Think of it as a heads-up for fans heading to Arizona and Florida for exhibition games, because things are different than in past years. This article first appeared as the lead story in the 2021 USA TODAY Spring Training Preview. Used by permission. (PHOTO ABOVE BY GRAHAM KNIGHT)
Joe Mock and Graham Knight
All rights reserved
PORT ST. LUCIE, FLORIDA Many families have fond memories of taking the kids to Florida or Arizona in March to enjoy the sunny weather while taking in all that their favorite team’s spring training has to offer – watching prospects on the backfields, making new friends on the ballpark’s berm and gathering autographs.
If you’re planning to attend spring training this year, your experience is likely to be different.
Because of the modifications due to the ongoing pandemic, and the evolving nature of the protocols that will be in place, fans have a multitude of questions. We’ve got answers … although expect the unexpected!
Will I even be able to attend exhibitions games? If so, how many tickets will my team be allowed to sell? Major League Baseball learned during last fall’s NLCS and World Series that games can be held safely with fans in the stands if there are specific protocols, and those protocols are followed. The big issue for this year’s spring training is that local governments will have greatly varying orders regarding COVID-19 and what percentage of a park’s normal capacity will be permitted. Currently, all teams are submitting proposed plans for seating to the Commissioner’s office for approval. It appears 25% capacity is planned for most stadiums, although some, like the Giants in Scottsdale (just 1,000), will permit less.
This is a long way of saying: tickets will be really hard to come by, with lots of games having no ticket sales at all.
When the schedule of exhibitions games came out last fall, I planned an itinerary and booked hotels around seeing my favorite team in action. Can I count on those games being played? Not even close. On February 12, Major League Baseball announced a completely different schedule of games for this spring. And as we’ve learned from other sports in recent months, you have to be prepared for games to be canceled at the last minute due to COVID-19 protocols.
Well, I’ll still be able to see the games when the Red Sox take on the Yankees, right? Sorry to break this to you, but these two traditional rivals who train in Florida – who typically play a couple of times every spring – won’t be facing each other. That’s because the revised Grapefruit League schedule created three groups of teams, and clubs will only play others in their group.
The Florida East Coast division includes the Astros, Cardinals, Marlins, Mets and Nationals. The Florida West Coast group has the Blue Jays, Orioles, Phillies, Pirates, Tigers and Yankees. The Southwest Florida division includes the Braves, Orioles, Pirates, Rays, Red Sox and Twins. Note that the Orioles and Pirates will play teams in both the West Coast and Southwest groups.
Because all Cactus League teams are located in the same metro area, they are not being separated into groups, but their revised schedule is quite different than the one released last September.
Will the games themselves look different this spring? In the first two weeks of exhibitions, yes. In an effort to limit the number of players sitting in dugouts and bullpens, the two managers will be able to shorten games to seven innings or perhaps even five. Innings can also end before three outs have been recorded if a pitcher has reached his pitch-count limit.
Will Major League teams still play split-squad games? This spring there will be no “split squads” where an MLB team splits its roster in two to play in two different locations on the same day. This means that Cardinals fans won’t have to worry which “split squad” will feature newly acquired Nolan Arenado that day. Also, to reduce contact with those outside of the organization, all exhibitions against college teams have been canceled.
We’ve always enjoyed spending the day at our favorite team’s complex, starting with fielding and batting practice on the backfields in the mornings. Not this spring. MLB has asked all teams to close their backfields to fans.
Watching the prospects in the lower Minors is one of the great joys of spring training. Will we see them this spring? Not likely. That’s because MLB has asked all teams to conduct spring training in two phases. First, all Major Leaguers and players who are likely to play in Triple-A this year will train and play exhibition games until approximately March 28. Then players in Double-A and below will come to camp once the big boys have headed back home to start their seasons. Many teams have invited their top prospects to Major League camp – like the Rays have done with the top prospect in the sport, Wander Franco, and the Mariners did with star-in-the-making Jarred Kelenic — even though they are likely to start the regular season in the Minors.
We like to see a game every single day while attending spring training. Can we do that this year? Not necessarily. It depends on the team you want to follow. Clubs in the Florida East Coast group will have five or six scheduled days off. Those in the other two Florida groups will have two open dates. In the Cactus League, teams will have one or two days off.
I’m meeting up with a bunch of friends in Florida/Arizona. Will we be able to buy ten seats together? Not likely. “Pod seating” will be the rule this spring. That means that seats in sets of two, four or six will be put on sale, with sufficient space (that is, unused seats) between each pod. This will be quite a departure from the relaxed rules of past springs, as you will be required to sit in the seats you purchased.
Even buying tickets on the park’s outfield berm won’t allow a large number of friends to congregate. At Salt River Fields in Arizona for example, there will be circles spray painted on the grass berm creating spaces for two, four or six fans, and your ticket will assign you to a specific “pod circle” on the grass. This will reduce the seating capacity of the berm for Rockies and Diamondback home exhibitions from the normal 4,000 to only about 600.
Can we get autographs from the players? There will be far fewer opportunities to snare signatures this spring. Not only will the backfields be off limits, there will be strictly enforced rules against fans congregating in certain areas, such as batting practice and where players enter and leave the field for warm ups. In lieu of getting signatures, the best a fan can probably hope for is taking a picture of a player waving at them from a distance.
Do my kids and I have to wear a mask to exhibitions games? We’ll be outdoors after all. To be blunt, yes. MLB guidelines match what airlines are telling passengers: everyone age 2 and over must wear a face covering over their nose and mouth at all times while on the property of the ballpark. The mask can be removed only when actively eating or drinking, and only while in your ticketed seats. We’re told this will be strictly enforced.
What other measures will be in place to keep me from catching COVID at an exhibition game? You’ll see hand-sanitizing stations scattered throughout parks, and strictly enforced rules against crowds forming watching batting practice or on the outfield berms or boardwalks. Although it wasn’t designed with COVID in mind, the Mets’ Clover Park in Port St. Lucie (see photo at the top of this page) now has a significantly larger entryway and wider concourses, making social distancing much easier.
Will concessions be available? Yes, but there will be strict rules against congregating in front of concessions stands and merchandise outlets, and in lines for restrooms. There has been some talk of permitting outside food (always prohibited in the past) into games this spring, but there has been no spring-training-wide approval of this yet.
I saw several fans were injured by foul balls at regular season games. Spring Training parks are even more intimate than regular season parks. How do I know I’ll be safe? Jordan Skopp has studied this matter, and will release a book on this subject later this year. It’s a legitimate issue because during the 2019 regular season, there were 16 serious injuries from foul balls. A year ago, his research uncovered that 14 of the 30 MLB teams played spring training games at parks with no netting beyond the ends of the dugouts.
The good news is that netting has been extended in a number of spring parks, particularly at facilities that have undergone significant renovations. The Blue Jays’ TD Ballpark and the Mets’ Clover Park, both rebuilt last year, now have nets that extend down the foul lines.
So what’s the bottom line? How different will spring training be for fans this year? While spring training will feel different this year with social distancing and lack of access to players, it will still be possible to have a great, memorable time. Dave Dunne, General Manager of Salt River Fields where the Rockies and Diamondbacks train, sums it up this way: “We know we are in different times now, but rest assured that we are taking extraordinary steps to keep all fans as safe as possible. We’re confident that everyone will have an experience here that is just as special as in past years.”
Of course, with fewer fans on hand, you’ll have less competition chasing down foul balls.
Mock is the webmaster of BaseballParks.com and Knight of SpringTrainingConnection.com