Florida Spring Training Guide for Pirates, Orioles and Red Sox
On the calendar, spring officially starts on March 20 each year. But for us, the spring season starts usually in mid February, when they announce that pitchers and catchers have reported to Spring Training.
For 20+ years, generations of our family have made baseball travel a tradition, making our way to Florida to get a break from the gray and cold winters of the north to take in a few baseball games.
Florida Spring Training Guide
Spring Training games in Florida is a great way to fall in love with baseball if you’re not a fan, and to embrace again the game you love that you’ve maybe forgotten about since the World Series ended the previous October.
Florida Spring Training baseball will take some planning, but if you do it right you can see plenty of baseball in a short amount of time.
Schedules start getting finalized in December, and you’ll see some teams placing select Spring Training games on sale just before Christmas. Florida Spring Training tickets tend to be for the more in demand team like the New York Yankees or Boston Red Sox. It is best to keep an eye on the team sites for ticket availability for the more popular teams. Tickets to see less popular teams can be purchased much closer to the date of the game.
If you’re planning to travel around and see multiple teams at multiple stadiums, we recommend the site Spring Training Online. They provide the entire Grapefruit League schedule by day, allowing you a chance to make your plans by day.
In Florida, the stadiums are not as close together as they are in Arizona. But they are still close enough to make most trips work easily. Major League Baseball teams that hold training camps from mid February to late March include: Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros, Miami Marlins, Minnesota Twins, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays, Toronto Blue Jays and Washington Nationals. While we’ve been to nearly all of the stadiums, we’ll focus on the stadiums for Baltimore, Boston and Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh Pirates – Bradenton, Florida
Pittsburgh has held Spring Training in Bradenton, Florida since the 1960s. Their spring home, Lecom Stadium (McKechnie Field as it was known for generations) is the oldest stadium still in use. It was built in 1923.
The Pirates have done what they can to update the stadium, but you will definitely sense the history of the complex. The stadium is on a a street corner with a narrow concourse area.
In recent years, they have added a deck walkway around the outfield. This has opened up a couple nice party areas which they rent out as well as some nice views of the field and stadium.
While set in a neighborhood type setting, there is plenty of parking nearby. Maybe too close in fact, as the premium parking near the stadium is also targets for foul balls which easily clear the stadium stands.
Because of the popularity of the team and the lack of success they’ve seen in recent history, ticket prices and concession stand prices are more affordable than other stadiums.
It is an older stadium, the oldest currently in Spring Training use in Florida. With that, there are obstructed views and tight seating arrangements.
The fan experience, including the gift shops are pretty minimal. There is not much else to see except the game. Pittsburgh has a rich history including Roberto Clemente which would make for a nice exhibit to share with fans. Unfortunately there isn’t a space to provide such a showcase.
Baltimore Orioles – Sarasota, Florida
Ed Smith Stadium is the current spring home for Baltimore, in Sarasota, Florida. The Sarasota city council voted no to stadium improvements and lost the Cincinnati Reds around 2008, and since then they have embraced the idea of spring baseball for their city. That is reflected in how nice and well kept the Ed Smith Stadium and the surrounding grounds are. This stadium provides the perfect blend of modern and nostalgia.
The stadium is older, but doesn’t show it. The city has a solid partnership with the franchise and fans. They cater to a strong contingent who travel down from Maryland. You’ll notice ballpark and regional favorites like Esskay hot dogs and crab cakes. They also have a good gift shop. Little things like cool photo opportunities also make a good fan experience, and they have several spots around the stadium perfect for selfies.
Going to Florida in late February and March is about seeing sunshine. But a caution at Ed Smith Stadium, there are a lot of seats in the sun. Be sure to pack sunscreen if you’re seeing a day game. Parking can be a hassle at this stadium, so it pays to get there early.
Boston Red Sox – Fort Myers, Florida
Opened in 2012, Jet Blue Park is often referred to as Fenway South, the spring time home of the Boston Red Sox. The playing field is essentially the same as Fenway North, though the left field wall nicknamed the Green Monster is taller. And that extra height is put to good use with seats available inside the Green Monster. They are hard to get seats, but if you have the option you should give them a try.
The view is unique, you are up close to the action and you have a nice barstool and ledge for you to place your food and drink. Tip – select row two for your seats. Row one will have you staring straight into the sun for day games, while row two will be just out of the way of the glaring sun.
Fenway South feels like a major league ballpark. The Red Sox do an excellent job of providing the fan with a great experience with plenty to see and do around the grounds. They have an area of monuments and tributes to former players, including a very nice statue of hall of fame Ted Williams.
The Red Sox do a great job of providing a wonderful fan experience. That includes some unique photo opportunities. For a small donation to a local Ft. Myers charity, we had a unique opportunity to get a picture with history. The team had a few of their recent World Series trophies available. Throughout New England following the Red Sox historic victory in the 2004 World Series, the team did a tour of the World Series trophy. Living in Indiana, we were never around such an opportunity. But for a goodwill offering to a local Ft. Myers charity, we had the opportunity to get our photo taken with several of the World Series trophies. This is a great touch by the ball club to provide a unique and fun fan experience.
The gift shop at Jet Blue Field is one of the bigger ones in Florida. If you’re a Red Sox fan, you’ll want to stop by check out the selection.
On the negative side, that gift shop and pretty much the entire Fenway South experience is expensive. Red Sox nation supports the team, which does drive up the cost for tickets, food and drink at the games and in the gift shop. Red Sox nation is also large, meaning you can expect a lot of people at the games and in the gift shop. Before and after the games, the gift shop is packed, so you might consider missing an inning of the game to shop then.
Traffic to and from the stadium is always heavy. You will want to leave plenty of time in your schedule for sitting in traffic on the Daniels Parkway, the main road to the stadium.
All of the Spring Training sites offer access to see the players and practice and to get autographs. It is not necessary to buy game tickets to get a Spring Training experience or access to the team’s gift shop.
Have a comment about the places described, let us know! And if you have any questions about these stadiums or any of the Florida baseball stadium for Spring Training, drop us a note.
