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Cactus League Swings into Spring Training

Join us in Arizona for spring training, when teams from across the country descend on Arizona for major league baseball fun. 

By Nora Burba Trulsson

If you’re in metro Phoenix or Tucson during March, you might notice locals acting peculiarly, as if they don’t want to be recognized. This furtive behavior is caused by baseball. Since the Cactus League formed in the 1950s to bring spring training to Arizona, it has become a tradition to feign illness at work, play hooky from school and ditch family duties for an afternoon of pleasure in the sun watching the boys of summer warm up for the upcoming baseball season.

Join in on the tradition through the end of March, when more than a dozen major league baseball teams renew their hopes for World Series victory at stadiums throughout metro Phoenix and Tucson. Here’s a guide to the area’s many stadiums: 

Metro Phoenix

Camelback Ranch

This new stadium is the largest in the Cactus League, with a capacity of 13,000 – including 4,000 lawn seats, 12 luxury suites, a party deck and a unique center field rotunda entrance.

Fun factoids: The 1,300-foot lake serves the dual purpose of irrigation for fields and site landscaping, and aesthetic enhancement of the campus by physically creating a natural barrier between the two teams' practice facilities while offering interconnecting walking trails and a park-like feel. The lake utilizes reclaimed water and is stocked with fish (bass, bluegill, carp, catfish) and turtles.

Stadium Details:
10710 West Camelback Road, Glendale
(623) 877-8585 or www.camelbackranchbaseball.com

Nearby Hangout:
Haus Murphys
5739 W. Glendale Avenue, Glendale
(623) 939-2480 or www.hausmurphys.com 

Goodyear Ballpark

All seating in this new stadium is lower-bowl, so fans can be as close to the action as possible. The premium and club seating sections include extra-wide, cushioned seats and in-seat service for food and beverage.

Fun Factoids: 2010 marks the inaugural year of the Reds membership in the Cactus League as they have moved their spring training to Arizona from Sarasota, Florida. 

Stadium Details:
1933 S. Ballpark Way, Goodyear
(623) 882-7525

Nearby Hangout:
The Grill at the Wigwam, The Wigwam Resort
300 Wigwam Boulevard, Litchfield Park
(623) 935-3811 

Mesa Hohokam Stadium

Spruced up with new concession areas, the 12,575-seat stadium is one of the largest spring training facilities in the country. 

Fun factoids: An audience member gets picked to lead the crowd singing “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” during the seventh inning stretch. Local wags call the cemetery across the street from the stadium the place where the Cubs’ World Series dreams lay buried.

Stadium Details:
1235 N. Center Street, Mesa
(480) 644-4451 or www.hohokamstadium.com

Nearby Hangout:
Sluggo’s Sports Grill, 161 N. Centennial Way, Mesa
(480) 844-8448 or www.sluggosgrill.com

Maryvale Baseball Park

The breezy design of this ballpark, located in an older Phoenix neighborhood, has garnered numerous architectural awards. Hang out near the clubhouse fence to snare player autographs, then get your fill of Wisconsin’s finest beer and brats during the Millers’ games.

Fun factoids: Sausage-costumed mascots race down the field between innings. Last year, to embrace diversity, spicy Chorizo joined the lineup of Polish Sausage, Italian Sausage, Bratwurst and Hot Dog.

Stadium Details:
3600 N. 51st Avenue, Phoenix
(602) 534-6441 or www.phoenix.gov/sports/complexs.html

Nearby Hangout:
Macayo’s Mexican Kitchen
7829 W. Thomas Road, Phoenix
(623) 873-0313 or www.macayo.com

Peoria Sports Complex

Fans like the proximity to players at batting tunnels and practice fields just before the games, as well as access to the restaurant/entertainment complex across the street.

Fun factoids: Your cardiologist probably wants you to avoid the deep-fried Twinkies, and, yes, they do sell dingleberries – here, it’s a chocolate-dipped strawberry on a stick.

Nearby Hangout:
McDuffy’s, 15814 N. 83rd Avenue, Peoria
(623) 334-5000 or www.mcduffys.com

Stadium Details:
16101 N. 83rd Avenue, Peoria
(623) 773-8720 or www.peoriaaz.com/sportscomplex/sportscomplex

Phoenix Municipal Stadium

Fans think beloved “Muni” is the best stadium for snaring foul balls and autographs. Its sixties-modern architecture was given a $6 million facelift in 2004.

Fun factoids: Willie Mays hit the first spring training home run here when the stadium opened in 1964. These days, you can bask in the sun and gloat when kids from the audience are asked to read chilly weather reports from northerly cities.

Stadium Details:
5999 E. Van Buren Street, Phoenix
(602) 392-0074 or www.phoenix.gov/sports/complexs.html 

Nearby Hangout:
Rula Bula Irish Pub, 401 S. Mill Avenue, Tempe
(480) 929-9500 or www.rulabula.com 

Scottsdale Stadium

Scottsdale’s been home to spring traini ng camps since 1956, and the present stadium, walking distance to downtown Scottsdale’s numerous restaurants, shops and nightclubs, does a good job of encouraging a festive atmosphere.

Fun factoids: Probably the only spring-training stadium bedecked with art. Grab a frozen lemonade and check out Craig Smith’s photographic series, “Ritual of the Game,” images of historic baseball objects, hung along the perimeter walkway.

Stadium Details:
7408 E. Osborn Road, Scottsdale
(480) 312-2586 or www.scottsdaleaz.gov/stadium

Surprise Stadium

Opened in 2003, the stadium is one of the newer spring training stadiums in metro Phoenix. The design puts the team clubhouses and batting tunnels close to fans.

Fun factoids: Forget hot dogs. You can bring your canine companion to the game during the stadium’s annual Dog Days. Otherwise, look for fighter jets from nearby Luke Air Force Base as they swoop over the nearby White Tank Mountains. 

Stadium Details:
15960 N. Bullard Avenue, Surprise
(623) 594-5600 or www.surprisespringtraining.com

Nearby Hangout:
Dillon’s Grand, 19900 N. Remington Drive, Surprise
(623) 584-8494 or www.dillonsrestaurant.com

Tempe Diablo Stadium

Set below a craggy desert butte, this stadium was built in 1969. Its most recent renovations were made in 2006 and include new state-of-the-art seating and sound.

Fun factoids: The stadium’s hot dogs have been voted best in the Cactus League. If your skin starts looking hot-dog pink, ushers often hand out free sunblock.

Nearby Hangout:
Rustler’s Rooste, 8383 S. 48th Street, Phoenix
(602) 431-6474 or www.rustlersrooste.com

Stadium Details:
2200 W. Alameda Drive, Tempe
(480) 350-5205 or www.tempe.gov/diablo

Tucson

Hi Corbett Field

Built in 1937 as the spring training home of the Cleveland Indians, the stadium is the oldest in the Cactus League – although it’s been renovated numerous times. Fans like its vintage architecture and setting in an older, shady city park.

Fun factoids: The stadium was named after Hiram Steven Corbett, a local baseball booster. Today, announcers elicit groans from the audience by reading Denver’s weather forecast.

Stadium Details:
3400 E. Camino Campestre, Tucson
(520) 327-9467

Nearby Hangout:
Javelina Cantina at the Doubletree Hotel
445 S. Alvernon Way, Tucson
(520) 881-4200 or www.doubletree.com

Tucson Electric Park

Arizona’s own Diamondbacks train at this facility with some of the best scenery in the state. Fans are just as likely to cheer about spectacular sunsets over nearby mountains as they are a home run.

Fun factoids: Look for occasional performances by gun-totin’ cowboys from Old Tucson Studios, a Western theme park and movie set. Pizza seems to be a crowd favorite.

Stadium Details:
2500 E. Ajo Way, Tucson
(520) 434-1367 or www.pima.gov/tep

Nearby Hangout: 
Ajo Cafe, 3132 E. Ajo Way, Tucson
(520) 294-1100