Spring Training refers to a specific time period in Major League Baseball’s calendar during which the MLB teams participate in a series of practice and exhibition games against each other. Spring Training precedes the beginning of the regular season and offers a chance to teams to experiment with their players and to scout out the competition. Spring Training tickets will allow you to catch all these exhibition games live and you can watch all your favorite baseball stars in action as they prepare for the grueling MLB season which will follow right after.

The basic aim of spring training is to offer the teams a chance to get into competitive shape prior to the start of the season. The games are usually played at different sites all over the country and are contested under two leagues, The Grapefruit League and the Cactus League. The Grapefruit League is based in Florida while the Cactus League is based in Arizona.

During these games, teams can try out new players and can experiment with on field positions and tactics. The regular players can also get back into form by playing competitively against some of their potential MLB rivals.

The concept of Spring Training first became popular during the 1890’s when major league teams started training at sites other than their home stadia. By 1910, the concept had been widely employed by most teams and early training sites included Hot Springs, Tulsa, New Orleans, Phoenix, San Diego, West Palm Beach and Honolulu.

The Philadelphia Phillies were the first Major League team to train in Florida and citing their example, the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians also trained there. This could be seen as the start of the Grapefruit League in Florida. As of today fifteen major league teams (half of the MLB pool) participate in the Grapefruit League as part of their Spring Training schedules. The Baltimore Orioles are the current Grapefruit League champions and the New York Yankees hold the record for most league championships (27).

The Cactus League was established due to the efforts of baseball franchise owner and promoter Bill Veeck. As the story goes, Veeck, a promoter of racial equality in baseball, established the Cactus league to counter racism which he experienced in Ocala, Florida. He was told by law enforcement officials that he could not sit in the Black Section of the crowd and was only allowed to stay after he threatened to take his team away from Ocala.

As owner of the Cleveland Indians he decided to go against tradition and took his team to train in Arizona. He later convinced the New York Giants to conduct their training in Phoenix and the Cactus League was born. As of today the other fifteen major league teams conduct their Spring Training in Arizona as part of the Cactus League. The Kansas City Royals are the current league champions and the Oakland Athletics hold the record for most league championships (10).

Spring Training has been a huge crowd puller since fans like to travel to the warmer climates to enjoy the weather and watch their teams compete live. Training usually lasts for about six weeks and ends just before the regular season is about to begin. Since Spring Training is about to begin, Spring Training tickets are in demand and selling out quickly, so ensure to book your tickets to catch your favorite baseball team live in action.