Happy Pitchers and Catchers Reporting Day to the fans of the Florida Grapefruit League!
Well technically, salutations to 10 of the 15 teams hitting the field today in nine Florida locations. The Tampa Bay Rays reported on yesterday, on February 11 and four more teams hit the field tomorrow.
But today, the Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, Miami Marlins, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals and Washington Nationals are going through pitching drills today.
Welcome to the 2025 Major League Baseball Season!
For over 100 years, Florida has given hope to Baseball fans across the nation, for Next Year, which starts today! The wait is over.
FloridaGrapefruitLeague.com is your comprehensive site for all things Florida Spring Training. Keep checking the site throughout the next 41 days, for much more information, until teams leave, on March 24, for their respective Regular Season Opening Days.
Until then, here’s a few highlights from the 2025 Florida Grapefruit League Schedule. Check www.floridagrapefruitleague.com/schedule, for more schedule information.
Opening Day – Friday, February 21
The first pitch of the 2025 Florida Grapefruit League season will be thrown by a New York Yankees pitcher, at George M. Steinbrenner Field, in Tampa, to a leadoff batter from the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Yankees open their 29th season at their home stadium, across the street from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers home field on Dale Mabry Boulevard. Yankees fans and baseball fans in general are treated to a history lesson in Baseball for those wearing the Yankees pinstripes during a day at Steinbrenner Field.
The Boston Red Sox also host their annual exhibition game against the Northeastern Huskies at JetBlue Park, in Fort Myers, on February 21.
Opening Weekend – Saturday, February 22 and Sunday, February 23
All 15 teams will host a game at their Florida Spring Training Stadium, either Saturday, February 22 or Sunday, February 23.
A total of 16 games, will be played across the state on February 22 ad 23. The early season games are known for shuffling as many players as possible in and out of the games. Fans are encouraged to find a program vendor and purchase a program to identify lesser known players in these early games.
Yankees Travel South for a Pair of Games
The first meeting of the 2025 season, between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, will be played at JetBlue Stadium, in Fort Myers, on Monday, February 24. The Yankees will stay in Fort Myers and travel west down the Daniels Parkway to meet the Minnesota Twins at the Lee Health Sports Complex, on Tuesday, February 25.
A Baseball Fan’s Ultimate Day at Florida Spring Training
The first of a few “Two Games in One Day,” opportunities takes place on Friday, February 28 with a Day Game in Clearwater and a Night Game in Tampa.
The Ultimate Day begins at BayCare Ballpark, when the Boston Red Sox mee the Philadelphia Phillies for a 1:05 p.m. first pitch. Once the game in Clearwater has completed its nine innings, fans can jump on Gulf-to-Bay Boulevard and take the scenic drive over to Tampa on the Courtney Campbell Causeway.
For the nightcap, the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees meet for an American League East preview game, with a 6:35 p.m. first pitch.
New York Mets Travel Across the Peninsula for Games
The New York Mets and their big off-season signee, Juan Soto, make the trip across Alligator Alley to Fort Myers for a pair of games on Saturday, March 1 and Sunday, March 2.
The Mets meet the Tampa Bay Rays at Charlotte Sports Park on Saturday, March 1 and stick around Southwest Florida to face the Boston Red Sox on Sunday, March 2.
Both first pitch time is 1:05 p.m. for Southwest Florida Mets fans.
St. Patrick’s Day on the Diamond
Baseball under the March Sun in Florida and St. Patrick’s Day is always a big day at Florida Spring Training sites. Monday, March 17, should be no different for the 2025 season
A total of nine games will be played in Florida’s 13 locations. In the last few years, BayCare Ballpark, and the Philadelphia Phillies have played host to one of the largest spring training crowds of the season. In 2024, over 10,000 fans watched the Phillies and Toronto Blue Jays at BayCare Ballpark.
Florida Spring Training and NCAA March Madness
With the NCAA Basketball Tournament First Round coinciding with the final days of the Florida Grapefruit League, it’s a sports fan’s dream following the action on the field and on the courts at the Ballpark of their choice in late March.
March Madness first round games begin on Thursday, March 20 and run through Sunday, March 23. Here’s a few hotspots to catch the Baseball/Basketball combo of the season.
The Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves play at CoolToday Park on Thursday, March 20. The Superior Pools Tomahawk Tiki Bar in Left Field will certainly have early first round games shown. The New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers will be on Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium, on Friday, 3/21 and the Left Field Pavillion Corona Cabana Bar will offer fans a chance to update their brackets.
On Saturday, March 22, fans can watch the Baltimore Orioles and Pittsburgh Pirates on the field at LECOM Park while basketball games air at the Kona Tiki Bar in centerfield. Finally, on Sunday, March 23, the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees will meet at George M. Steinbrenner Field, in Tampa, with plenty of tv screens in the left and right field bars.
Trip Suggestions for the Hard Core Spring Training Fans
Fans of the Atlanta Braves should mark their calendars for March 1-4 in south Sarasota County. On back-to-back days, the Braves host the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees, on March 1 and 2. On March 3, the Braves travel a short distance south to meet the Tampa Bay Rays. The Braves overload concludes on March 4 with a game against the Minnesota Twins at CoolToday Park.
For those in Palm Beach County, the Miami Marlins will have an impressive four day stretch between March 11-14. The Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals meet at The Dean on Tuesday, March 11. Wednesday, March 12 is an off day, but the Marlins follow up with home games against the Houston Astros, on March 13, and the Boston Red Sox, on March 14.
Minnesota Twins fans can close out the season with a four-day run of games in Fort Myers from March 22-25. The Twins meet the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday, March 22, take a trip a few miles east to Jet Blue Park, to play the Boston Red Sox on Monday, March 23. The spring season comes to an end for the Twins at the Lee Health Sports Complex with a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday, March 24 and a unique game against the Cactus League’s Colorado Rockies, on Wednesday, March. The Rockies open the regular season against the Tampa Bay Rays and will squeeze in one more tune up before Opening Day.
The New York Mets conclude the 2025 Florida Grapefruit League schedule with four consecutive home games at Clover Park, in Port St. Lucie, March 21-24. Amazin Mets fans can catch the team against the St. Louis Cardinals, on Friday, March 21, the Washington Nationals, on Saturday, March 22, the Miami Marlins, on Sunday, March 23 and the New York Yankees on, Monday, March 25.
There’s some baseball to be played at the TD Ballpark in Dunedin between March 10-13 with three Jays games in four days. The Blue Jays host the Houston Astros, on Monday, March 10 and the Minnesota Twins, on Tuesday, March 11. The Jays take a day off on Wednesday, March 12, before returning to TD Ballpark on Thursday, March 13 for a game against the Baltimore Orioles. There’s plenty of different views to find around TD Ballpark and its 360-degree boardwalk.
How about some Spring Breakout Games mixed in with some MLB Spring Training Games? Then a trip to CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches is a good place to be. The Washington Nationals and Houston Astros play a Spring Breakout game on Friday, March 14. On Saturday, March 15, the Nationals return to host the New York Mets, followed by a game against the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday, March 16. Following the Rays game on Sunday, the Nationals and New York Mets play a Spring Breakout Game. Four Games in Three Days!
Once again, keep checking www.floridagrapefruitleague.com for more interesting Florida Grapefruit League Tips and Tidbits. See you at the Ballpark!