Spring Training: The Best Way To Watch Baseball

Spring in Florida is my favorite time of year. Warm days start to outnumber cool ones and there’s little to no rain. This is why so many spring breakers start flooding in. Unlike spring breakers I’m not heading to the beach or the theme parks though. I’m heading straight to the ballpark. Here’s why you should buy some peanuts and Cracker Jacks in Florida and Arizona.

For a little over a month starting at the end of February Major League Baseball hosts Spring Training in Florida and Arizona. Similar to the preseason games of football, hockey and basketball this is a chance for the players to warm-up from their time off and play their opponents without the results counting. However, unlike the other sports that play in their home stadiums and arenas across the country baseball’s Spring Training is concentrated in two states; Florida and Arizona. This enables the teams to get more games in with less time on the road and avoid playing in the snow covering their fields back home. Plus, it makes for a great vacation for fans like me. Here’s why:

Cheap Tickets Tickets start at around $14. At a full-size stadium it would be hard to get a nose bleed seat for this price. At Spring Training the fields are much smaller, so there aren’t any bad seats.

Meet Players Since the stadiums are smaller everyone is much closer to the action so your chance of snapping a pic of your favorite player or even meeting him is very good. In my experience the players are incredibly friendly too.

Evaluate Teams Be the first to catch the newest rising stars or playoff hopefuls in action. Some of these teams won’t see each other again till the playoffs since they’re in different divisions so this could be your only chance to watch them.

Enjoy Paradise Whether you’re in Florida or Arizona the weather is beautiful. If your team is getting rocked sit back, relax, grab a beer, and be thankful these games don’t count toward the post season.

Find out where your favorite team is playing in below.