It’s baseball season in Florida and you know what that means – peanuts, crackerjacks, and cold brews on warm afternoons.
It’s always exciting when the top baseball teams migrate south to practice their swings and pitches. Enthusiasts can scope out the new season’s talent and rub elbows with big-name players while the rest of us can simply enjoy spending time outside and snacking on ballpark staples.
Since most team’s home fields are covered in snow, some teams have wisely chosen sunny Florida for its training season. Players can continue to play outside in warm, sunny, weather similar to that of the official season, while also avoiding cold weather-related injuries. Floridian fans also benefit, enjoying weekday afternoon games.
At George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, you can catch one of the winningest teams in the country, The New York Yankees, as they train for the official season. According to Sports Illustrated, the New York Yankees are the new favorite to win the World Series in 2019. With the team’s migration comes some of the most talented players in the league. Starting this month, Tampa will welcome names like Jacoby Ellsbury, Masahiro Tanaka, and Giancarlo Stanton.
Other notable teams training in the area include The Boston Red Sox in Fort Myers, The Philadelphia Phillies in nearby Clearwater, The New York Mets in Port St. Lucie and The Pittsburg Pirates in Bradenton. For all the loyal Tampa Bay Rays fans, you can find your team training about 100 miles south in Port Charlotte.
Games are mostly for practice so they’re typically laid back and fairly intimate. Friends, family, co-workers and event out-of-town guests will also enjoy an afternoon at the ballpark, up close and personal with some of the country’s best professional athletes.
The spring baseball season kicks off on Saturday, February 23 between the most legendary rivalry – the Yankees versus the Red Sox at Jet Blue Park in St. Petersburg. Training season will continue up until the Opening Day of the regular season, traditionally the first week of April. So, get out there and root, root, root for the home team this season.
The full 2019 Training schedule can be found here.
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