The cheapest seat at Dodger Stadium? Not the top deck anymore

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There are some very expensive seats here, and some cheap ones. (Alex Gallardo / Associated Press)

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Bobble head sculptures flank a playground at the reserve level entrance at Dodger Stadium. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Fans enter at the top level of Dodger Stadium, passing by numbers representing notable players from the past. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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A playground at a Reserve-level entrance at Dodger Stadium. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Workers mount a sign on the gift store on the top deck of Dodger Stadium. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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A young fan snaps a photo from the top level of Dodger Stadium as he arrives to a game between the Dodgers and the Angels. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Numbers representing Dodger greats of the past greet fans as they arrive at the top level gate at the recently updated Dodger Stadium. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim warm up near the LA logo in centerfield of Dodger Stadium. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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One of two new high-definition scoreboard screens stands over the left field bleachers at Dodger Stadium. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

By Bill Shaikin

Staff Writer

Jan. 29, 2015 10:23 AM PT

It was a part of Dodger Stadium tradition, just like Vin Scully on the radio and Dodger dogs on the grill. If you wanted the cheapest ticket at the ballpark, you headed for the top deck.

No more. The cheapest tickets at Dodger Stadium this year are on the reserved level, near each foul pole.

When the Dodgers make single-game tickets available to the general public on Friday, the least expensive tickets will cost $11, for seats at the far ends of the reserved level. A seat on the top deck will cost $12.

That price is offered for 11 of the 81 home games, all weeknight games with no promotions. The Dodgers price their home games at four levels based on perceived popularity, reserving the right to move games to different levels based on demand.

They offered the cheapest price for 16 home games last year. The Dodgers sold single-game tickets for as low as $10 last year and $8 two years ago.

“We still think there is value there,” said David Siegel, the Dodgers’ vice president of ticket sales. “We still have an $11 ticket. It’s cheaper than going to a movie, in a lot of cases.”

The Dodgers set the most expensive prices this year for 17 games, aside from Opening Day, including all 10 bobblehead nights. For those games, prices range from $30 to $150, with luxury seats available from $200 to $1,050.

In each of the two full seasons under Guggenheim Baseball ownership, the Dodgers have won the National League West and led the major leagues in attendance. The Dodgers capped season-ticket sales at 35,000 last year – President Stan Kasten has said the cap would remain in place -- and Siegel said the team expects to sell “no less than last season.”

He also said the team extended the opportunity to buy season seats to the 4,000 fans on the waiting list last year. He said about 1,300 fans had “responded” but would not say how many of those actually bought tickets. With some fans choosing to remain on the waiting list and others added to it, he said the current list also is about 4,000.

The Dodgers’ renewal rate for season seats is above 95% for the second consecutive year, he said. Given the cap, that means the Dodgers would have no more than 1,750 season seats available for new customers.

Siegel said the decision to make the top deck pricier than the ends of the reserved level was driven in part by improvements to concession and bathroom facilities on the top deck, and in part by supply and demand.

The top deck has about 4,000 seats, he said. The reserved level, he said, “is the same size as Staples Center.”

Complete pricing information can be found here.