# 2021 Baseball spring training planning help



## callwill (Feb 15, 2020)

Im looking for insights on planning for a baseball spring training vacation.  I have searched multiple times and it appears MLB wont be updating the 2021 ST calendar until possibly september 2020.  Complicating/Interfering in that is also the WBC (world baseball classic to be held next year). Not having dates  makes it tough to request a timeshare week. Primarily interested in Phoenix/ Scottsdale and would like help figuring out when ST will likely end out there as we would prefer that week that it all ends.  Any serious fans with insights please respond...
Did a florida ST trip once but  AZ is where we want to go next...


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## simpsontruckdriver (Feb 15, 2020)

My thought is, since the Spring Training is between late February and the end of March, just pick a week. But, figuring out the exact teams playing on which days won't be known until September.

TS


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## callwill (Feb 15, 2020)

I am actually trying to hone in on when that last week might be. There will be several days of Preseason followed by "exhibition" games and then opening day in that week...   That is what we are aiming for, not specific games with specific teams.


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## MULTIZ321 (Feb 15, 2020)

Here is some info you might find helpful:

Traditional *Opening Day*, featuring all 30 Major League Clubs, will take place on Thursday, March 28th. The *2019 season* will mark the second *season* under the scheduling format agreed to as part of the *2017*-2021 Basic Agreement between *MLB* and the Major League *Baseball Players* Association (MLBPA). 

The 2018 Major League Baseball regular season will open on the earliest day ever (excluding international events) on Thursday, March 29, and will feature every team playing on the same day. 

It's the first full slate of games since 1968. 

and from Wikipedia: 
*"Opening Day* is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball and most of the minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent years it has fallen in the last week of March. In Nippon Professional Baseball, this day typically falls in the last week of March.

For baseball fans, Opening Day serves as a symbol of rebirth; writer Thomas Boswell once penned a book titled, _Why Time Begins on Opening Day_.[1] Many feel that the occasion represents a newness or a chance to forget last season, in that all 30 of the major league clubs and their millions of fans begin with 0–0 records.[1]

Opening Day festivities extend throughout the sport of baseball, from hundreds of Minor League Baseball franchises to college, high school, and youth leagues in North America and beyond. Since Major League Baseball generally starts their season first among professional leagues, their Opening Day is the one most commonly recognized by the general public. Most of the minor leagues start a few days later, but within the same week; the short season Class A and Rookie leagues are exceptions, since they begin play in June. (College, high school and youth baseball seasons vary widely depending on location and weather conditions.) Opening Day ignores the exhibition games played during spring training in the month leading up to Opening Day."

You can extrapolate closing day of the exhibition season from this.


Richard


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## BA21 (Feb 16, 2020)

callwill said:


> I am actually trying to hone in on when that last week might be. There will be several days of Preseason followed by "exhibition" games and then opening day in that week...   That is what we are aiming for, not specific games with specific teams.


I think you can plan on the last week of Cactus League Spring Training to be the week of March 14-21st.  Opening day 2021 will likely be around March 25th if MLB follows the pattern in the previous 2 years.  Spring Training is considered the pre-season.  Some teams play exibition games  in other cities outside the spring training locations of Arizona and Florida during the few days prior to Opening day.


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## caribbeanqueen (Feb 17, 2020)

Many of the Spring training fields are within easy driving distance (same as in Florida).  Depending on which team(s) you are interested in seeing, pick a week where you know Sprint training will be and once the schedule comes out you can figure out which games you want to see and where.


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## callwill (Feb 17, 2020)

caribbeanqueen said:


> Many of the Spring training fields are within easy driving distance (same as in Florida).  Depending on which team(s) you are interested in seeing, pick a week where you know Sprint training will be and once the schedule comes out you can figure out which games you want to see and where.
> View attachment 17288


Already aware of locations, and it is in fact much easier than trying to do the Florida thing(we know, done that once), all are much closer so you can stay in one place.  We know what teams do the cactus league and dont have particular interest in any one as we are going to meet in Phoenix from NY, CO and CA. Timing is the bigger issue as we would hope to catch the last several days of ST, then maybe an AZ exhibition game.  Several of us would then travel to San Diego to catch Games there and maybe LA before heading home.  2021 may be complicated by the world baseball classic with international teams coming to play that tournament.


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## caribbeanqueen (Feb 17, 2020)

Ahh,  got ya. I understand fully. My husband and I took an impromptu vacation to California one summer for a week and the few days we were in LA and San Diego there were no baseball games.  We so wanted to go see a game and the stadiums. We were really bummed. Hope to do this another time. Good luck, I hope it all works out for you.


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## callwill (Feb 17, 2020)

Both of those cities have great ballparks, but our favorites are Pittsburgh and Cleveland.  2 of us did a trip to Cleveland (4+ hrs) for a PM game, then we stayed over and went to an early afternoon game, then drove to Pitsburgh fot a PM game then drove the 5 hrs home.   Some week some summer soon we are hoping to do a trip that includes Washington, Baltimore, Philly, NYY, NYM and maybe Boston.


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