major.

With a goal of making baseball a more immersive experience, each field showcases an iconic feature from their MLB stadium counterparts, bringing Major League Baseball to Provo — at least in the hearts of local youth. Those fields include:

• Wrigley Field, home to the Chicago Cubs and known for its ivy-covered brick outfield wall.
• Yankee Stadium, the most recognizable stadium in baseball with its stately white exterior wall constructed of limestone and granite.
• Fenway Park, the oldest MLB stadium and home to the Boston Red Sox, with its left-field wall affectionately known as the “Green Monster.”
• Dodger Stadium, where a rainbow of color welcomes sports fans to the third oldest MLB stadium — but biggest, with a capacity of 56,000 fans.

“By combining their creativity, our parks operations team and sports programming were able to bring this long-held vision to life,” Henderson said. “We can all build baseball fields, but with greater vision we can create ‘fields of dreams’ that not only teach the fundamentals of baseball, but also its life lessons.”

“We hold ourselves to the highest recreational standards, creating amenities that meet our needs, but also build our community,” Henderson added. “Yes, ‘The Show’ youth baseball complex provides four-acres of much-needed space for growing recreational programming, but it also seeks to instill a love of ‘The Perfect Game’ and its valuable life lessons. Now that’s ‘hitting it out of the park.'”

Henderson hopes that these future players will learn some of life’s lessons from some of the greats. Henderson shared a few examples:

• Acceptance: “That’s the beautiful thing about baseball. You can be any size and be successful.” — Andrew Benintendi
• Perseverance: “Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.” — Babe Ruth
• Determination: “You may not think you’re going to make it. You may want to quit. But if you keep your eye on the ball, you can accomplish anything.” — Hank Aaron
• Character building: “Competing at the highest level is not about winning. It’s about preparation, courage, understanding and nurturing your people, and heart. Winning is the result.” — Joe Torre

Setting the Gold Standard

Provo City Parks and Recreation earned the 2021 National Gold Medal Award, the highest honor its industry has to offer.

“The Gold Medal award has always been recognized by Parks and Recreation as the pinnacle achievement in our industry,” Henderson said. “Having our strong, active, healthy community recognized as the industry standard is an honor we share with Provo City leadership and our citizens.”

Founded in 1965, the Gold Medal Awards program honors local park and recreation agencies, military recreation programs and state park systems in the United States that demonstrate excellence in parks and recreation through long-range planning, resource management, volunteerism, environmental stewardship, program development, professional development and agency recognition.

According to Henderson, these new iconic baseball stadium look-alikes are just another part of the gold standard made available to Provo citizens through his department.

In the coming days, the public will be hearing more about another major project — a regional sports park that will allow for tournaments in a variety of sports. It will also feature playgrounds, walking paths, restrooms and concessions over 100 acres of property east of the new Provo Airport.