Fans file into Regions Field.jpg

Fans file into a Birmingham Barons game at Regions Field. (Tamika Moore/tmoore@al.com)

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama - The Birmingham Barons experienced the largest attendance increase in all of Minor League Baseball, MiLB.com reported.

MiLB.com cited David Kronheim's annual Minor League attendance report, in which he pinpointed the Barons as one of this season's biggest success stories.

The Southern League franchise drew 396,820 fans to brand-new Regions Field. That's a gain of 192,551 over 2012 when the Barons played their final season at the Hoover Met, then known as Regions Park. This was the largest increase in all of Minor League Baseball.

"People absolutely raved about (Regions Field), and the attendance showed it," he said.

The ballpark earned national acclaim as it was named Ballpark of the Year by Baseballparks.com. On the field, the 2013 Barons were winners as well as they claimed the Southern League championship.