How to Attend MLB Spring Training in Arizona

With 12 MLB teams now using Arizona as their spring training headquarters, Arizona has become an increasingly popular destination for fans making a March pilgrimage to attend some games and get an early look at their favorite baseball teams. A well-planned trip can provide a great opportunity to enjoy baseball while taking in some of America's most scenic vistas.

Instructions

  1. Check the Schedule for Appealing Games and Make Arrangements

    • 1

      Select either Phoenix or Tucson as your destination, depending on which teams you most want to see in action. The greater Phoenix area is the spring training home of the Cubs, Royals, Angels, Brewers, Athletics, Padres, Giants, Mariners and Rangers. Tucson and surrounding communities are home to the Diamondbacks, White Sox and Rockies.

    • 2

      Choose a period of six or seven days between mid-March and the end of the month, when the schedule will allow you to attend at least four or five games without having to drive the four-hour round trip between Phoenix and Tucson.

    • 3

      Pick companions carefully. Make sure that your itinerary suits the participants. A spring training trip tends to be a poor way to persuade a romantic partner to become a baseball fan. It may have the opposite effect.

    • 4

      Leave a couple of days to play tourist with a trip to one of Arizona's natural attractions, such as the Grand Canyon or the Red Rock Road leading to Sedona.

    • 5

      Arrange for game tickets, a rental car and a hotel room through your travel agent or through resources and links listed on the Spring Training Online website (see Resources below).

    Get Into the Games

    • 6

      Check out the teams and players you will be seeing in advance by researching major and minor-league stats at Baseball-Reference.com (see Resources below). Announcers and informational scoreboards are much lower profile in spring training than in the regular season, so you may want to do a little homework to learn something about the players you see.

    • 7

      Attend an MLB game each day and scout out players who should be able to make a greater contribution to their teams' success when the season starts.

    • 8

      Prepare for the extreme climate conditions by taking a water bottle, sun hat and sunscreen to each game.