Feb 15 2008
Cactus League - Spring Training InformationA dozen Major League Baseball teams participate in the Cactus League, and nine of them call the Phoenix area home. The dean of Cactus League clubs is the Chicago Cubs, who began training in Mesa in 1952 and whose 12,632-seat stadium — Hohokam Park — is the biggest in all of spring training. Greater Phoenix's Cactus League roster also includes the Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Milwaukee Brewers, Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers.
Here Come the Dodgers
The newest addition to the Cactus League lineup is the Los Angeles Dodgers. The tradition-rich National League franchise won't officially relocate "Dodgertown" from Vero Beach, Fla., to a new stadium in Glendale until 2009; but Dodgers fans can get an early taste of the Arizona spring training experience March 20-25, 2008 when the club house-sits Phoenix Municipal Stadium while the Oakland A's are playing overseas.
Cactus League Games are Priced Right
Baseball fans will be pleased to discover that tickets to Cactus League games remain famously inexpensive, from about $5 for lawn seating to $25 for a perch behind home plate. Road trips in the Cactus League tend to be short (about 30 minutes in the Phoenix area), and the temperature on a typical spring afternoon hovers in the 70s.
Cactus League Stadiums in Greater Phoenix
Hohokam Park Stadium
Home to: Chicago Cubs
Tickets: $6-26
Website
Stars to be seen: Derrek Lee, Alfonso Soriano, Carlos Zambrano
Maryvale Baseball Park
Home to: Milwaukee Brewers
Tickets: $8-19
Website
Stars to be seen: Prince Fielder, Ben Sheets, Eric Gagne
Peoria Sports Complex
Home to: Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres
Tickets: $6-23
Website
Stars to be seen: Ichiro Suzuki (Mariners), Jake Peavy (Padres), Greg Maddux (Padres)
Phoenix Municipal Stadium
Home to: Oakland Athletics
Tickets: $6-25
Website
Stars to be seen: Daric Barton, Joe Blanton
Scottsdale Stadium
Home to: San Francisco Giants
Tickets: $8-28
Website
Stars to be seen: Barry Zito, Aaron Rowand
Surprise Stadium
Home to: Kansas City Royals, Texas Rangers
Tickets: $7-22
Website
Stars to be seen: Jose Guillen (Royals), Milton Bradley (Rangers), Michael Young (Rangers)
Tempe Diablo Stadium
Home to: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Tickets: $5-25
Website
Stars to be seen: Vladimir Guerrero, Torii Hunter, Garrett Anderson, Gary Matthews Jr.
More Information
Cactus League Website
Information Courtesy: Greater Phoenix Convention & Visitors Bureau
Tucson Spring Training
Three recent champions of Major League Baseball return to Tucson for Cactus League Spring Training, February 27-March 27. The teams-Arizona Diamondbacks, Chicago White Sox, and Colorado Rockies-play home games every week at Tucson Electric Park (TEP) and Hi Corbett Field. One of the season's hottest matches-between Chicago rivals, the White Sox and the Cubs-is already a sell‑out, Saturday, March 15 at TEP. Another big game, between the Diamondbacks and the Los Angeles Dodgers, takes place Friday, March 21 at TEP as the Dodgers prepare for their 2009 move to the Cactus League. A two-nation competition is scheduled for Hi Corbett Field when the Colorado Rockies host the Mexican National All-Star team on Friday, Feb. 29 and Sunday, March 2. For more information, check the Spring Training page under Events at www.visitTucson.org; or call the ticket offices of Tucson Electric Park at (520) 434-1367 and Hi Corbett Field at (520) 327-9467.
Information Courtesy: Tucson Convention & Visitors Bureau
