Cactus League MLB Spring Training 2024 Trip Report

[bama_ed]

By now the crowds had shown up.





The announced attendance was 6,096 (seats 10,311).

As for the game, the Reds won 4-0. Most of the starters from last year started the game for both teams and played 3-4 innings then all were replaced to see what the new kids and invited players had to show to see where they would fall in the organization roster (MLB, AAA, AA, High A, Rookie League, etc.). Cleveland changed pitchers every inning to get a look at folks. We have over 90 players in camp (many minor league players whose own spring training camps have not started yet) but this is a chance to see what they can do in a big time setting.

Both teams were up in the dugout during the game.





Also we got the obligatory weather update at the start of the game from the Indians Radio broadcast crew. It was 27F in Cleveland at the start of our game and 74F in Goodyear. See? It was that kinda stuff that I heard as a kid in cold, chilly Ohio on the radio with these stories of the Valley Of The Sun, the palm trees, and the warm temperatures. So it's easy to see why I am finally here as an old fart, right?

I went looking for food during the game and saw a sign that I thought was promising.



A "Cleveland Polish Boy"? Sign me up!

Sadly, it underdelivered.



Cleveland plays the Seattle Mariners at Peoria Stadium tomorrow afternoon.

Day 1 of 7 is in the books.

Bama Ed

PS - and on Monday the Tribe plays the San Diego Padres also at Peoria (the Padres and Mariners share that facility like the Reds and Indians do at Goodyear). So we will be on the road two days in a row to the same stadium.

PPS - but I did see a guy take his seat during the game about 3 rows in front of me carrying something like a foot-long hot dog so that will be my mission at the next Cleveland "home" game.

 

[Part-Time Paradise]

Glad your travels went well. Looks like a good CG and great weather.

Enjoy

 

[tigger92662]

PS - oh and for @jbrostek if he's reading, I too had a birthday this week (as he recently did in the Chit Chat thread). I turned a milestone which I don't like but instead of saying I turned sixty after being fifty nine, my claim is that I turned fifty ten. And next year I will turn fifty eleven. So I can with a straight face claim that I am still in my fifties.

I look at as 30 years old with 31 years of experience. what exactly are the Desert Tender sliders?

 

[bama_ed]

What exactly are the Desert Tender sliders?

Joe i can make that my mission for the 3rd and final home game i will have.

Ed

Ps - my guess is mini chicken fingers on a tiny bun?

 

[cruising spud]

Ed, wishing you a Happy Birthday!!

 

[jbrostek]

@bama_ed That's why I stopped calling them years, and now they are levels. It sounds so much cooler to be a level 49 engineer, then a 49 year old.

Enjoy the clear air out there and all the baseball they can give. I do plan to see those pistachio orchards some day, though likely to be running away from winter cold rather then chasing spring training.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

1. OK, some want their age to be "a level".
2. In a few short days, I celebrate my Diamond Jubilee (Birthday).
3. Sounds better than "level".
4. At my age, nothing is level - more like bent over.

 

[tiggerdad]

Is that supposed to be coleslaw on that dog!?

Who would ruin such a thing?

Weather looks great!

 

[bama_ed]

Is that supposed to be coleslaw on that dog!?

Who would ruin such a thing?

Weather looks great!

Weather is great, @tiggerdad.

The Polish Boy had bbq sauce and slaw. Not a big slaw guy but i took that one for my team.

I think my ballpark food experience this week has nowhere to go but up.

Ed

Ps - i will post todays update after dinner.

 

[bama_ed]

Today was a good day for a couple reasons.

1. Cleveland won the game today.
2. I survived driving into the Phoenix area (5th largest metro in the US)
3. Now I know what I need to know because I'm going back again tomorrow.

I'll start off by showing you some of the Indians clothing I've brought out to the Valley of the Sun. No selfies on the DIS (only in very RARE occasions) but I can show you my closet (as it were) that I brought along.

First, the jerseys. I've got a home and a road jersey - I think home is white and road is blue but there appears to be no hard and fast rule in spring training. And a white straw hat with Chief Wahoo proudly at the forefront.



For cooler mornings, I also have a nice windbreaker pullover and a wonderfully warm fleece jacket all with the team logos. And two blue team caps with one logo slightly larger than the other.



Two great t-shirts (the top one in the pic I am wearing now after the game as I type this).



One of the things I love about taking the trailer and visiting other places is going to church which gives a vibe about a community. We had a great morning Mass and then swung by the local Wal-Mart so DW could buy a floppy wide brim hat to protect her from the sun since our seats were NOT going to be in the shade today. And we found a winner.

Our objective today was the Peoria Sports Complex which is home to the Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres which is about 30 minutes from where we are (it is NW side of Phoenix Metro).



We got there about an hour before first pitch (to get a close park) and the stadium was looking good.





I went for a walk down the 1st base line around the outfield while it was early.

Good luck getting an autograph.









Pretty relaxing looking on the outfield berm.



Let's move to the next post.

Bama Ed

 

[bama_ed]

There is a huge beer tent garden in left field.



In the left field corner is a Mariner (I guess?) sailing ship for kids.



Every spring training stadium complex has a small kid's wiffle ball field. Also one here at Peoria.



On my walk I did find a suitable lunch choice, a jumbo bratwurst which was out in center field. It was A-O-Kay.



But would it have killed the vendor to get a long bun to go with the long brat? I mean, they charge $11 (with green peppers and onions) and a full size bun would add a dime?

I did get to go down and peak into the Cleveland dugout (1st base side) before the start.



The game was 3-3 after about 4 innings. Not many Cleveland stars started this game. I listened to the Cleveland radio network via the MLB App (At Bat) option for $29 a year (what a steal that is) although it has a delay of about 45 seconds. But good enough to know who's who and what's what.

We were in the 8th row behind the Cleveland dugout on the 1st base side.



Cleveland busted the lead open in the 5th and went on to win the game 8-4. I don't mind seeing lots of substiutions and minor leaguers in the game for both teams. I paid minor league ticket prices too. Plus these are name that might come up in the summer or after September 1st when rosters expand. Attendance was 5,819 (capacity 12,518).

It was a beautiful day.



Good thing is, Cleveland returns tomorrow to Peoria to play the other team that trains at this complex, the San Diego Padres. You can go to mlb.tv and watch the game tomorrow for free (usually one game a day is free) from your smart tv or phone or computer. You have to create a login but no cost for free day games. So you can watch Cleveland and San Diego tomorrow at 110pm Mountain Time. We will be in the SAME seats as today in the 8th row behind the Cleveland dugout.

I wore the white jersey/straw hat yesterday, the blue jersey/hat today, I think I'll go back to the white jersey/straw hat for tomorrow.



Day 2 of 7 is in the books.

Bama Ed

 

[bama_ed]

Update from today for the Cactus League in the Valley of the Sun!

We were back in Peoria, AZ (same stadium as yesterday) to play the San Diego Padres (yesterday we played the Seattle Mariners who share the facility).



It was a few degrees cooler (still in the 70s) and mostly a high layer of clouds all day (so no direct UV sun) but the Indians won the game 7-4 so that makes it all good.

Fewer pics today but yesterday I spotted a grill outside the concourse on the 3rd base side with foot-long Half-Pound hot dogs (and LONG buns). So today after getting through the turn styles, I got one of those bad boys with green peppers and onions (sauteed). They also sell Italian sausages and brats with the same toppings. I added a big pretzel with some mustard packets and it was my best ballpark meal yet.



It was a smaller crowd today (Monday) than yesterday (weekend Sunday) but I'd say that just made it more intimate.



Official attendance was 2,866 (about half of yesterday's attendance) out of a capacity of 12,518.

The Mariners (from yesterday) have the 3rd base dugout as their own and the Padres (today) have the 1st base dugout as their own. I had the same seats behind the 1st base dugout as yesterday so I was seated around Padre fans (enemy territory, as it were). But we (Cleveland) won the game so that make it worthwhile.

One highlight of the day was since we got there early, I walked up in the stands and talked through the window with the Cleveland radio team. Tom Hamilton (Hammy), the play-by-play man, was busy in conversation but I did chat briefly with the color man, Jim Rosenhaus (Rosie). I listened to the Cleveland radio team in my youth (Herb Score on PxP and Joe Tait on color) and tv can't hold a candle to a radio broadcast of a game.

That's Jim above and Tom to the left of the 'Dave' sign during the game.



The thing is, radio is everywhere. Hammy and Rosie are in my kitchen with me while I cook dinner, in the truck with me while I'm driving, and more descriptive than the tv guys who rely on the video feed. Tom and Jim are like a part of the family. I told Jim how much I appreciate what they do. Tom always starts a home game broadcast from Cleveland with a phrase after the first pitch and he says, "And we're UNDERway from the CORner of Carnegie and Ontario" (streets in downtown Cleveland where the stadium is located).

It gives me chill bumps.

We were seated behind the 1st base dugout (Padres today) again they have those yellow hats peeking above the dugout.



Not many more pics from today (same as yesterday) but during a koozie giveaway for MLB Network, I didn't get a koozie but I got the bag the koozies were all carried in.



Tonight for dinner some hamburger steak, sauteed onions, mashed spuds, and sliced tomato. Steak sauce and salt/pepper to season it all. Oh very good. And a sunset over towards Disneyland.



Tomorrow we are back in the Indians home park at Goodyear, AZ playing the Oakland A's.

Day 3 of 7 is in the books.

Bama Ed

PS - the Padres from today and the LA Dodgers start the regular baseball season EARLY on March 20 with two games in Seoul, South Korea (14 hr flight from Arizona for both teams). So they both started spring training a day or two early. After the two games, they will play local Korean teams then come back to the West Coast to start the rest of their season games. Both Korean games between the Padres and the Dodgers will be on ESPN.

 

[Part-Time Paradise]

That's an interesting exhibition in the Republic of Korea. Crossing the Int'l Date Line is going to screw them up big time just in time for opening day. It took me awhile to recover when I would fly 14+ hours and it was earlier on the same day when I landed (eg took off in the evening on SUN in ROK and landed in Detroit midday on SUN ).

 

[bama_ed]

That's an interesting exhibition in the Republic of Korea. Crossing the Int'l Date Line is going to screw them up big time just in time for opening day. It took me awhile to recover when I would fly 14+ hours and it was earlier on the same day when I landed (eg took off in the evening on SUN in ROK and landed in Detroit midday on SUN ).

Good point Jack.

I looked at the Padres schedule and your thoughts are reflected in their games for the 2nd half of March.



Note their last spring training game in Arizona is on March 13 versus the A's. The main team does not show a game until the 17th and 18th (against Korean teams). Note again that the MLB games on the 20th and 21st show that each team is assessed one home game for these official contests outside the US.

Then they must travel back to the US and try to get their body clocks back on domestic time because they have two games against Seattle but note those two games show as "Exhibition" if you click on them. (I clicked on the game on the 25th with Seattle).



So it appears the regular season for these two teams, after two games in Korea against each other, does not resume until the 28th of March for the Padres. So that gives them plenty of time to get re-acclimated (which was your point coming west-to-east).

Thanks for that interesting observation. I learned something.

ED

 

[bama_ed]

Today was a tipping point in our bucket list vacation.

The game today against the Oakland A's at Cleveland's Goodyear Ballpark was game 4 of the 7 games we will see in Arizona. So we have passed 50% of the games. Yesterday we were under 50%. Sadly it's downhill for three more games till we head for home.

When you enter the stadium through the main entrance, you see (as you do at most baseball stadiums) the lineups for both teams. It's a good indicator how many starters will appear in that day's game.



I DID find the best hot dog yet of the trip today. It was a 'Nathan's Famous' Foot-Long with peppers and onions and accompanied by Cleveland's Official Mustard (Bertman which has been making mustard in Cleveland for over 100 years). It was SO good - best yet.



The view towards the field is beautiful here at Goodyear.



We were playing the A's (who won the game today).



I mentioned the 15th anniversary of the Reds/Indians being at Goodyear.



We got to the stadium about an hour before the start to get a close parking place and DW wanted to try out the field (carnival type) games outside the 3rd base seating area.



In front are three bean bag toss games. Then back left is a basketball toss, in the middle an inflatable skee-ball game, and back right is a wiffle ball batting game (a column of air blowing straight up makes the ball "hover" several inches above any support so swing away).

I won't show personal pics but it all got DW's competitive juices flowing. Especially the bean bag toss. We have our last game back at Goodyear tomorrow and she wants to get there early again to try to improve on her performance today.

That's my girl!

Both teams lining up for the National Anthem is always a sight.



And the game was underway.



Both teams were up on the railing of the dugout.





Let's roll to the next post.

Bama Ed

 

[bama_ed]

Being an early Spring Training/weekday game the crowd was sparse.





Here is a pic of Cleveland's best player, Jose Ramirez (3B), with his first at bat.



Here is a between-innings pic from behind the net at home plate.



I walked out to the Right Field corner and took a pic. Yep, small crowd.



Oakland won 11-2 and it was never close. Cleveland had two errors in the 1st inning.

The Tribe is 2-2 so far this spring training. The attendance was only 2,212 (capacity 10,311). Tomorrow's game will be against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Our time here is running out.

Bama Ed

 

[bama_ed]

BTW in listening to the radio broadcasts the last 4 days, I've seen regulars at all positions except pitchers. The radio chatter is that the starters throw "simulated" games at camp but not in a real game setting like I'm watching. They may get into real games for a few innings in the last two weeks of the Cactus League but for now they are nowhere to be seen. Roster relievers too i guess.

The last few years, Cleveland's problem has been hitting/offense. They have a great farm system, they develop pitchers and golden glove defenders, but last year the bats were nowhere to be seen.

Cleveland finished the 2023 season with the fewest Home Runs in MLB (124 and next closest was 151 - tops was 307).

Cleveland finished the 2023 season with the 4th fewest runs scored in MLB (so if not home runs, they're not scratching out too many other runs across home plate).

Cleveland did, however, finish 13th in MLB (out of 30 teams) in batting average; which when combined with the above stats means they don't hit for power/multiple bases.

Cleveland finished 2023 ranked 29th out of 30 teams in Slugging Percentage which means as stated previously, they don't hit for power/multiple bases. They get a fair amount of rinky dinky singles that don't produce runs that drive up the score.

And Cleveland's starting pitching rotation in 2023, while above average with an All-Star Game young closer, had injuries so the rotating door between the minors and the bigs was swinging often and fast to try to shore up the mound staff.

I have heard numerous references from multiple team radio broadcasts with references to "Driveline" here in Phoenix. Basically it's a bio-mechanics shop here to help youth-to-pro's with training, hitting, pitching. Staying healthy during a season and not getting injured. "Driving the ball" means hitting for more extra bases. Bulking up and eating right to help with mechanics and performance beyond what the team assets can teach.

TL;DR version is Driveline makes players better. Shrimps bulk up and hit more line drives. Pitchers learn how to train and not suffer injuries. Slammers discover how to add extra bases to their hits. I have heard their name mentioned several times since Saturday. And it seems to be working.

Day 4 of 7 is in the books.

Bama Ed

 

[TheRustyScupper]

1. Looks like the Bucket List item hit the spot and was worth the wait.
2. Love the straw hat, but no photo of you modelling it?
3. Enjoy the balance of Spring Training and have a safe trip home.
4. See you at the November-2024 DIZ-MEET at The Fort !!!

 

[garneska]

I feel like Lisa was beating you at the bean bag toss competition

 

[bama_ed]

I feel like Lisa was beating you at the bean bag toss competition

She was not winning, Kris, but it was uncomfortably close.

2. Love the straw hat, but no photo of you modelling it?

Okay, Rusty, here ya go. While I was putting my contact lenses in this morning.



Back to Cleveland's Spring Training home at Goodyear Ballpark in Goodyear, AZ for our last game here (last two games are at away stadiums). I'm just now learning where to park, where to sit, where the good concessions are, etc. and it's the last time. No 'coming back next year' so this year is it.

As I do before each game, I dropped the canopy down "just in case" although it's been beautiful our entire stay so far.



Our opponent today was the Arizona Diamondbacks, the local MLB franchise so their fans had a short drive over to Goodyear to watch the game.



DW and I were engaged in an extended session of bean bag toss (I barely came out ahead today) when I caught something on the big board that brought out the 10-year-old in me.



Now for those that don't know, at most baseball teams they have a policy to let KIDS run the bases AFTER a game a few times year. This is done to build interest in the game generally and the team specifically. But us BIG kids never/rarely get the chance to amble around the base paths so today was my first chance EVAH!

I was zoned in the entire game. But we had to get to the starting pitch and through the game first.







The Tribe arrived from their nearby practice fields dressed and ready.



They did throw to loosen up and I went over to check it out.







A local lady sang the Francis Scott Key tune.



And the top of the 1st had the D-backs batting and the Tribe in the field.



Next post.

Bama Ed