
Pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training in just over a month and fans will flock to the greater Phoenix area to enjoy some sunshine and baseball. 15 teams play in the Cactus League with many stadiums located a short drive from each other making it a unique opportunity to see multiple teams and ballparks during your stay.
I've been fortunate to attend each Cactus League park multiple times and will make my 17th journey to Spring Training this March. Here is my best advice.
Phoenix is a large metropolitan area and rush hour traffic is no fun. While not as bad as Southern California, the congestion can make for a long ride home if you leave a day game at 4 PM and need to drive across town.
Cactusleague.com is a great resource for planning a trip and includes an invaluable stadium map.
As you can see, the ballparks on the east side of downtown are clustered together pretty closely. The Angels, Giants, A's, Cubs, Diamondbacks, and Rockies play in these ballparks.
If you want to go to games at any of these locations it is best to stay in Tempe or Scottsdale, both of which offer great areas for dining and nightlife. Downtown Mesa is a low key fun area as well. By staying centered you should be able to reach each of these stadiums in about 15 minutes or so.
To the west of downtown you have the Reds and Guardians in Goodyear. The Dodgers and White Sox share a great facility in Glendale with the Padres and Mariners just up the freeway in Peoria. Out a little further, the Royals and Rangers share a newer facility in Surprise.
Glendale is my preferred area to stay when centering my trip around the west side facilities. The Westgate Entertainment District in Glendale has everything you might need and then some. Plus there is Top Golf and hiking nearby.
Milwaukee plays at the middle dot in the map and that ballpark is pretty accessible from anywhere.
There are multiple resources to help you here. Which you prefer will typically be a matter of choice but all of the basic information will be the same.
Springtrainingonline.com has a master schedule showing all of the games. I typically use this schedule because I know the lay of the land and I find it easy to read. You can also click on the links to be taken directly to team pages to purchase tickets.
Cactusleague.com also has a feature that allows you to create a custom schedule. Just enter the dates of your trip and the teams you want to see and let the website do the work. One note, the site cares nothing of traffic so cross reference with the map as you plan your trip.
I will get into more detail but for now, grab some family members or friends, take a look at the schedule and start planning a trip. I am available to answer questions if you email jeffjoineronsi@gmail.com. Spring Training is my favorite time of year and I will review each Cactus League stadiums and put tips from my trips there as we get closer to the action.
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