The middle of February is here, warmer weather peeking around the corner, and, of course, Spring Training is here! This means that a new season of baseball begins shortly, with the spring training games starting sooner than that. Before too much longer, summer will be here with warmer temperatures and baseball games to watch every night. The American pastime is making its return.
Last week, Spring Training began, with pitchers and catchers reporting on Feb. 17. Beginning Feb. 22 and continuing Feb. 23, the rest of the position players will be reporting. Baseball games will be resuming soon.
Due to changes that have been implemented due to COVID-19, teams in the Cactus League will play 28 games across 30 days from Feb. 28 to March 29, with two off days; and teams in the Grapefruit League will play a regionalized schedule consisting of 24 or 28 games to reduce the amount of travel. The Cactus League games will be played like usual, with each club playing two games against each of the other 14 teams. The Grapefruit League teams are divided up into those on the east coast of Florida and those on the west coast of Florida. Teams on the east coast of Florida will play 24 games amongst themselves, and teams on the west coast will be subdivided further into two groups and play 28 games amongst the teams in their group.
The next few weeks will be filled with news on the upcoming season. From who will be on the starting lineup on Opening Day to who is expected to be the starting pitchers for the season to who will be on the bench in a reliever position, there is a lot that will be learned over the next few weeks. While some of this information is already known, a lot remains purely speculative. Regardless of who does what, there is much to expect in the upcoming season.
Will the San Diego Padres, with all the promise their newfound level of play holds, win their first World Series, or will the Los Angeles Dodgers make it to their fourth World Series in the past five years? Will Mike Trout continue to run away with the title of best player in the game, or will Fernando Tatis, Jr overtake him? Will fans be able to be in the stands at the games this year, or will they have to watch from home throughout the whole season? These are just several of the questions that will be answered when Spring Training finishes and the regular season begins. The regular season will be beginning on April 1 with all 30 Major League Clubs playing on the first day of regular season competition.
While the regular season is still over a month away, Spring Training is here and baseball is back. It is time to sit back, relax and enjoy the beginning of what is going to be an exciting spring, summer and fall as baseball has now begun its fantastic return.
