As Opening Day quickly approaches, Major League Baseball teams are firing up for the upcoming season. After a long, cold winter, baseball fans are itching for baseball games to begin, and Spring Training gives them a taste of what is to come.
At batting practice before games, clusters of young children and middle-aged collectors – variously dressed in navy and white pinstripes, graphic t-shirts, baseball caps and jerseys of their favorite players – crowd together at the chain-link fence near the practice field dugout, reaching out to squeeze baseballs, baseball gloves, Sharpie markers, ballpoint pens and all types of baseball paraphernalia through fence gaps in the hopes of getting a player’s autograph. As he signed a baseball for my little brother, I asked Greg Allen of the New York Yankees what his goal for the season was. He searched the crowd to make eye contact, smiled, and said, “To help the team win.”
When asked about what he had worked on in the offseason, Lombard, Jr. told me, “A lot of things, mostly getting faster and stronger, lots of physical stuff.”
Many regular players begin Spring Training knowing they already hold a spot on the team, however, breakout players use Spring Training as their opportunity to be seen and sent to the Big Leagues. Among these players is George Lombard, Jr. of the New York Yankees, following in the footsteps of his father George Lombard, Sr., former MLB player and a current coach of the Detroit Tigers. When asked about what he had worked on in the offseason, Lombard, Jr. told me, “A lot of things, mostly getting faster and stronger, lots of physical stuff.”
Spring Training games began on the twenty-second of February, allowing avid baseball fans to watch live games. Major League Baseball teams split into two divisions: the Cactus League and the Grapefruit League. The Cactus League trains in Arizona, and the Grapefruit League practices in Florida, home to the renowned Yankees’ George M. Steinbrenner Field. The stadiums are smaller than the teams’ regular season home fields, providing a more intimate feel, and allowing fans to sit so close they can practically smell a player’s chewing gum.
On March 3, 2024, the scorching Floridian sun beamed down upon the stadium. Fans saw new Yankees team member Juan Soto smash a solo home run over the right field wall during the bottom of the first inning. Later, Aaron Judge hit a long foul ball, to which a fan yelled, “A little to the right!” Judge laughed, directly acknowledging the fan in an interaction between a pro and baseball enthusiast rarely seen during a regular season game. By the end of the game, all of the new, aspiring talent subbed out the seasoned pros.
Players to keep an eye on this season include Juan Soto, Julio Rodríguez and Corey Seager. Juan Soto is entering his first season with the New York Yankees. He is a four-time Silver Slugger Award winner, a three-time All-Star, and a 2020 batting champion. Julio Rodríguez of the Seattle Mariners joined the 30-30 club in his first two seasons. Corey Seager of the Texas Rangers assisted his team in winning the World Series with a whopping six home runs.
Spring Training represents only the beginning of a new, exciting season of the Great American Game.
