
Here’s an overview of the 10 Cactus League ballparks in use in Arizona additional detail about each park is below. Īll of the Cactus League stadiums, parking and recommendations are pinned to the map below to help you plan your visit.
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Best Cactus League ballpark: Everyone will have their opinion, but my favorites are Sloan Park, Tempe Diablo, Scottsdale Stadium and Hohokam Park (each for their own charms).īefore getting into the parks, if you’re looking for a full guide to Cactus League baseball in Arizona, check that post out for details on planning games, getting around and where to eat and stay. Cactus League ballpark that’s been home to most teams: Scottsdale Stadium (both old and new) has been home to 5 different teams (Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Oakland As and the San Francisco Giants). Only Cactus League ballpark in a Native American community: Salt River Fields in the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. Most expensive Cactus League ballpark: Salt River Fields cost $130 million to build (2011). Smallest capacity Cactus League ballpark: Tempe Diablo (9,785). Largest capacity Cactus League ballpark: Sloan Park (15,000). Youngest Cactus League ballpark: Sloan Park in 2014. Oldest Cactus League ballpark: Tempe Diablo in 1969 (though Scottsdale Stadium was built in 1956, it was rebuilt in 1992). Here are Arizona spring training stadiums by the numbers: But which is the oldest? Most expensive? Has had the most teams? Some of them are used just in the spring, some year-round and some for the Arizona Fall League (fall ball). This post goes into detail about all of the Cactus League parks in Arizona. 2020 Cactus League Spring Training basics and FAQ Cactus League ballparks in Arizona. Other planning resources for Cactus League spring training. Salt River Fields at Talking Stick Resort. Every fan should take the opportunity to visit his/her team’s spring training home at least once. It is more intimate than regular season baseball, more accessible. Games held there don’t count in the standings. Visiting teams will be able to take advantage as well.Ī spring training ballpark is only used for a month every year. While the A’s and Comcast don’t broadcast a ton of games during the spring, it’s good to know that the capability is there. Some of the extra $7 million went towards technological improvements, such as proper wiring for broadcast video throughout the park. The final price tag on Hohokam Stadium was $27 million, $17 million from the City of Mesa and $10 million from the A’s. It looked fine to me, so I’ll make LF semi-permanent instead of RF, where I thought I’d be sitting prior to today. I have a bunch of lawn tickets for games in March, and I made sure to plant myself in front of the display to see if I could stand the up-close pixelation. One dilemma I heard about was whether to bring the “A*Team” theme and graphics over from Oakland or trying something different for Hohokam. The A’s are experimenting with different graphics and sound packages, and from what I hear they’re not final, so you if you have suggestions chime in.
Last but not least, there’s the new scoreboard, which I’ve talked about previously. One bit of technology not available in the 90’s was large format, photorealistic vinyl, which was put to good use depicting major events in A’s history on the outside of the stadium (above) and throughout the concourse. Not that the gate naming system matters, it’s unlikely anyone will get lost here. This was scrapped sometime in the last year, probably because having gates named in a “random” manner would look confusing to non-A’s fans. Originally the gates were to have famous player numbers, like 24 for Rickey Henderson. Gold painted aluminum panels line the gates and box office. The exterior walls are the forest green we as A’s fans are very familiar with, perhaps darker than you might expect at first glance.
Under the A’s, the Gensler-designed makeover is all green and gold. A 90’s ode to beige stucco, there were only the most minimal nods to the Southwest. If you had visited Hohokam at any time since its 1998 renovation, you know about the edifice’s underwhelming blandness.