We suddenly have plenty of family in Phoenix. My sister has lived there a while and her family has been growing. Her in-laws are all there. Now my parents made the leap to the desert after living their entire lives in Minnesota. This is our primary reason to travel (or perhaps move) there and we just got back from another excursion. It certainly doesn't hurt the weather is lovely this time of year while winter persists in Minnesota.
There's also another reason I really like Arizona. As a life-long fan of a baseball team with Spring Training in Florida ('the Grapefruit League'), I didn't know anything about its counterpart in Arizona ('the Cactus League') for a long time. In Florida team facilities are pretty spread out, from West Palm Beach to Orlando to Tampa to Fort Myers. The Twins are in Fort Myers and, unless seeing the cross-town Red Sox, its a two+ hour drive to most other parks. Time is better spent going to the beach (like on Sanibel) than adding five hours of driving to your day. To contrast, in Arizona 15 teams have spring within the Phoenix area.
Now, especially if you've never been to Phoenix, something needs to be said about the size of the metro. It's ridiculously huge and sprawling. We stay on the east side and it continues to blow me away how long it takes to go places even on one side of town. It's almost 30 minutes from the centrally located airport to my sister's (Mesa) or parent's (Gilbert) house. It's an illusion in navigation because what appears to be only a few blocks is always much more than that (similar to Vegas). The point here is, while everything is closer together than in the Grapefruit League, it still requires some time to reach the various parks.
My main objective today is to run through my thoughts on the different Spring Training facilities we've seen. There are 10 total parks in AZ. Five of them are shared between two teams, convenient for us and them. My wife and I have checked out six of the 10 in the past five years. Some day we'll make it to Goodyear (Guardians/Reds), Peoria (Mariners/Padres) and Surprise (Rangers/Royals). They're the farthest away from the east valley and that's been a big part of it. We haven't gone to HoHoKam (Athletics) either. That stadium has a reputation for being dumpy but we'll make it there.
We've also been to quite a few major league parks and at some point I'll probably do something with that too. What I'm trying to say is I've taken time, long before this, qualifying what I like about ballparks. Price, aesthetics, sight-lines, food/drink and ease-of-entry. There's an intangible piece too, the overall feel. The big difference during spring is it should be less formal and more comfortable, so the cost to sit in the outfield grass and the space available is a consideration, but much is the same. The order below is by original build date.
Tempe Diablo Stadium (1968, renovated 2006)
- Los Angeles Angels
- 9,558 capacity
This one is just off the freeway and in an industrial part of Tempe. Parking is a pain. The connected lots fill quickly and what would seem nearby options get blocked off, so street parking it is. Inside it's nice enough and you'd never expect it's so old. The big rocks beyond left field are memorable. Sight-lines are clear everywhere. The covered concourse is the only shade, there's none in the seats. Food/drink options are fine, couple of places for beer and food trucks down the 3rd base line. Not a ton of space in the outfield (and you can't walk all the way around) but it's a pleasant space and close to the food trucks.
Scottsdale Stadium (1992, renovated 2006)
- San Francisco Giants
- 12,000 capacity
(Visited in 2017.) This one is downtown Scottsdale. Rich people and golf carts, plus a bunch of shopping and restaurants close by. Parking is again annoying because of its location, as the library ramp next door fills up. Inside feels in many ways like Tempe Diablo but more dated. The biggest pro is you can walk around the outside, though it's tight in places, and there's more grass seating. The cons are you can't view the field from the entire concourse and food/drinks are subpar. Probably my least favorite.
Maryvale Stadium (1998, apparently renovated 2019)
- now called 'American Family Fields of Phoenix'
- Milwaukee Brewers
- 10,000 capacity
(Visited in 2017.) Located in Maryvale, a neighborhood within Phoenix proper, the surrounding area is a bit rough according my brother-in-law. Once you arrive, however, there are perks. There's ample parking on-site and it's well organized like at Miller Park in Milwaukee. I remember getting cheap tickets. While clearly a little older it's very open and easy to see the game. There's an absolute ton of outfield grass seating, sausage and Wisconsin beer like Leinenkugels. Somehow they've created a midwest haven in the desert. Definitely recommend. Supposedly they've renovated since our trip there so I can't comment on the updates. Hopefully it resembles the old place.
Camelback Ranch (2009)
- Chicago White Sox/Los Angeles Dodgers
- 13,000 capacity
(Visited in 2018 for a Dodgers game.) Near the river in Glendale, west of the city of Phoenix, it seems like you're on the outskirts. There's plenty of parking but how you get there is controlled and slow moving, a lot like LA traffic. After entering the complex you walk by some of the practice fields, which is fun, and there's actually shade interspersed. The stadium itself feels comfortable yet new and stylish. We didn't sit in the grass here, fwiw. The concourse is wide and mostly covered around the infield with good views of the action from anywhere. Food/drink options are quality and plentiful. My favorite park so far. They nailed it.
- Arizona Diamondbacks/Colorado Rockies
- 11,000 capacity
(Visited in 2017 for a Dbacks/Rockies game.) In a commercial area north of downtown Scottsdale, this was the first stadium my wife and I saw in Arizona. We didn't even try to park in one of the connected lots, instead parking at the nearby Target, and that worked just fine. I realized later this is basically a clone of Camelback Ranch and there's nothing wrong with that. I think I like the original better and the only real reason is Salt River Fields (maybe) felt (slightly) more sterile. Things I liked included the large outfield grass area, where we sat for a while though we paid for actual seats, and the fact that much of the seating gets shade during the game. Overall very nice, again with good options for food/drinks.
Sloan Park (2014)
- Chicago Cubs
- 15,000 capacity
(Visited in 2018.) The newest Cactus League park is in a commercial area not far from Arizona State in Tempe. They're very organized in how you park but I was annoyed with how far away we were afterward. I mean, there were a bunch of people on bike rickshaws to take you between the 'lot' (a field) and the stadium. After making the jaunt you'll find they went all out in creating a mini Wrigleyville, even recreating the famous sign for a cool photo spot. It's super nice, so much actually it doesn't feel right for Spring Training. When we went (and it was shortly after they won their title), there were too many people and it all was too expensive. I didn't much enjoy the packed outfield seats or rowdy crowd. Maybe by now it's chilled out a bit but I don't want to go back.
I'm not going to rank them because I don't know where to put Sloan. Camelback Ranch and Salt River Fields are the top two. Maryvale, Tempe Diablo and Scottsdale should be grouped together and they'd probably go in that order.
When looking at the Spring Training in general and the Cactus League in particular, the best part is often how the team's parks reflect the big league club and city. That's what frequently sticks out most to me. I'm looking forward to eventually seeing all ten stadiums. Hopefully if you ever go down there yourself this is helpful, but either way it was fun to reminisce about.
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