Tuesday March 21st, 2012

Sam Evans: MLB’s Spring Training needs a makeover. They play too many games, and the games aren’t usually in ideal locations. If MLB were to use my suggestions, I believe that Spring Training would become a more respectable, revenue producing venue.

The first thing Major League Baseball needs to do is relocate the Grapefruit League team locations. If the league wants to keep teams in Florida, they need to make it more accessible for fans to see as much action as possible. In the Cactus League fans barely have to travel to see their teams play; however, in Florida some stadiums are more than four hours apart. There is no reason why the Marlins should have to play their spring games an hour and a half away from their stadium.

If I were in charge of the Grapefruit League, I would try to separate the fifteen teams into two divisions. One division would be located within fifty miles of the Tropicana Dome, and the other would be close to Marlins Stadium. For the stadiums that would lose a Spring Training team, they would be awarded a minor-league team.

This is obviously a dream concept that very likely won’t ever happen. If it did happen, then it would become so much easier to attend games in person. Attendances would rise, and the overall popularity of the Grapefruit League would erupt. MLB has a misconception that new, expensive Spring Training complexes are the main requirement to generate more income.

I think  that everyone who goes to Spring Training loves baseball enough to where they don’t care about what the restrooms look like. There are cheaper ways to make games fun for fans than endless concession stands and thousands of parking spaces.Major League Baseball is wasting taxpayer’s money on unnecessary amenities that take away the historic ruggedness of Spring Training. It is unacceptable that Mesa citizens spent almost $100 million on a new Cubs Spring Training facility. This is American Spring Training not a snotty museum in Paris. We shouldn’t have to spend $100 million on a place where athletes train for one month a year.

Unfortunately, MLB is stuck in Florida for a long time. The possibility that MLB teams could spend Spring Training in their normal stadiums is diminished by the long-term stadium contracts that MLB and the Spring Training cities are signed to. Leaving these Spring Training areas would have a huge impact on the city left behind.

According to the Bonn MRG, the total economic value of MLB’s Spring Training to the state of Florida was $752.3 million. If MLB were to leave Florida and Arizona, it would be a devastating loss for the cities in which MLB teams stay for Spring Training. Even if just the Major League clubs left, the majority of the fans would leave as well.

The problem with Spring Training that everyone can agree with is the length of the season. MLB teams play about twenty-five games per season in Spring Training. That’s completely unnecessary for professional athletes playing at the highest level of the sport. Even if MLB cut just five games, the major difference would be in October. Instead of playing in freezing November weather, the World Series would be finished right around Halloween.

Shortening the Spring Training season would be an easy move for Major League Baseball to make. I could see this happening in the next couple of years if MLB can sacrifice the income drawn from a couple of games in order to protect their players. With that being said, it might not ever happen.

MLB could do a number of things to fix Spring Training. Teams being closer in Florida, and a compacted Spring Training would definitely help restore the reputation. Baseball needs to figure what they are going to do with Spring Training before people lose interest. Spring Training isn’t hurting the game of baseball currently, but with a couple of simple changes- it could promote the sport in a more appealing fashion.

**Today’s feature was prepared by our Baseball Writer, Sam Evans.  Leave a comment and tell us what you think MLB should do with Spring Training, if anything!  You can also follow Sam on Twitter***

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