Spring training, also calledspring camp,[1][2][3] is thepreseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such asMajor League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices andexhibition games preceding the start of theregular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for theroster and position spots, and it gives established players practice time prior to competitive play. Spring training has always attracted fan attention, drawing crowds who travel to the warm climates (MLB goes toArizona andFlorida while theKBO,NPB, andCPBL go toOkinawa,Kyushu,Australia, andTaiwan) to enjoy the weather and watch their favorite teams play.
In modern MLB training, teams that train in Florida will play other Florida-training teams in their exhibition games, regardless of regular-season league affiliations. Likewise, Arizona-training teams will play other Arizona teams. This arrangement commenced long before either state received MLB franchises of their own, and thus at the time were widely considered "neutral" sites for preseason MLB play. All MLB teams (including those permanently based in Arizona and Florida) each own or hold a long-term lease for a spring trainingballpark distinct from their regular stadium. These facilities are typically comparable to the AAA-caliber ballparks ofMinor League Baseball.
Sometimes, teams will finish the preseason with games in their home ballpark (often against local opposition from the opposite league) although with the introduction ofinterleague play this has become less common. Over time, the Florida and Arizona preseason circuits were informally nicknamed theGrapefruit League andCactus League, respectively, after plants typical of the respective states. Both names have beentrademarked by MLB.
In the case of the Asian Leagues, teams tend to follow a similar logic, but those teams more commonly will temporarily travel to play in another team's region during their spring camp, also, most still usually finish the pre-season in their home stadiums right before the season.
Spring training typically starts in February and continues until just beforeOpening Day of the regular season, which falls in late March or the first week of April. In some years, teams not scheduled to play on Opening Day will play spring training games that day. Pitchers and catchers report to spring training first because pitchers benefit from a longer training period. A few days later, position players arrive and team practice begins. Exhibition games, also called Open Games in the NPB, usually begin in late February.
TheNew York Mutuals became perhaps the first baseball team to hold a spring training outside of their home when, in 1869,Boss Tweed sent the Mutuals south toNew Orleans to prepare for the season.[4]: 183 [5] In the 1870s, several clubs began following the example set by the Mutuals by training in warmer climates. New Orleans was a popular location for spring training in the 19th century but teams also trained inWashington, D.C.;Savannah, Georgia; andCape May, New Jersey, among other locations. In 1888, theWashington Nationals became the first club to hold spring training in Florida.[4]: 183 The practice was not universally adopted, however. Critics includingCap Anson argued that players would be more prone to sore muscles andcolds after returning to their colder home climates.[4]: 184
Spring training by major league teams in sites other than their regular season game sites first became popular in the 1890s and by 1910 was in wide use.Hot Springs, Arkansas, has been called the original "birthplace" of spring training baseball. The location of Hot Springs and the concept of getting the players ready for the upcoming season was the brainchild of Chicago White Stockings (modernChicago Cubs) team PresidentAlbert Spalding andCap Anson. In 1886, the White Stockings traveled to Hot Springs to prepare for the upcoming season.[6][7] After holding spring training at the Hot Springs Baseball Grounds, the White Stockings went on to have a successful season and other teams took notice. In subsequent years other teams joined Chicago and began holding spring training in Hot Springs, leading to the first spring training games.[7] TheCleveland Spiders,Detroit Tigers,Pittsburgh Pirates,Cincinnati Reds,Brooklyn Dodgers, andBoston Red Sox followed the White Stockings to Hot Springs. Whittington Field/Ban Johnson Park (1894),Majestic Park (1909), andFogel Field (1912) were all built in Hot Springs to host Major League teams.[8][9]
Famously, onSt. Patrick's Day in 1918, a successful young pitcher for the Red Sox namedBabe Ruth was forced to play an emergency game at first base in a spring training game against Pittsburgh. This game possibly changed the course of baseball history, as it was the first time Ruth had ever played any position other than pitcher. Ruth responded by hitting two home runs that day in Hot Springs, with the second being a 573-foot (175 m) shot that landed across the street from Whittington Park in a pond of theArkansas Alligator Farm and Petting Zoo. The Red Sox took notice and soon Ruth was playing the field more often.[10][11][12] Over 130 Major League Baseball Hall of Famers, including Ruth, Anson,Cy Young,Honus Wagner,Ty Cobb,Tris Speaker,Walter Johnson,Rogers Hornsby,Mel Ott,Dizzy Dean,Jimmie Foxx, andStan Musial, trained in Hot Springs.[13]The First Boys of Spring is a 2015 documentary about Hot Springs Spring Training. The film was narrated by actorBilly Bob Thornton, an area native, and produced by filmmaker Larry Foley.[14][15][16] The documentary began airing nationally on theMLB Network in February 2016.[17]
Early training sites include theSt. Louis Cardinals in Hot Springs andTulsa, Oklahoma;[citation needed] theNew York Yankees inBermuda (1913),[18]New Orleans, and laterPhoenix, Arizona, when the team was owned byDel Webb; the Chicago Cubs in Los Angeles when owned byWilliam Wrigley Jr.; theSt. Louis Browns and later theKansas City Athletics inSan Diego and then inWest Palm Beach, Florida; the Pittsburgh Pirates inDawson Springs, Kentucky around 1915 andHonolulu, while other teams joined in by the early 1940s.[citation needed] The Detroit Tigers are credited with being the first team to conduct spring training camp in Arizona. They trained in Phoenix atRiverside Park at Central Avenue and the Salt River in 1929.[19]
ThePhiladelphia Phillies were the first of the major-league teams to train in Florida, when they spent two weeks inJacksonville, Florida in 1889.[20] Spring training in Florida began in earnest in 1913, when the Chicago Cubs trained inTampa and the Cleveland Indians inPensacola. One year later, two other teams moved to Florida for spring training, the real start of theGrapefruit League. Except for a couple of years duringWorld War II, when travel restrictions prevented teams from training south of thePotomac andOhio Rivers,[21] Florida hosted more than half of the spring training teams through 2009. Since 2010, major league teams have been equally divided between Arizona and Florida during spring training, with 15 teams in Florida and 15 teams in Arizona.[22] All but six of the major league teams have gone to spring training in Florida at one time or another (Anaheim Angels, Milwaukee Brewers, Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres, Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks). Many of the most famous players in baseball history (Ruth,Gehrig, Musial, Cobb,Mays,DiMaggio,Berra,Mantle, and many more) have called Florida home for four to six weeks every spring.[23]
According to the autobiography of former Cleveland Indians ownerBill Veeck, the avoidance of racism was one reason theCactus League was established.[24] In the mid 1940's, Veeck was the owner of the minor leagueMilwaukee Brewers and the team trained inOcala, Florida. Veeck inadvertently sat in the Black section of the segregated stands and engaged in conversation with a couple of fans. According to Veeck's book, the local law enforcement told Veeck he could not sit in that section, and then called the Ocala mayor when Veeck argued back. The mayor finally backed down when Veeck threatened to take his team elsewhere for spring training and promised to let the country know why.
Veeck sold the Brewers in 1945 and temporarily retired to a ranch inTucson, Arizona, but purchased theCleveland Indians in 1946. Intending to introduce African-American players, Veeck decided to buck tradition and train the Indians in Tucson and convinced the New York Giants to give Phoenix a try. Thus the Cactus League was born.[25] In 1947, Veeck signedLarry Doby to the Indians. Doby was the second African-American to play MLB in the 20th century, and the first in the American League.[26]
Arizona had eight teams in the Cactus League in1989, with the other eighteen in Florida.[27] By2018, the split was even, with 15 teams training in each location.
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While Florida and Arizona host all Major League Baseball teams for spring training, this has not always been the case. Especially in the early 20th century, baseball clubs did not build facilities dedicated to spring training and would use local facilities in various cities, sometimes changing spring training sites on an annual basis. The Cleveland Indians, for example, held spring training in seven different cities – including New Orleans,Dallas, andMacon, Georgia – between 1902 and 1922. This was not uncommon at the time.[28]TheNew York Giants likely built the first "permanent" spring training facility inMarlin, Texas. The Giants trained in Marlin from 1908 to 1918 and built Emerson Park and adjacent parks for spring training activities. The city of Marlin deeded the land to the ballclub.[29][30][31]
During World War II, most teams held an abbreviated spring training within easy reach of their cities. In order to conserve rail transport during the war, 1943's Spring Training was limited to an area east of theMississippi River and north of theOhio River. TheChicago White Sox held camp inFrench Lick, Indiana; theWashington Senators inCollege Park, Maryland; and theNew York Yankees inAsbury Park, New Jersey.[32]
After World War II, some teams trained outside of the United States. TheBrooklyn Dodgers trained inHavana, Cuba in 1947 and 1949, and in theDominican Republic in 1948.[33] The New York Yankees also trained in the early 1950s in Cuba and the Dominican Republic. Spring training camps and games were also held in Hawaii,Puerto Rico, and northernMexico, sometimes by visiting major league teams in the 1950s and 1960s.
Before and shortly after big league baseball reached the West Coast, a number of teams trained in the state of California or along the state line. The Chicago Cubs trained onCatalina Island in the 1920s, '30s, and '40s. Early in their history, the then-California Angels held spring training inPalm Springs, California from 1961 to 1993, theSan Diego Padres inYuma, Arizona from 1969 to 1993, theOakland Athletics inLas Vegas,Nevada in the 1970s, and other major league teams had trained inEl Centro,Riverside, andSan Bernardino.
In 2015, 2016 and 2019, MLB has hosted spring training games in Mexico. In 2015, theArizona Diamondbacks played against theColorado Rockies atEstadio Sonora, Hermosillo. A year later, theSan Diego Padres hosted theHouston Astros atEstadio Fray Nano in Mexico City. Finally, in 2019, the Diamondbacks played once again against the Rockies but, this time, atEstadio de Béisbol Monterrey in Monterrey.[34] In 2020, MLB hosted a spring training game between the Minnesota Twins and the Detroit Tigers atEstadio Quisqueya in Santo Domingo.[35] In 2024, theRays andRed Sox played the inaugural Dominican Republic series in Santo Domingo. The series resulted in a split, 1-1, and showcased Dominican talent while honoring players that have been developed through Dominican Republic Academies.[36] On March 24–25, 2025, the Red Sox concluded their spring training with two games inMonterrey, Mexico, against theMonterrey Sultanes.[37]
During spring training in 2024, MLB launched a new initiative calledMLB Spring Breakout. Each organization puts together a team of their bestprospects to compete against another organizations' top prospects.[38]
The concept of spring training is not limited to North America; the Asian baseball leagues inJapan (NPB),Taiwan (CPBL) andSouth Korea (KBO) adopts spring training and preseason games following similar styles as MLB. in Japan its calledShunki kyanpu (春季キャンプ), inKorean: 스프링캠프;RR: seupeuling kaempeu.
Some teams also does training after the regular season, in what is calledFall Camp orFall Training,Shūki kyanpu (秋季キャンプ) in Japanese.
As a warm up to theWorld Baseball Classic,National Teams play exhibition games at Spring Training sites against MLB, NPB or CPBL spring training squads.[39][40]
The first Asian team training camp was done in 1934, by the later-Yomiuri Giants, the camp was done inChiba Prefecture in preparation of games against Major League Baseball teams in the following year. The first KBO Spring Training outside Korea was in 1989, before then, travel restitions made impossible for those teams go outside Korea for a pre-season practice camp.
Generally, MLB teams train in either Florida or Arizona based on their geographic location in North America, with eastern teams playing in Florida and western teams training in Arizona; the exceptions being the Cleveland Guardians, Cincinnati Reds, Milwaukee Brewers, and the two Chicago-based teams all training in Arizona; and the Houston Astros, Minnesota Twins and St. Louis Cardinals training in Florida. The last West Coast team to train in Florida was the Los Angeles Dodgers, who moved to Arizona in 2009.
Spring training MLB teams can play colleges, minor league baseball clubs, intra-squad games (members of the same team play against each other), split-squad games (games when one team is scheduled for two games in one day, so the team splits into two squads and each squad plays in one of the games), and B Games (unofficial spring training games where statistics and standings are not counted).[41] The players union will sometimes operate its own training facility if many free agents are unsigned by the start of spring training.[42]
The origin of the name "Grapefruit League" has several explanations. One popular myth was thatCasey Stengel threw agrapefruit at Brooklyn Dodgers managerWilbert Robinson. The accepted version is that aviatorRuth Law threw the grapefruit. In 1915, Law had been throwinggolf balls from her airplane to advertise a golf course. Someone suggested throwing a baseball from her airplane. Robinson, whose team was in theDaytona Beach area for spring training, agreed to try to catch the baseball. Flying 525 feet (160 m) above Robinson, Law realized she had forgotten her baseball and threw a grapefruit that she had. When Robinson tried to catch it, the grapefruit exploded in his face, at first leading him to believe he had been seriously injured.[43][44][45][a]
Grapefruit League teams primarily play against the others located on the same coast, rarely traveling to the other side of Florida for spring training games. The Astros, Cardinals, Marlins, Mets, and Nationals—all of whom play on the Atlantic Coast—play the majority of their games against each other, only playing three or four games against opponents located on the Gulf Coast.[47]
Following is the list of spring training locations by team in the Grapefruit League in Florida:[48]
Unlike the Grapefruit League, teams in the Cactus League often share stadiums; of the 15 teams who train in Arizona, only the Cubs, Angels, Brewers, Giants, and Athletics have their own home stadiums. The Cactus League teams are all within thePhoenix metropolitan area (as of 2014 when the Diamondbacks and Rockies left Tucson for their new shared facility, Salt River Fields at Talking Stick[49]).
The newest stadium built for MLB spring training isSloan Park, the spring training home for the Chicago Cubs inMesa, Arizona, which opened in February 2014. The oldest stadium in Cactus League spring training isTempe Diablo Stadium, built in 1969.
According to theArizona Republic, the Cactus League generates more than $300 million a year in economic impact to the greater Phoenix metropolitan area economy. TheArizona Republic newspaper reports that more than $500 million has been spent on "building eight new stadiums and renovating two others for the 15 teams in the Valley."[50]
Attendance set a new record at 2011 Cactus League games with 1.59 million attending games at the various stadiums in the Phoenix metro area. Much of the attendance surge is attributed to the Salt River Fields at Talking Stick venue that accounted for 22 percent of the Cactus League attendance.[51]
Following is the list of spring training locations by team in the Cactus League in Arizona:[48]
Asian Leagues tend to divide themselves between the Japanese regions ofKyushu andOkinawa, the following is the list of home base of the Asian teams divided by their local league as the 2026 Season
Main teams camps in Kyushu[52]
Main teams camps in Okinawa[52]
Statistics are recorded during spring training games, but tend to be not combined with the listed statistics for regular season games, and unusual performances which would have broken records if accomplished during the regular season are considered to be unofficial.
For example, on March 14, 2000, the MLB's Red Sox used six pitchers to achieve a 5–0perfect game victory over theToronto Blue Jays. A perfect game is considered a crowning accomplishment during the regular season or postseason, but in spring training it attracts little notice. Starting pitcherPedro Martínez, who lost a perfect game in extra innings in 1995 while pitching for the formerMontreal Expos, was talking to reporters at the conclusion of the game, rather than watching the final pitches. RelieverRod Beck, who finished the game, did not realize the nature of his accomplishment until informed by catcherJoe Siddall. Many fans also left before the game's conclusion.[53]
Although spring training statistics are unofficial, teams frequently use players' spring training performances as a way of assigning starting roles and roster spots on the club, many players see spring training as vital to guaranteeing their opening day roster spots.
Spring training usually is the time of calendar year that MLB uses to make improvements to the league rules. These changes to the league rules allow for MLB to adapt to the modern day of playing baseball and set up teams throughout the league for success. The league also experiments with on-field personnel to determine the best umpire crews, home plate umpires, and field umpires.
In 2023, thepitch clock was implemented. The timer was developed to create a quicker pace of play and allow for more fans to actively watch games. Timers of 30 seconds between batters, 15 seconds between pitches, and 20 seconds between pitches with runners on base have drastically reduced playing times.[54] Pitchers were also limited to two disengagements from the mound perplate appearance.[55] Any time a pitcher disengages with the mound after the first two disengagements have been used, the pitcher is charged with abalk. These factors have contributed to the increased pace of play and allow for games to move quicker. After the pitch clock's success throughout spring training, it was ultimately placed into effect for the2023 MLB season. Along with the experimentation of the pitch clock, spring training also tested out larger bases to protect player's safety and a shift restriction to promote more exciting plays. Although home plate remained unchanged, all other bases within the field of play increased in size. The base sizes increased from 15 inches square to 18 inches square and slightly reduced the distance between bases.[56]Defensive shift limit rules included fourinfielders staying within the boundary of the infield dirt, two infielders staying on each side of second base, and had no restrictions onoutfielders.[57]
Although positive feedback had been received about the rules changes during the 2023 season, the 2024 spring training season sparked controversy.Nike, MLB's uniform provider, conducted a redesign of player jerseys and pants to allow for better athletic performance.[58] Player's last names and numbers decreased in size making the uniforms look unappealing to both players and fans. As a result of the backlash, MLB and Nike redesigned the jerseys for the 2025 season to allow for both effective performance and appeal.[59]
In a predominately male job, the 2024 spring training season saw the first woman umpire sinceRia Cortesio in 2007. On February 24,Jen Pawol was a field umpire for theAstros andNationals game.[60] She began the game with three innings umpiring third base followed by an additional three innings at both second and first as well.CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches hosted 3,655 people to witness history as Pawol umpired a 7-4 Astros victory. She credits the women that umpired before her for paving an exciting career path for women in the future.[61] She made her MLB debut on August 9, 2025.[62]
Minor league players participate in spring training following a telescoped schedule that generally lasts from March 1 to 31. At its conclusion, most players are assigned tofarm team rosters to begin the minor league season. However, those players deemed unready for a full-season campaign—through inexperience or injury—are assigned to "extended spring training", a structured program of workouts, rehabilitation sessions, simulated games, and exhibition games based in the major league parent team's minor league training complex. If a player is later deemed ready to participate in full-season league action, he is promoted to an appropriate-level farm club. When short-season leagues (Rookie league, or previouslyClass A Short Season) begin play in late June, extended spring training players are assigned to those rosters, placed on theinjured list, or released.
Since 2006, every few years theWorld Baseball Classic impacts on how spring training occurs. The tournament runs throughout the month of March with the opportunity for players to represent their countries and play for their national teams. This impacts spring training as many star players opt-in to represent their country rather than prepare for the upcoming season with their respective teams. This leaves teams in tough situations as they are forced to build their lineups, sell tickets, and play games without their star players. However, players opt-in to play in the tournament's games due to the intense competitive atmosphere, fan appeal and fan pressure in the countries they represent.[63][64] Since these games take early into the baseball season, this leads to a certain risk of injury among pitchers as well as conflicting development within teams. A famous exemple happened during the2023 WBC,Mets pitcherEdwin Diaz suffered a tornpatellar tendon in afreak accident after the game, leaving him out for the entire MLB season of that year.[65] Diaz's injury has left some MLB team fans concerned with letting their star players play under another team's supervision. Although, since 2006, Pitchers have to follow tight WBC rules that limit the number of pitches per game during the tournament.[66]
Clubs may also playfriendly games as part of their spring training with the national teams playing in the Classic as preparation for both teams.[67][68]
MLB has also decided to make regular season games begin a few days before the end of Spring Training, as was the case in2024 with theMLB Seoul Series and2025 withMLB Tokyo Series. Due to logistical reasons, players need to leave early to those countries, and then come back a few days before opening day.
Carlos Ruiz deciding to play for Panama in next month's World Baseball Classic. Ruiz was not going to participate until he received a call from Panamanian President Martin Torrijos, who told him, "This is for your country."
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