The trend in spring-training facilities is to locate new ballparks in the midst of megadevelopments that could be located anywhere. While these new ballparks have the amenities fans expect, they’re generic in nature. Maybe we’re a little too nostalgic, but we want the spring-training experience when we head to Florida: we want the palm trees, […]
Tag Archives | spring training
Surprise Stadium / Kansas City Royals / Texas Rangers
It’s a little off the beaten track, but Billy Parker Field at Surprise Stadium, the spring home of the Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals, is a top-notch place to see a spring-training ballgame: The sightlines are gorgeous, the concourses are wide, and the ballpark design is striking. FAST FACTS Capacity: 10,714Architect: PopulousYear Opened: 2003Dimensions: […]
Wolff seeking upgrades to Phoenix Muni
Oakland Athletics owner Lew Wolff has been discussing with the city upgrades to Phoenix Municipal Stadium that would cost $30 million or so — “chump change” for what’s being spent on spring-training facilities in the area. That Phoenix Municipal Stadium needs some spiffing up is probably true: the latest upgrades nicely added a level of […]
Henley Field / Florida Southern Mocs
Built to serve the spring-training needs of the Cleveland Indians in 1925, Lakeland’s Henley Field is still a charming place to take in a college-baseball game as a welcome diversion from the crowds at Tiger Town and Joker Marchant Stadium. FAST FACTS Year Opened: 1923; grandstand opened in 1925; renovated in 2002 Capacity: 1,000Dimensions: 325L, […]
Joker Marchant Stadium / Detroit Tigers / Lakeland Flying Tigers
Tiger Town is the last great traditional spring-training site still used in Florida. The Tigers have been training in Lakeland since 1934 (taking a break for the war years, of course) and playing in Joker Marchant Stadium since 1966. In those many years Tiger Town has evolved into a complete training complex that includes the […]
Ricketts: Not so fast on Wrigleyville West
Despite telling Mesa voters that development would be part of the mix at new Chicago Cubs spring-training complex, owner Tom Ricketts now says Wrigleyville West will need to wait until the new ballpark opens — if it happens at all. The issue is pretty simple: early feedback indicates there’s little demand from retailers and restauranteurs […]
Tempe Diablo Stadium / Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
It is the most scenic ballpark in the Cactus League, bar none. With buttes beyond the left-field fence, a striking Spanish-style exterior and a relatively remote location that paradoxically offers easy freeway access, Tempe Diablo Stadium is a gem, a must-visit for anyone hitting Phoenix in March. FAST FACTS Year Opened: 1968; renovated several times […]
Nats, Astros eying new Osceola County spring-training complex
The Washington Nationals and the Houston Astros are discussing a new joint spring-training complex with Osceola County officials, as a site near DisneyWorld is under consideration. The complex, we’re told, would be south of DisneyWord and in the very northwestern corner of Osceola County, an area served by I-4 and Florida Toll 429. Both teams […]
A guide to spring-training practices
Die-hard spring-training fans aren’t content with just sitting in the stands and watching a game: they want to watch a practice and get close to the players. It’s a great experience, as long as you know what you’re in for: most teams train on practice fields, not the ballparks, and so the creature comforts are […]
The Week That Was: Feb. 13
The first signs of the 2011 season emerge in the grille of a truck headed for spring training, and an old, historic ballpark — or what’s left of it, anyway — may get a little TLC. Here are the most popular stories of the past week on Ballpark Digest, as measured by page views. It’s […]
It’s truck day!
At MLB clubhouses across the nation, the same scenario will be played out in the next few days: large trucks bearing lots of equipment will heading to Florida or Arizona, to be broken out for spring training. Yes, friends, it’s Truck Day! At least for the Red Sox, who not only have made Truck Day […]
Developer lays out plan for Chain of Lakes Park redevelopment
Chain of Lakes Park, the former spring home of the Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians, would be redeveloped as a lakeside village with retail and restaurants under a plan submitted to Winter Haven officials, with work beginning in a month. The Landings, proposed by Orlando developer Tony Benge, would take the former spring-training site […]
Pinto to Norfolk
Joe Pinto, general manager of the busiest ballpark in professional baseball — Roger Dean Stadium — is stepping down and joining the front office of the Norfolk Tides (Class AAA; International League). Pinto has been GM of the complex for three years. It’s quite the job: besides overseeing spring training for the St. Louis Cardinals […]