by JOE MOCK
This appeared in the USA TODAY 2025 Spring Training Preview. Used by permission. All right reserved.
Gary Magnone is a lifelong fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 73-year-old resident of Ventura has an annual ritual of attending spring training in Arizona so he can see his favorite players in an up-close, relaxed atmosphere.
“One of the very best things about the Cactus League is that with all of the complexes in the Phoenix Metro Area, it’s really easy to follow your favorite team as they play their exhibitions,” he says.
He adds that if you select the right hotels, you don’t even need to rent a car. Ride-sharing services can get you where you need to go, and in Surprise, Peoria and Scottsdale, there are hotels within walking distance of the complexes.
When Magnone started his yearly treks to Arizona decades ago, he relied on fairly basic information, like game schedules and maps. Today there is a world of technology in everyone’s smartphone that provides mountains of data. One advancement is in the area of data-mining, where supercomputers sift through hundreds of millions of data points to draw conclusions about how consumers feel about, well, just about any subject.
| InMoment, a leading provider of integrated Experience Improvement (XI)™ solutions, helps clients collect and connect customer experience data from multiple sources —from surveys and social reviews, to conversational chat logs and transcripts. As the pace setters in AI and text analytics, its over 3,000 clients activate and understand every byte of structured and unstructured data, breaking down data and team silos to take the smartest actions. InMoment’s award-winning technology combined with in-house industry experts empower brands to gain compelling ROI from their CX programs. |
So why not spring-training ballparks?
A firm called InMoment has developed algorithms that zero in on key words and phrases in online comments to assess how – and why – users like products, people and places. They call it utilizing “integrated CX.”
“For our analysis of Spring Training ballparks, we leveraged deep-learning models to extract over 20,000 keywords from fan reviews,” explains Sarah Speigle, InMoment’s director of product. “We then assigned sentiment scores, categorizing them into four key themes: Fan Experience; Facility; Family Friendliness; and Food & Drink.”
To accomplish this at our request, they examined over 5,000 online reviews by baseball fans over the past two years. This provides a clear picture of how fans feel about the 23 springtime ballparks.
Interestingly, a company called Review Trackers, which was later acquired by InMoment, did a similar project for us in 2018, back when they were just developing their data-mining techniques. The technology has come a long way.
“Compared to our 2018 analysis, advancements in AI—particularly in large language models—have significantly improved sentiment accuracy and contextual understanding,” adds Speigle. “This has allowed for more nuanced insights, capturing not just keywords but full phrases to better understand fan sentiment. Understanding these shifts can help teams and venues improve the ballpark experience, aligning with evolving fan expectations.”
Those evolving expectations and improvements in the tech didn’t change which ballpark came out on top. Both projects found Surprise Stadium to be the highest rated park in the Cactus League.
So join us as we first rank the ten facilities in Arizona, then the 13 in Florida. Just for fun, we’ll compare the results to the parks’ rankings in 2018:
Surprise Stadium in Surprise (photo at the top of this page)
Opened 2003
Spring home of the Kanas City Royals and Texas Rangers
2025 Arizona ranking: 1st
2018 ranking: 1st
Five of the ten springtime ballparks in Arizona have two tenants, but the home of the Royals and Rangers tops them all, just as it did the last time the data-miners researched this topic. Surprise Stadium finished first in three of the four subcategories: fan experience; facility and family friendliness. And unlike at some complexes, the minor-league practice fields are adjacent to the main ballpark.
Goodyear Ballpark in Goodyear
Opened 2009
Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Guardians
2025: 2nd
2018: 5th
Perhaps because the fan bases of the Reds and Guardians aren’t quite as large as some other teams, or because Goodyear is a little more off the beaten path in the Pheonix metro area, crowds aren’t as large here. But attendees rate the fan experience and the facility second only to Surprise.
Hohokam Stadium in Mesa
Opened 1997
Athletics
2025: 3rd
2018: 4th
Yes, this is the same Athletics who move to Sacramento this year after 57 seasons in Oakland. When the Cubs left Hohokam in 2013 for a new complex on the other side of Mesa, it opened the door for the A’s. $17.5 million was spent by the city to modernize it, and fans now rave about the concessions, which were rated #1 among Arizona parks.
American Family Fields of Phoenix in the Maryvale neighborhood of Phoenix (see photo)
Opened 1998
Milwaukee Brewers
2025: 4th
2018: 9th
It’s easy to understand why this facility leapt five spots to #4 among Arizona’s parks. Prior to 2019 spring training, over $60 million was spent improving every aspect of the facility, particularly in the area of family friendliness, which ranked #2 among the ten parks. It’s endearing that the PA announcer informs fans of not only the local temperature, but also what it is back in typically frigid Milwaukee.
Peoria Sports Complex in Peoria
Opened 1994
San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners
2025: 5th
2018: 2nd
Of the current 23 spring-training parks, this was the first constructed to house two teams. The city of Peoria makes enhancements to it each offseason, which is appreciated by fans, who voted its facilities the third nicest in the Cactus League.
Sloan Park in Mesa
Opened 2014
Chicago Cubs
2025: 6th
2018: 6th
Since the Cubs moved here in 2014, the team has led all of spring training in attendance, as almost every game is a sellout with nearly 14,000 on hand. Doug Greenwald, who has been a pro-baseball broadcaster for 28 years, loves calling games here. “The roof, lights and outfield deck are meant to look like Wrigley, so you really feel like you’re at Cubs West here.”
Salt River Fields at Talking Stick in Scottsdale
Opened 2010
Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies
2025: 7th
2018: 3rd
A rank this low is head-scratching, as many observers feel this is the best spring facility anywhere. “It’s unique that it was built on Indian land, plus it really promotes the Indian community and its history,” notes Greenwald. “The backdrop of the mountains is beautiful, with the most picturesque view of any ballpark in Arizona.”
Scottsdale Stadium in Scottsdale
Opened 1991
San Francisco Giants
2025: 8th
2018: 8th
Greenwald estimates that he’s called over 100 games here. He loves that “it’s right downtown. No other park in Arizona is within walking distance of so much. After a game, fans can walk to Old Town Scottsdale and have dinner, and stop in the historic Sugar Bowl for some dessert.”
Camelback Ranch in Glendale
Opened 2009
Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers
2025: 9th
2018: 7th
While Gary Magnone’s favorite park doesn’t rank as high with other fans, he still finds a lot to like here: “I love it there because it has a beautiful desert color scheme, and the backfields really remind me of Dodgertown when the team trained in Vero Beach.”
Tempe Diablo Stadium in Tempe
Opened 1969
Los Angeles Angels
2015: 10th
2018: 10th
This park was last in 2018, and it remains there now. Even though massive renovations have happened here, the original 1969 structure (built for the expansion Seattle Pilots) prevents widening of the cramped concourse or adding more features in the main seating bowl.
But even if you’re in the bottom-rated park, you can still enjoy Arizona’s gorgeous March weather!
Check out our rundown of Florida’s 13 parks … and the surprising revelation about whether fans prefer spring training in Florida or Arizona!