The Rangers posted a quick look of Globe Life Field. Honestly, it looks like most other retractable roof ballparks built in the last 20 years.

Unlike the ballparks in Seattle and Houston and like Marlins Park, the new one in Arlington has its roof designed to retract out of the way behind first base. T-Mobile Park and Minute Maid Park retract their roofs beyond the right field wall.The sheer size of the structure kills views of half the skyline.

Besides Seattle, all of this is in the name of climate control. Like Phoenix’s Chase Field, Globe Life Field will also use artificial turf.

There exist visions for more forward thinking retractable roof ballparks. The best and newest is planned for 2023 in Hokkaido, Japan, for the Nippon Ham Fighters:

Or try this concept for Portland (if they get a team):

In both cases, the domes retract behind home plate. That runs counter to the old notions of grand entrances with special architectural features like rotundas, instead giving way to a more open outfield. Air conditioning, if included, could be more expensive and harder to accomplish in such designs with the roof closed. Thankfully for Hokkaido and Portland, they are located in more northern latitudes with milder climates. Still, it’s disappointing that the Rangers are going with what could be termed the new cookie cutter design. At least the fans will be comfortable in there.