MLB Spring Training Guide
By: Will Aimette
(Image Credits: MLB.com, nytimes.com)
Spring training is great for so many reasons. Not only does it prepare you for the season as opening day feels closer and closer, but it also allows you to meet your favorite players, witness new technology, and see young players before fame. It’s different from the following 162 games filled with pressure regarding not only wins and losses, but all the stats that come with it. So here’s what to look forward to for the next month before opening day.
The A.B.S. Challenge System
Last year it was an experiment, but this year it’s for real; AI umpiring has entered the MLB. The ABS Challenge System uses camera technology to track pitches and determine balls and strikes. And it’s worked pretty flawlessly so far. It works like a normal challenge in baseball, only for balls and strikes, and instead of one challenge per game, each team gets two. For every correct call the challenging team gets, they get their challenge back. Teams can use their challenge both when pitching and hitting. And we’ve already seen some crazy moments using this system, including when Paul Skenes threw a backdoor sweeper to Matt Olson, which was ruled a strike. Olson challenged, and the pitch was ruled a ball by less than 0.1 inches! This just highlights how much the ABS system changes the game, underlining the precision of not only the system, but also the pitchers, as they need to be much more focused on accuracy when pitching. This has lowered fastball velocity from last year’s spring training average of 95.5 to this year’s average of 95.1.
Meeting the Players
Spring Training is a place for fans to interact with their favorite players. There are usually dedicated times for each team to sign autographs and take pictures with fans before and after games and workouts. The games take place in the Grapefruit League and Cactus league in Arizona and Florida, and all the stadiums in those two states are about an hour away from each other. The teams towards the east coast are playing in Florida, while the Midwest and West play in Arizona.
Watching Games
The beauty of Spring Training is the easygoing vibe of the games. There is no pressure to watch the whole game, so feel free to get up to enjoy a hot dog whenever you’d like. Another big advantage of Spring Training games are the players you get to watch that you don’t normally see. Most players in Spring Training only play a couple of innings per game, so fans get to see a glimpse of the entire teams; including the team’s rising stars in the minors before they take the next step. In some cases the minor leaguers do take that next step to the majors in Spring Training, which is another exciting moment for fans (especially when you meet them before they become famous).
