The MLB pre-season, otherwise known as Spring Training, is an opportunity for teams to get prepared for the regular season and take a look at up-and-coming players from the Minor Leagues. There are two leagues during Spring Training: the Cactus League, which plays in Arizona, and the Grapefruit League, which plays in Florida.
There are 15 teams per league, and these games, although they are practice games, can mean a lot to players looking to move up to the major leagues or those looking to make an impact during the regular season. It’s also a great chance for teams to warm up for the long season ahead. “If you go into a 162-game season and you go in cold, it’s no different than warming up in life in general,” says Mr. Juul. “You have to stretch, you gotta jog, and you have to get your cardio up.”
Baseball players need to get a head start on their season, just as much as any other professional sports team. Pitchers especially, with the number of players needing special surgery to repair their elbows called ‘Tommy John Surgery,’ the most recent hit being Yankees star pitcher Gerrit Cole. “Pitchers are more vulnerable now than ever. The expectation of pitchers to throw 95 to 100 miles an hour and go as hard as they can for five innings [is risky],” says Juul. “[As] opposed to the consistency back in the 2000s, 90s, 80s, 70s, pitchers were expected to go complete games.”
A big component of Spring Training is ‘the farm system,’ which is just a term for the minor league system. There are multiple levels to the minors, and most of the time, players go through that system until it’s their turn to step up onto the major league field. It tends to take a few years, but by then, players are ready to show off their skills. “This is their place, for the rookies especially, and even those [regular] season players to shine, to show what they can do in the positions that they play,” says Mrs. Tauskey.
Tauskey, who had been to Spring Training a few years ago, says, “When I was at Spring Training, I had the lovely opportunity to see [Buster] Posey, and I got to see Brandon Crawford. It was so much fun.” Spring Training offers a lot of unique opportunities to meet players and see prospects.
Last season, MLB introduced Spring Breakout, which is a series of prospect games from each team over a few days. Many promising players came out of it, such as Pirates pitcher Paul Skeenes, who won National League Rookie of the Year and is predicted to have a great season ahead of him. It’s important to pay attention to Spring Training alone for this reason. Many prospects come out of Spring Training with better skills that may land them a spot on the team.
Spring Training is also a great time for teams to connect with each other as well as with rookies. “New players get a chance to show themselves, like what they can do on and off the field,” says junior Juliette Ramirez. “If you don’t have a team that’s gelled together, then it’s not going to be a good team.” Senior teammates can offer great advice to their juniors and it’s a good opportunity to bond.
