One countdown ends & another begins. We are exactly 5 weeks away from the start of the 2024 Major League Baseball season. The groundskeeping crews are getting the stadiums ready for teams & fans. Concession stands are getting the hats, jerseys, & memorobilia ready to be bought. Food & drink vendors are getting in the groove to make hot dogs & peanuts and serve soda, beer, & water. That’s the countdown we’re beginning. Let’s get to the countdown that just ended.
Spring training has arrived. Pitchers, catchers, infielders, & outfielders have reported to various baseball locations in Arizona or Florida, so they can start getting themselves in shape for Opening Day (March 28th). Of course, the teams have been divided into 2 leagues. In Florida, you have the Grapefruit League. In Arizona, you have the Cactus League. So, which teams play where? Let’s break it down.
First, the Cactus League consists of the (defending World Series Champion) Texas Rangers, (reigning National League Champion) Arizona Diamondbacks, Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, Seattle Mariners, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Angels, Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres, Colorado Rockies, Kansas City Royals, Cincinnati Reds, & Cleveland Guardians. Let’s look at where each team plays.
The Rangers & Royals will play at Surprise Stadium in Surprise, AZ. The Diamondbacks & Rockies will play at Salt Rivers Fields at Talking Stick in the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community of Scottsdale, AZ. Speaking of Scottsdale, the Giants will play at Scottsdale Stadium. The Brewers will play at American Family Fields of Phoenix in Phoenix, AZ. The Guardians & Reds will play at Goodyear Ballpark in Goodyear, AZ. The Dodgers & White Sox will play at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, AZ. The Padres & Mariners will play at Peoria Sports Complex in Peoria, AZ. Playing in Mesa, AZ will be the Cubs (at Sloan Park) & the Athletics (at Hohokam Stadium). The Angels will play at Tempe Diablo Stadium in Tempe, AZ.
The Grapefruit League consists of the Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Houston Astros, Minnesota Twins, Tampa Bay Rays, Philadelphia Phillies, Toronto Blue Jays, Miami Marlins, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals, Washington Nationals, Detroit Tigers, & New York Mets.
The Cardinals & Marlins will play at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, FL. The Astros & Nationals will play at the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach, FL. Playing in Fort Myers, FL will be the Red Sox (at JetBlue Park) & the Twins (at Hammond Stadium). The Phillies will play at BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater, FL. The Rays will play at Charlotte Sports Park in Port Charlotte, FL. The Orioles will play at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, FL.
The Tigers will play at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Satadium in Lakeland, FL. The Braves will play at CoolToday Park in North Port, FL. The Pirates will play at LECOM Park in Bradenton, FL. The Blue Jays will play at TD Ballpark in Dunedin, FL. The Mets will play at Clover Park in Port St. Lucie, FL. The Yankees will play at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, FL.
Throughout spring training, there will be some special exhibition games. They will feature MLB teams competing against non-MLB teams, a series of games featuring teams of MLB prospects, & games where MLB teams compete internationally.
Tomorrow, MLB teams will compete against their area’s college baseball teams. The Red Sox will continue a 2-decade long tradition, as they compete against the Northeastern University Huskies. The Twins will compete against the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers.
From March 14th to 17th, MLB will have its inaugural “Spring Breakout”. These will be a series of games where prospects from each team will play each other, before or after their traditional teams play each other on the same day.
Near the end of the spring training, there will be some games featuring MLB teams competing internationally. On March 16th, the Dodgers will go to Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, South Korea to play the Kiwoom Heroes. On the 17th, the Padres will play a double-header at Gocheok against Team Korea, then the (KBO League korean Series Champion) LG Twins.
On the 18th, the Dodgers will play Team Korea. On the 20th & 21st, the Dodgers will play the Padres in 2 regular season games at Gocheok. The Padres will be the home team on the 20th, then the Dodgers will be the home team on the 21st. On the 24th, the Yankees begin a 2-day stay in Mexico City, as they play los Diablos Rojos del Mexico at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú.
The final stretch of spring training will feature MLB teams playing their minor-league counterparts. On March 24th, the Giants will visit their AAA affiliate, the Sacramento River Cats, at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento, California. On March 25th, the Royals will visit their AA affiliate, the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, at Arvest Ballpark in Springdale, AR. Also, the Astros will be at (their home park) Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas, as they host a 2-game series against their AAA affiliate, the Sugar Land Space Cowboys.
Spring training begins today at 3pm ET (2 CT, 1 MT, 12 PT) on ESPN with the Padres hosting the Dodgers in Peoria. Then, it ends on March 26th. It may not be regular season action, but America is ready to…”play ball!”
