Arizona Cactus League Spring Training |
|
|
Enjoy the warm Arizona sun while watching your favorite teams play
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
Arizona Cactus League Spring Training |
© 2002-2007
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cactus League (held in Arizona)
Arizona Diamondbacks - Tucson Electric Park, Tucson
Chicago Cubs - HoHoKam Park, Mesa
Chicago White Sox - Tucson Electric Park, Tucson
Colorado Rockies - Hi Corbett Field, Tucson
Kansas City Royals - Surprise Stadium, Surprise
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim - Tempe Diablo Stadium, Tempe
Milwaukee Brewers - Maryvale Baseball Park, Phoenix
Oakland Athletics - Phoenix Municipal Stadium, Phoenix
San Diego Padres - Peoria Sports Complex, Peoria
San Francisco Giants - Scottsdale Stadium, Scottsdale
Seattle Mariners - Peoria Sports Complex, Peoria
Texas Rangers - Surprise Stadium, Surprise
Tucson Electric Park (TEP) is home to the Tucson Sidewinders, the AAA affiliate
of the Arizona Diamondbacks. It is named for the local electric utility, Tucson
Electric Power. Opened in 1998, it seats 11,500 fans. TEP also hosts spring
training games; the Chicago White Sox and the Diamondbacks share the park for
Cactus League games each March. Both teams also have their minor league
complexes on-site.
HoHoKam Park is a baseball field located in Mesa, Arizona (the Chicago Cubs
spring training facility since 1979). The stadium was built in January 1997 and
holds 12,632 people. It is the spring training home of the Chicago Cubs and the
Mesa Solar Sox of the Arizona Fall League. The Mesa Cubs play just down the
street at Fitch Park. There is a cemetery across the street from HoHoKam Park.
HoHoKam Park has the largest scoreboard in the Cactus League. The scoreboard is
12'x16'.
Built in 1937 for the Class D Tucson Lizards (Arizona/Texas League), Hi Corbett
Field was originally called Randolph Municipal Baseball Park.[1] It was renamed
in honor of Hiram Stevens Corbett (1886-1967),[2] a former Arizona state senator
who was instrumental in bringing spring training to Tucson, specifically by
convincing Bill Veeck to bring the Cleveland Indians to Tucson in 1947. Veeck
owned a ranch in Tucson at the time, and players sometimes rode Veeck's horses
after the games.[1]
Hi Corbett was remodeled in 1972 and renovated in 1992, 1997 and 1999. It is
part of a larger city park complex, Reid Park (which also includes the Reid Park
Zoo) and Randolph Park, located between Broadway Boulevard and 22nd Street in
midtown Tucson.
The main playing field's dimensions are as follows: 348 feet in Right Field, 392
feet in Center Field, and 366 feet in Left Field, with a "Green Monster" fence
in Center Field. The ballpark currently has a capacity of 9,500, including 598
box seats, 8,350 reserved seats, and 562 bleacher seats. There are also two
ancillary fields for use in spring training, but these make no provision for
spectators.
Surprise Stadium is a baseball field located in Surprise, Arizona. The stadium
was built in 2002 and holds 10,500 people. It is the spring training home of the
Kansas City Royals and the Texas Rangers.
Tempe Diablo Stadium is a baseball field located in Tempe, Arizona. The stadium
was built in 1968 and holds 9,785 people. It was renovated in 1993 to its
current configuration. It is the spring training home of the Los Angeles Angels
of Anaheim and the home field for night games of the Arizona League Tempe
Angels. Tempe Diablo Stadium can be seen from the Maricopa Freeway.
Maryvale Baseball Park is a baseball field located in Phoenix, Arizona owned and
operated by the city's Parks and Recreation department. The stadium holds 8,000
people. It is the spring training home of the Milwaukee Brewers. There is a
neighborhood shopping mall located just north of Maryvale Baseball Park, which
features a Walgreens drug store and a Fry's Food and Drug supermarket
Phoenix Municipal Stadium is a baseball stadium located in Phoenix, Arizona. The
stadium was built in 1966 and holds 8,775 people. It is the spring training home
of the Oakland Athletics and run by the City of Phoenix.
The stadium hosted the Phoenix Firebirds until 1992 when Scottsdale Stadium was
opened. The stadium has also hosted Arizona Fall League games during the fall.
The Arizona Diamondbacks rookie league games were also played in the stadium
during their first year in the minor-league level Arizona League. The Arizona
High School Baseball Championships are also played there.
The stadium recently underwent a renovation to improve the press box facilities
(they were at the time the only open-air facilities in the Cactus League) and
clubhouse areas.
Peoria Sports Complex is a baseball field located in Peoria, Arizona. The
stadium was built in 1994 and holds 12,882 people. It is one of three facilities
to host Arizona Fall League games. During Spring training, it is the home
stadium of both the San Diego Padres and the Seattle Mariners. It has been the
site of the Vans Warped Tour every summer since 2002. It is located near
Peoria's main shopping district, on Bell Road.
Scottsdale Stadium is a baseball field located in Scottsdale, Arizona. The
stadium was built in 1992 and holds 11,200 people. It is the spring training
home of the San Francisco Giants.
The stadium underwent a renovation in 2005 in order to increase capacity, to
improve the scoreboard and clubhouse areas, and to add a practice field in right
field. Offsite improvements at the Giants minor league complex displaced the
Scottsdale Giants of the Arizona League, who will play their 2006 home games in
the stadium. The stadium is also host of the Scottsdale Scorpions in the Arizona
Fall League, and hosted the Fall League's championship game on November 18,
2006.
The stadium was built on the site of the old Scottsdale Stadium, built in 1956,
which also hosted the Giants. The ballpark was constructed in less than a year
to avoid having the Giants play their spring games at another location.
A Grapefruit League game at the LA Dodgers camp in Vero Beach, FloridaIn Major
League Baseball, spring training is a series of exhibition games preceding the
start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to audition for
roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior
to competitive play. Spring training has always attracted fan attention, drawing
crowds who travel to the warmer climates to enjoy the weather and watch their
favorite teams play.
Spring training typically lasts almost two months, starting in early February
and running until just before the season opening day, traditionally the first
week of April. Pitchers and catchers report to spring training first because
pitchers benefit from a longer training period because of the exhaustive nature
of the position. A week or two later, the position players arrive and team
practice begins.
While Florida and Arizona now host all Major League Baseball teams for spring
training, this has not always been the case. The Brooklyn Dodgers trained in
Havana, Cuba in 1947 and 1959, and in the Dominican Republic in 1948. [1] During
World War II, most teams held an abbreviated spring training within easy reach
of their cities. Before big league baseball reached the West Coast, a number of
teams trained in California.
