Major League Baseball Spring Training to Play Full Pre-Season in Florida
For the first time since 2020, the 15 Major League Baseball teams in the Florida Grapefruit League are scheduled to play at full schedule of games beginning on Saturday, February 25 and running through Tuesday, March 28, 2023.
For reasons still fresh in the memories of baseball fans everywhere, the 2020, 2021 and 2022 Florida Spring Training schedules were cut short.
With that in mind, we can all look forward, once again, games beginning at 1:00 p.m. under the March sun, with plenty of time to enjoy the Florida amenities, pre- and post-game.
There’s the usual fun comings and goings of players and from the end of the 2022 season to spring training 2023, there was plenty of movement.
For the first time since 2004, St. Louis Cardinals fans at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium, will be watching someone other than Yadier Molina donning the “tools of ignorance.” The Redbirds fixture behind the plate announced his retirement after the 2022 season. Now calling pitches will be Wilson Contreras, among others in Jupiter.
The 2022 American League Cy Young Award winner, Justin Verlander, moves north from the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches and the Houston Astros to the New York Mets and Clover Park. It’s a much-needed addition to the Mets pitching staff with the loss of fellow Cy Young Award-winner Jacob DeGrom.
Trea Turner returns to the Florida Grapefruit League and will be in action in a Philadelphia Phillies uniform at Clearwater’s BayCare Ballpark. Kevin Keirmeier will be patrolling centerfield at TD Ballpark for the Toronto Blue Jays instead of Charlotte Sports Park for the Tampa Bay Rays.
When the Rays report for Spring Training it won’t be to Port Charlotte on Florida’s Southwest Coast. In early December, it was determined the 2023 spring training camp will be relocated from Port Charlotte due to damage to the facility caused by Hurricane Ian, in September, 2022.
The Rays pre-season workouts will be held at Disney’s Wide World of Sports from February 16-28. The opening game of the 2023 Spring Training season, against the New York Yankees, will be played in Champion Stadium. March 1-26 schedule will be played at Tropicana Field.
It’s another year of trying to identify which young players will emerge from “the backfields.” Michael Harris and Spencer Strider, of the Atlanta Braves accomplished the feat at CoolToday Park and were the top two finishers of the 2022 Rookie of the Year voting. Harris, the 2022 National League Rookie of the Year, had four hits in 15 at bats in last year’s Florida Grapefruit League action and Strider pitched only 2.1 innings, in one spring start.
Fans can also be on the lookout for International Baseball opponents during the 2023 Florida Spring Training season. The Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, Houston Astros, Miami Marlins, Minnesota Twins, New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals are slated to host World Baseball Classic opponents, on March 8 and 9. Teams playing at the Florida Spring Training sites include, the Dominican Republic, Israel, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico and Venezuela.
Even with all of the changes entering the 2023 season, The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches welcome back two of the most familiar faces in Major League Baseball still wearing the same uniform. Stephen Strasburg returns for his 14th season with the Washington Nationals and Jose Altuve is back for the Houston Astros for his 13th season.
One final note for attending a spring training game. If you’re a fan of seeing more players on the field, go to the early games in the schedule, from February 15 through March 10. If you want to see the regulars play for four innings or more catch the games from March 11 through March 28. As the regular season approaches, the more established players start getting their reps.
Check out www.floridagrapefruitleague.com/schedule the daily schedule of games beginning February 25 and continuing through March 27. For more updates, follow @FlaSpringTrain on Twitter.
2023 Florida Grapefruit League Teams and Locations
Atlanta Braves – CoolToday Park, North Port
Baltimore Orioles – Ed Smith Stadium, Sarasota
Boston Red Sox – JetBlue Park, Fort Myers
Detroit Tigers – Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium, Lakeland
Houston Astros – Ballpark of the Palm Beaches, West Palm Beach
Miami Marlins – Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium, Jupiter
Minnesota Twins – Hammond Stadium at the Lee County Sports Complex, Fort Myers
New York Mets – Clover Park, Port St. Lucie
New York Yankees – George M. Steinbrenner Field, Tampa
Pittsburgh Pirates – LECOM Park, Bradenton
Philadelphia Phillies – BayCare Ballpark, Clearwater
St. Louis Cardinals – Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium, Jupiter
Tampa Bay Rays – Tropicana Field, for 2023 season only, due to hurricane damage to Charlotte Sports Park.
Toronto Blue Jays – TD Ballpark, Dunedin
Washington Nationals – Ballpark of the Palm Beaches, West Palm Beach