Former Major League Baseball sluggers differ on A’s move to Sacramento. What they said

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David Justice has a number of bullet points on his Major League Baseball resume. Among them: 14 seasons, World Series wins with the Atlanta Braves and New York Yankees, playing a key role on the famous “Moneyball” Oakland A’s team that won 20 consecutive games in 2002, winning a Rookie of the Year award and being a three-time All-Star.

One thing Justice never did, just like many other big league players, was participate in Major League games in a minor league ballpark, which is what the A’s will do when they move to West Sacramento’s Sutter Health Park for the 2025 season beginning next spring.

“How are you going to make that Major League ready? What stadium only holds 14,000 in the Major Leagues?” Justice asked Monday morning before participating in the annual Phil Oates Celebrity Golf Classic. “Zero.”

Justice, who made the playoffs in 12 of his 14 seasons, spent his final campaign with the A’s 22 years ago before retiring after 1,610 regular season games and making 6,602 plate appearances. He played in 34 stadiums, including the old Yankee Stadium.

Justice said he felt bad for the passionate fans in Oakland and said the team moving to Sacramento gives fans in the capital region a “great chance” to watch Major League Baseball.

But he also said the players will be sacrificing.

“As a player, I wouldn’t even feel like I’m in the big leagues,” Justice said. “It’s a blessing if you can play 10 years. Not many guys play 10 years. So you’re telling me a minimum of three of my years could possibly be played in a venue that, at max, (fits) 14,000? As a player, I would not want that to be part of my story, personally.

“... All the great teams and all the great stadiums I played in, (sat) 40 and 50,000. To play in front of 14,000, it just wouldn’t feel like the big leagues.”

The A’s are weeks removed from playing their final game at the Oakland Coliseum and have now transitioned into the planning stages for their move to West Sacramento. Renovations are being made to make the 24-year-old ballpark Major-League ready, which includes building a new home clubhouse beyond the outfield wall, updating the visiting clubhouse and building new weight rooms and batting cages.

There are also plans to install synthetic turf to account for wear and tear while the A’s share the stadium with the Sacramento River Cats, the Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. The two teams combined are scheduled to play 157 games there next season. Skeptics of the turf, including prominent agent Scott Boras, have worried the playing surface will be too hot during Sacramento’s summer months.

However, should the A’s make the playoffs, home games are not guaranteed to take place at Sutter Health Park due to MLB’s requirements for what they call “jewel events,” including more media seating, press conference rooms and adequate parking for television trucks.

Greg Vaughn, who went to Kennedy High School and played baseball at Sacramento City College, also had a long career in the big leagues. He played for 15 seasons and hit 355 home runs, including 95 combined in 1998 and 1999.

Vaughn was more optimistic about the A’s coming to his home town, noting that Sacramento is ready to host the best players in the sport.

“I love it, man,” Vaughn said. “This is a big-time baseball city, so to be able to have them in our backyard, it’d be nice.”

Vaughn was asked how he would feel if he were on a team that would be moving to a minor league ballpark.

“I know there’s something coming at the end of it,” Vaughn said. “They were playing at the Coliseum. Is (Sutter Health Park) that bad?”