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99-504: The four–team Sarasota Rookie League formed for the 1964 season. League teams played a 59–game schedule, beginning play on July 1, 1964 and ending on August 31, 1964. The Sarasota Rookie League and Cocoa Rookie League were formed simultaneously in 1964. The new concept was to provide leagues with a short–season schedule that provided attendance options for fans and to assist major league teams in developing beginning professional players while further utilizing spring training facilities. Today,

198-561: A handball arena and bottled ginger beer that exploded on store shelves, he was later elected city clerk of Chicago in 1905. After serving one term, he failed in the Democratic primary to become sheriff in 1907. In 1907, Anson made another attempt to come back to baseball, acquiring a semi-pro team in the Chicago City League , which he would call "Anson's Colts". Anson initially had no intention of playing for

297-503: A 7-4 Astros victory. Pawol hopes her efforts throughout spring training will lead to the opportunity for her to become the first female umpire to work a regular season game. She credits the women that umpired before her for paving an exciting career path for women such as herself in the future. Minor league players participate in spring training following a telescoped schedule that generally lasts from March 1 to 31. At its conclusion, most players are assigned to farm team rosters to begin

396-598: A billiards and bowling hall and running a semi-professional baseball team he dubbed "Anson's Colts". Anson also toured extensively on the vaudeville circuit, performing monologues and songs. Many of his business ventures failed. As a result, Anson lost his ownership stake in the Colts (by then known as the Cubs) and filed for bankruptcy. In 1939 , Anson was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame . Anson

495-514: A combination billiards hall and a bowling alley he opened in downtown Chicago in 1899. Anson was named vice-president of the American Bowling Congress in 1903, and led a team to the five-man national championship in 1904. Anson was forced to sell the billiards hall in 1909 when faced with mounting financial problems that led to his bankruptcy. Anson was also an avid golfer. Anson's 1900 book A Ball Player's Career: Being

594-497: A common practice for athletes of the time, which lasted up until about a year before his death. He first appeared in vaudeville in 1913 doing a monologue and a short dance. In 1914, George M. Cohan wrote a monologue for him, and in 1917, Cohan, with Chicago Tribune sportswriter Ring Lardner wrote another piece for him, titled First Aid for Father . Anson appeared with two of his grown daughters, Adele and Dorothy, and would bat papier-mâché baseballs made by Albert Spalding into

693-486: A game. He is one of only a few players to score six runs in a game, a feat he accomplished on August 24, 1886 . Anson signed a ten-year contract in 1888 to manage the White Stockings (which, because of a typographical error he failed to spot, ended after the 1897 season instead of 1898), but his best years were behind him. He led the league in walks in 1890 and garnered his eighth and final RBI crown in 1891. On

792-443: A greater impact on baseball than Anson" for his role in baseball's racist discrimination. While not disputing the specific impacts of Anson's direct actions, baseball historian Bill James felt that this viewpoint overstated Anson's influence; he speculated that it is "enormously likely that Jim Crow would have come to baseball even had Cap Anson never been born." On August 10, 1883, Anson refused to play an exhibition game against

891-655: A number of competitive baseball clubs in his youth and began to play professionally in the National Association (NA) at the age of 19, primarily third base for the Rockford Forest Citys , one of the original teams of the Association. He was a large and powerful man, standing 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) tall and weighing about 220 pounds (100 kg). After being traded to Philadelphia Athletics , in 1872 and 1873, Anson finished in

990-484: A perfect game in extra innings in 1995 while pitching for the former Montreal Expos , was talking to reporters at the conclusion of the game, rather than watching the final pitches. Reliever Rod Beck , who finished the game, did not realize the nature of his accomplishment until informed by catcher Joe Siddall . Many fans also left before the game's conclusion. Although spring training statistics are unofficial, teams frequently use players' spring training performances as

1089-400: A pitcher throughout spring training, potentially impacting regular season performance. Cap Anson As manager Adrian Constantine Anson (April 17, 1852 – April 14, 1922), nicknamed " Cap " (for "Captain"), " Pop ", and " Baby " (early in his career) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) first baseman . Including his time in the National Association (NA), he played

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1188-463: A record 27 consecutive seasons. Anson was regarded as one of the greatest players of his era and one of the first superstars of the game. He spent most of his career with the Chicago Cubs franchise (then known as the "White Stockings" and later the "Colts"), serving as the club's manager, first baseman and, later in his tenure, minority owner. He led the team to six National League pennants in

1287-522: A shift restriction to promote more exciting plays. Although home plate remained unchanged, all other bases within the field of play increased in size. The base sizes increased from 15 inches square to 18 inches square and slightly reduced the distance between bases. Defensive shift limit rules included four infielders staying within the boundary of the infield dirt, two infielders staying on each side of second base, and had no restrictions on outfielders . Although positive feedback had been received about

1386-489: A sportswriter print that Anson thought "the Chicago ball club is composed of drunkards and loafers who are throwing him down", his days as manager were numbered. Spalding invited Anson and his wife on a four-week journey to England in late November 1897. Spalding dropped many hints on the voyage, encouraging Anson to voluntarily retire, but Anson had no intention of doing so. Things remained in limbo until January 29, 1898 when

1485-454: A way of assigning starting roles and roster spots on the club. Spring training is the time of MLB's calendar year to make improvements to the game of baseball. These changes to the traditional game of baseball allow for MLB to adapt to the modern day of playing and set up teams throughout the league for success. The league also experiments with on-field personnel to determine the best umpire crews, home plate umpires, and field umpires. In 2023,

1584-814: Is Sloan Park , the spring training home for the Chicago Cubs in Mesa, Arizona , which opened in February 2014. The oldest stadium in Cactus League spring training is Tempe Diablo Stadium, built in 1969. According to the Arizona Republic , the Cactus League generates more than $ 300 million a year in economic impact to the greater Phoenix metropolitan area economy. The Arizona Republic newspaper reports that more than $ 500 million has been spent on "building eight new stadiums and renovating two others for

1683-708: Is a 2015 documentary about Hot Springs Spring Training. The film was narrated by actor Billy Bob Thornton , an area native, and produced by filmmaker Larry Foley. The documentary began airing nationally on the MLB Network in February 2016. Early training sites include the St. Louis Cardinals in Hot Springs and Tulsa, Oklahoma ; the New York Yankees in New Orleans and later Phoenix, Arizona , when

1782-856: Is not limited to North America; the Japanese professional baseball leagues' teams adopted spring training and preseason game sites across East Asia such as South Korea , the Philippines , and Taiwan ; on the Pacific Islands (most notably in Hawaii); and in two cities in the United States: Salinas, California and Yuma, Arizona on the Mexican border. In 2015, 2016 and 2019, MLB has hosted spring training games in Mexico. In 2015,

1881-486: Is promoted to an appropriate-level farm club. When short-season leagues ( Rookie league , or previously Class A Short Season ) begin play in late June, extended spring training players are assigned to those rosters, placed on the injured list , or released. Every four years, the World Baseball Classic creates a significant impact on how traditional spring training occurs. The tournament runs throughout

1980-499: Is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season . Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives established players practice time prior to competitive play. Spring training has always attracted fan attention, drawing crowds who travel to the warm climates of Arizona and Florida to enjoy

2079-543: Is unique in that private correspondence provides insight. Three months before the game, Chicago Treasurer-Secretary John A. Brown wrote Toledo manager Charlie Morton that "the management of the Chicago Ball Club have no personal feeling about the matter," while "the players do most decisively object and to preserve harmony in the club it is necessary that I have your assurance in writing that [Walker] will not play any position in your nine July 25. I have no doubt such

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2178-597: Is your meaning[;] only your letter does not express in full [sic]. I have no desire to replay the occurrence of last season and must have your guarantee to that effort." Walker and his brother Welday were released from their team later that year, Welday last playing on August 6 and Fleet on September 4. On July 14, 1887 the Chicago White Stockings played an exhibition game against the Newark Little Giants . African American George Stovey

2277-970: The Arizona Diamondbacks played against the Colorado Rockies at Estadio Sonora , Hermosillo. A year later, the San Diego Padres hosted the Houston Astros at Estadio Fray Nano in Mexico City. Finally, in 2019, the Diamondbacks played once again the Rockies but, this time, at Estadio de Béisbol Monterrey in Monterrey. In 2020, MLB hosted a spring training game between the Minnesota Twins and

2376-702: The Dominican Republic in 1948. The New York Yankees also trained in the early 1950s in Cuba and the Dominican Republic. Spring training camps and games were also held in Hawaii, Puerto Rico , and various cities of northern Mexico , sometimes by visiting major league teams in the 1950s and 1960s. Before and shortly after big league baseball reached the West Coast, a number of teams trained in

2475-608: The Florida Complex League continues play under the concept initiated in 1964. The four Sarasota Rookie League teams were minor league affiliates of the Chicago White Sox , Milwaukee Braves , New York Yankees and St. Louis Cardinals . All league games were played in Sarasota, Florida, with teams taking the nickname of their affiliate. Sarasota Rookie League games were hosted at Payne Park , which

2574-653: The Grapefruit League . Except for a couple of years during World War II , when travel restrictions prevented teams from training south of the Potomac and Ohio Rivers , Florida hosted more than half of the spring training teams through 2009. Since 2010, major league teams have been equally divided between Arizona and Florida during spring training, with 15 teams in Florida and 15 teams in Arizona. All but six of

2673-502: The Toledo Blue Stockings because their catcher, Moses Fleetwood Walker , was black. When Blue Stockings Manager Charlie Morton told Anson the White Stockings would forfeit the gate receipts if they refused to play, Anson backed down, but not before uttering the word nigger on the field and vowing that his team would not play in such a game again. In 1884, Chicago again played an exhibition game at Toledo, which

2772-471: The Washington Nationals became the first club to hold spring training in Florida. The practice was not universally adopted, however. Critics including Cap Anson argued that players would be more prone to sore muscles and colds after returning to their colder home climates. Spring training by major league teams in sites other than their regular season game sites first became popular in

2871-580: The Western League , but failed after being opposed by Spalding. In 1900, he helped to organize a new version of the defunct American Association , called the New American Base Ball Association, and was named its president. However, at the first sign of trouble he dissolved the league before a single game was played, drawing heated criticism from other backers. After a number of failed business attempts, including

2970-423: The pitch clock was implemented. The timer was developed to create a quicker pace of play and allow for more fans to actively watch games. Timers of 30 seconds between batters, 15 seconds between pitches, and 20 seconds between pitches with runners on base have drastically reduced playing times. Pitchers were also limited to two disengagements from the mound per plate appearance . Any time a pitcher disengages with

3069-758: The 15 teams in the Valley." Attendance set a new record at 2011 Cactus League games with 1.59 million attending games at the various stadiums in the Phoenix metro area. Much of the attendance surge is attributed to the Salt River Fields at Talking Stick venue that accounted for 22 percent of the Cactus League attendance. Following is the list of spring training locations by team in the Cactus League in Arizona: Statistics are recorded during spring training games, but they are not combined with

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3168-505: The 1875 season was still in progress and ultimately founded the new National League to forestall any disciplinary action. Anson, who had become engaged to a Philadelphia native in the meantime, had second thoughts about going west, but Hulbert held Anson to his contract and he eventually warmed to the Windy City. The White Stockings won the first league title, but fell off the pace the following two seasons. During this time, Anson

3267-417: The 1880s. Anson was one of baseball's first great hitters, and probably the first to tally over 3,000 career hits. In addition to being a star player, he innovated managerial tactics such as signals between players and the rotation of pitchers. Anson played a role in establishing the racial segregation in professional baseball that persisted until the late 1940s. On several occasions, Anson refused to take

3366-420: The 1890s and by 1910 was in wide use. Hot Springs, Arkansas , has been called the original "birthplace" of spring training baseball. The location of Hot Springs and the concept of getting the players ready for the upcoming season was the brainchild of Chicago White Stockings (today's Chicago Cubs ) team President Albert Spalding and Cap Anson . In 1886, the White Stockings traveled to Hot Springs to prepare for

3465-528: The 2025 season to allow for both effective performance and appeal. In a predominately male job, the 2024 spring training season saw the first woman umpire since Ria Cortesio in 2007. On February 24, Jen Pawol was a field umpire for the Astros and Nationals game. She began the game with three innings umpiring third base followed by an additional three innings at both second and first as well. Cacti park hosted 3,655 people to witness history as Pawol umpired

3564-555: The Associated Press printed a statement by Spalding: "I have taken pains as a mediator to find out from Chicagoans how they feel about a change of management. There has been a decided undercurrent in favor... Lovers of baseball think that Anson has been in power too long." There has been some controversy as to whether Anson should be considered the first player ever to reach the 3,000 hit milestone. For many years, official statistics credited him with achieving that goal. When

3663-585: The Colts the "Orphans", as they had lost their "Pop". Although the decision to ban black players from the National League and (minor) International League was made behind the scenes by team owners, Anson was the most outspoken player and vociferously insisted on segregation even before the ban was official. As a star player and team manager, his influence was substantial. Baseball historian Kevin Blackistone opined that "I don’t think anyone has had

3762-738: The Detroit Tigers at Estadio Quisqueya in Santo Domingo. In 2024, the Rays and Red Sox played the inaugural Dominican Republic series in Santo Domingo. The series resulted in a split, 1-1, and showcased Dominican talent while honoring players that have been developed through Dominican Republic Academies. Generally, teams train in either Florida or Arizona based on their geographic location in North America, with eastern teams playing in Florida and western teams training in Arizona;

3861-615: The Grapefruit League, teams in the Cactus League often share stadiums; of the 15 teams who train in Arizona, only the Cubs, Angels, Brewers, Giants, and Athletics have their own home stadiums. The Cactus League teams are all within the Phoenix metropolitan area (as of 2014 when the Diamondbacks and Rockies left Tucson for their new shared facility, Salt River Fields at Talking Stick ). The newest stadium built for MLB spring training

3960-792: The Indians in Tucson and convinced the New York Giants to give Phoenix a try. Thus the Cactus League was born. In 1947, Veeck signed Larry Doby to the Indians. Doby was the second African-American to play MLB in the 20th century, and the first in the American League. Arizona had eight teams in the Cactus League in 1989 , with the other eighteen in Florida. By 2018 , the split was even, with 15 teams training in each location. While Florida and Arizona now host all Major League Baseball teams for spring training, this has not always been

4059-623: The Major League record for most seasons played (27), although Nolan Ryan equalled it in 1993. In a 1992 The Simpsons episode, " Homer at the Bat ", Anson, along with several other players, was suggested by Mr. Burns as one of the players for his 'all stars' Baseball team to represent the Springfield power plant, before being informed that they are all long since deceased. In 1872, the 20-year-old Anson met 13-year-old Virginia Fiegal,

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4158-599: The NA's top five in batting , on-base percentage (OBP), and on-base plus slugging (OPS). He led the National Association in OBP in 1872. His numbers declined slightly in 1874 and 1875, but he was still good enough that Chicago White Stockings secretary-turned-president William Hulbert sought him to improve his club for the 1876 season. Hulbert broke league rules by negotiating with Anson and several other stars while

4257-597: The NA, Anson is credited with 3,435 hits. The National Baseball Hall of Fame , which uses statistics verified by the Elias Sports Bureau , credits Anson with 3,081 hits. This figure disregards games played in the NA, but includes the walks earned during 1887 as hits. Anson briefly made a return to baseball managing the New York Giants in June and July 1898. He then attempted to buy a Chicago team in

4356-525: The National Association. Neither the Macmillan Encyclopedia editions nor MLB itself at that time recognized the National Association as being a major league. MLB.com does not count Anson's time in the National Association in his statistics, but tallies his National League total as 3,011 hits. This places Anson 25th on the all-time list. Other sources credit Anson with a different number of hits, largely because scoring and record keeping

4455-497: The Personal Reminiscences of Adrian C. Anson , was ghostwritten by Chicago horse racing writer and poet Richard Cary Jr., who had the pen name of Hyder Ali. Right after it was published, Cary told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch , "I really thought when I started that the ‘Cap’ [sic] would be able to reel off the story of his life about as fast as a nimble man would care to write it. It took me just two days to find that

4554-705: The Salt River in 1929. The Philadelphia Phillies were the first of the current major-league teams to train in Florida, when they spent two weeks in Jacksonville, Florida in 1889. Spring training in Florida began in earnest in 1913, when the Chicago Cubs trained in Tampa and the Cleveland Indians in Pensacola . One year later, two other teams moved to Florida for spring training, the real start of

4653-471: The White Stockings to Hot Springs. Whittington Field/ Ban Johnson Park (1894), Majestic Park (1909), and Fogel Field (1912) were all built in Hot Springs to host Major League teams. Famously, on St. Patrick's Day , 1918, a successful young pitcher for the Red Sox named Babe Ruth was forced to play an emergency game at first base in a spring training game against Pittsburgh. This game possibly changed

4752-524: The audience. He appeared in 1921 accompanied by his two daughters in an act written by Ring Lardner with songs by Herman Timberg . Anson retired from vaudeville in 1921, and continued to refuse a pension from Major League Baseball, despite having no other income. In April 1922, he became the general manager of a new golf club in the South Side of Chicago. Anson died from a glandular ailment on April 14, 1922, three days shy of his 70th birthday. He

4851-566: The autobiography of former Cleveland Indians owner Bill Veeck , the avoidance of racism was one reason the Cactus League was established. In 1947, Veeck was the owner of the minor league Milwaukee Brewers and the team trained in Ocala, Florida . Veeck inadvertently sat in the Black section of the segregated stands and engaged in conversation with a couple of fans. According to Veeck's book,

4950-412: The book reads characteristically. The expression is Ansonian." Anson began acting during his baseball career. In 1888, he made his stage debut with a single appearance in Hoyt's play A Parlor Match at the Theatre Comique in Harlem. He also played himself in an 1895 Broadway play called The Runaway Colt , written to take advantage of his fame. Later, Anson began touring on the vaudeville circuit,

5049-407: The case. Especially in the early 20th century, baseball clubs did not build facilities dedicated to spring training and would use local facilities in various cities, sometimes changing spring training sites on an annual basis. The Cleveland Indians, for example, held spring trainings in seven different cities – including New Orleans, Dallas , and Macon, Georgia  – between 1902 and 1922. This

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5148-412: The championship with a 36–23 record. The Braves finished 6.5 games ahead of the 2nd place SRL Cardinals in the final standings. Leora Montgomery of the SRL Braves was chosen as the league most valuable player. Following the 1964 season, the Sarasota Rookie League evolved into the six–team Florida Rookie League in 1965. 1964 Sarasota Rookie League Spring training Spring training

5247-523: The club behind the scenes. In December 1892, Hart, with Spalding's blessing, reorganized the White Stockings into a stock company. Anson was required to sign a new contract, which ended in 1898 instead of 1899 as the previous one had. Anson spotted the error later but said nothing, trusting that Spalding would honor the previous terms. Hart began to undermine Anson's managerial decisions by reversing fines and suspensions imposed by Anson. By 1897 Anson had little control over his players; after Anson demanded

5346-414: The contract. Spalding held Anson to the contract, and Anson came to Chicago in March 1876. Spalding retired as a player and manager after the 1877 season, but continued as secretary, and later president, of the White Stockings. Anson became a player/manager of the team in 1879, and by 1889 had a 13% ownership. In 1888 Spalding announced that the White Stockings, including Anson, and a "picked nine" from

5445-671: The course of baseball history, as it was the first time Ruth had ever played any position other than pitcher. Ruth responded by hitting two home runs that day in Hot Springs, with the second being a 573-foot shot that landed across the street from Whittington Park in a pond of the Arkansas Alligator Farm and Petting Zoo . The Red Sox took notice and soon Ruth was playing the field more often. Over 130 Major League Baseball Hall of Famers, including Ruth, Anson, Cy Young , Honus Wagner , Ty Cobb , Tris Speaker , Walter Johnson , Rogers Hornsby , Mel Ott , Dizzy Dean , Jimmie Foxx , and Stan Musial , trained in Hot Springs. The First Boys of Spring

5544-423: The daughter of a Philadelphia bar and restaurant owner. The couple got married on November 21, 1876; the marriage lasted until her death in 1915. For the first seven years of their marriage, the couple lived in Chicago during the baseball season and Philadelphia during the off-season, but eventually moved to Chicago on a year-round basis. The Ansons had seven children, three of whom died in infancy. Daughter Grace

5643-429: The exceptions being the Cleveland Guardians, Cincinnati Reds, Milwaukee Brewers, and the two Chicago-based teams all training in Arizona; and the Houston Astros, Minnesota Twins and St. Louis Cardinals training in Florida. The last West Coast team to train in Florida was the Los Angeles Dodgers, who moved to Arizona in 2009. Spring training teams can play colleges, minor league baseball clubs, intra-squad games (members of

5742-449: The field when the opposing roster included black players. His demands may have been cited as representative of player attitudes by team owners of the International League (top tier of the minor leagues) when they voted on July 14, 1887 to ban the signing of new contracts with black players. After retiring as a player and leaving the Colts, Anson briefly managed the New York Giants . He ran several enterprises in Chicago, including opening

5841-497: The first " hit and run " plays. Anson shares credit as an innovator of modern spring training along with the president of the Chicago club, Albert Spalding . They were among the first to send their clubs to warmer climates in the South to prepare for the season, beginning in Hot Springs, Arkansas , in 1886. On the field, Anson was the team's best hitter and run producer. In the 1880s, he won two batting titles (1881, 1888) and finished second four times (1880, 1882, 1886–1887). During

5940-476: The first baseball team to hold a spring training outside of their home when, in 1869, Boss Tweed sent the Mutuals south to New Orleans to prepare for the season. In the 1870s, several clubs began following the example set by the Mutuals by training in warmer climates. New Orleans was a popular location for spring training in the 19th century but teams also trained in Washington, D.C. , Savannah, Georgia and Cape May, New Jersey among other locations. In 1888,

6039-534: The first edition of Macmillan's Baseball Encyclopedia was published in 1969, it disregarded a rule in place only for the 1887 season which counted base-on-balls (walks) as hits and at-bats instead of zeroes in both categories as they were before and have been since. Anson's 60 walks were removed from his 1887 hit total, resulting in a career mark of 2,995, though later editions of the encyclopedia still added five more hits to exactly 3,000. The other controversy over Anson's total hits had to do with his five years in

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6138-409: The following in 1891: "The time may have been, and probably was, when base-ball was as rotten as horse racing, but that time has gone by. The men in control of base-ball matters are of the highest personal character, and no one will say anything against them. As to the charges against any individual player, I will believe them when they have been proved. Every thing [sic] possible has been done to protect

6237-467: The franchise record for putouts , but also is second in franchise history for errors . On the managerial side, he was the second manager to ever reach 1,000 wins (doing so after Harry Wright ), a feat that has seen over sixty managers reach the mark since the 20th century. Anson won 1,282 games with the Cubs, a mark that still stands after a century. Just 24 other managers have won 1,000 games with one team in Major League Baseball . Anson still holds

6336-503: The listed statistics for regular season games, and unusual performances which would have broken records if accomplished during the regular season are considered to be unofficial. For example, on March 14, 2000, the Red Sox used six pitchers to achieve a 5–0 perfect game victory over the Toronto Blue Jays . A perfect game is considered a crowning accomplishment during the regular season or postseason, but in spring training it attracts little notice. Starting pitcher Pedro Martínez , who lost

6435-495: The local law enforcement told Veeck he could not sit in that section, and then called the Ocala mayor when Veeck argued back. The mayor finally backed down when Veeck threatened to take his team elsewhere for spring training and promised to let the country know why. Veeck sold the Brewers in 1945 and temporarily retired to a ranch in Tucson, Arizona , but purchased the Cleveland Indians in 1946. Intending to introduce African-American players, Veeck decided to buck tradition and train

6534-407: The major league teams have gone to spring training in Florida at one time or another (Anaheim Angels, Milwaukee Brewers, Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres, Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks). Many of the most famous players in baseball history (Ruth, Gehrig , Musial, Cobb, Mays , DiMaggio , Berra , Mantle , and many more) have called Florida home for 4–6 weeks every spring. According to

6633-420: The managerial front, he failed to win another pennant. As the end of the 1880s approached, the club had begun trading away its stars in favor of young players, with the exception of the veteran Anson. Local newspapers had started to call the team "Anson's Colts", or just "Colts", before the decade was out. With the advent of the Players' League in 1890, what little talent the club still had was drained away, and

6732-414: The minor league season. However, those players deemed unready for a full-season campaign—through inexperience or injury—are assigned to "extended spring training", a structured program of workouts, rehabilitation sessions, simulated games, and exhibition games based in the major league parent team's minor league training complex. If a player is later deemed ready to participate in full-season league action, he

6831-441: The month of March with the opportunity for players to represent their countries and play for the national teams. This impacts spring training as many star players opt to represent their country rather than prepare for the upcoming MLB season with their respective teams. This leaves teams in tough situations as they are forced to build their lineups, sell tickets, and play games without their star players. However, players opt to play in

6930-448: The mound after the first two disengagements have been used, the pitcher is charged with a balk . These factors have contributed to the increased pace of play and allows for games to move quicker. After the pitch clock's success throughout spring training, it was ultimately placed into effect for the 2023 MLB season . Along with the experimentation of the pitch clock, spring training also tested out larger bases to protect player's safety and

7029-403: The name "Grapefruit League" has several explanations. One popular myth was that Casey Stengel threw a grapefruit at Brooklyn Dodgers manager Wilbert Robinson . The accepted version is that aviator Ruth Law threw the grapefruit. In 1915, Law had been throwing golf balls from her airplane to advertise a golf course. Someone suggested throwing a baseball from her airplane. Robinson, whose team

7128-627: The others located on the same coast, rarely traveling to the other side of Florida for spring training games. The Astros, Cardinals, Marlins, Mets, and Nationals—all of whom play on the Atlantic Coast—play the majority of their games against each other, only playing three or four games against opponents located on the Gulf Coast. Following is the list of spring training locations by team in the Grapefruit League in Florida: Unlike

7227-503: The patrons of the National game, and efforts in that direction will never be abated. I don’t know of any crookedness in the ball field. If I did I’d undoubtedly say something about it." A chronological review of 162 reports of bets on regular season baseball by players, managers or club officials, from 1876 to 1900, tallied the sport's top bettors in that era as follows: Anson first met Albert Spalding while both were players; Spalding

7326-405: The playing season. Starting in the latter 1880s, he often bet on baseball, mainly on his team's chances to win the pennant. However, in that era, the main concern was players taking bribes to purposely lose games. Betting by players, managers, and owners was regarded as acceptable so long as they did not bet against their team doing well or associate with gamblers. On corruption in sports, he said

7425-452: The regular season, which falls in the last week of March or the first week of April. In some years, teams not scheduled to play on Opening Day will play spring training games that day. Pitchers and catchers report to spring training first because pitchers benefit from a longer training period. A few days later, position players arrive and team practice begins. Exhibition games usually begin in late February. The New York Mutuals became perhaps

7524-474: The rest of the National League would begin a World Tour after the end of the season. Spalding put up most of the money, but Anson invested $ 3,750 of his own. James Hart was hired as business manager and Anson developed an intense dislike for him. After Spalding stepped down as president of the Chicago club in 1891, he appointed James Hart to the position, which Anson felt should have been his despite his dismal business record. Spalding, however, continued to run

7623-400: The rules changes during the 2023 season, the 2024 spring training season sparked controversy. Nike , MLB's uniform provider, conducted a redesign of player jerseys and pants to allow for better athletic performance. Player's last names and numbers decreased in size making the uniforms look unappealing to both players and fans. As a result of the backlash, MLB and Nike redesigned the jerseys for

7722-435: The same period, he led the league in runs batted in (RBIs) seven times (1880–82, 1884–86, 1888). His best season was in 1881, when he led the league in batting (.399), OBP (.442), OPS (.952), hits (137), total bases (175), and RBIs (82). He also became the first player to hit three consecutive home runs , five homers in two games, and four doubles in a game, as well as being the first to perform two unassisted double plays in

7821-441: The same team play against each other), split-squad games (games when one team is scheduled for two games in one day, so the team splits into two squads and each squad plays in one of the games), and B Games (unofficial spring training games where statistics and standings are not counted). The players union will sometimes operate its own training facility if many free agents are unsigned by the start of spring training. The origin of

7920-800: The state of California or along the state line. The Chicago Cubs trained on Catalina Island in the 1920s, '30s, and '40s. For example, early in their history, the then- California Angels held spring training in Palm Springs, California from 1961 to 1993, the San Diego Padres in Yuma, Arizona from 1969 to 1993, the Oakland Athletics in Las Vegas , Nevada in the 1970s, and various major league teams had trained in El Centro , Riverside , and San Bernardino . The concept of spring training

8019-401: The team nickname "Colts", though never official, became standard usage in the local media along with variants such as (Anson's) White Colts and (Anson's) Broncos. He also mellowed enough that he became a fatherly figure and was often called "Pop". When he was fired as manager after the 1897 season, it also marked the end of his 27-year playing career. The following season, newspapers dubbed

8118-899: The team was owned by Del Webb ; the Chicago Cubs in Los Angeles when owned by William Wrigley Jr. ; the St. Louis Browns and later the Kansas City Athletics in San Diego and then in West Palm Beach, Florida ; the Pittsburgh Pirates in Dawson Springs, Kentucky around 1915 and Honolulu , while other teams joined in by the early 1940s. The Detroit Tigers are credited with being the first team to conduct spring training camp in Arizona. They trained in Phoenix at Riverside Park at Central Avenue and

8217-462: The team, but in June 1907, at the age of 55, Anson started playing some games at first base in an attempt to boost poor attendance. Despite the draw of seeing Anson play, the team did not attract much attendance, and lost money for Anson. In the fall of 1908, Anson assembled a semi-pro football team, also called Anson's Colts. Although the football team won the city championship, they were not a financial success. Anson's few successful ventures included

8316-441: The titles using new managerial tactics, including the use of a third-base coach, having one fielder back up another, signaling batters, and the rotation of two star pitchers. In the first half of the 1880s, aided by speedy players like Mike Kelly , Anson had his players aggressively run the bases, forcing the opposition into making errors. After the expression first became popular in the 1890s, he retroactively claimed to use some of

8415-770: The tournament's games due to the intense competitive atmosphere. Since these games take place so early into the baseball year, this leads to an increased risk of injury among players as well as conflicting development within MLB organizations. As recent as 2023, Mets pitcher Edwin Diaz suffered a torn patellar tendon after a game, leaving him out for the entire upcoming season. Diaz's injury has left teams concerned with letting their star players play under another team's supervision. Pitchers have to follow tight restrictions to comply with proper throwing progressions to ensure health and safety. This can impact how an MLB team planned on building up

8514-533: The upcoming season. After holding spring training at the Hot Springs Baseball Grounds, the White Stockings went on to have a successful season and other teams took notice. In subsequent years other teams joined Chicago and began holding spring training in Hot Springs, leading to the first spring training games. The Cleveland Spiders , Detroit Tigers , Pittsburgh Pirates , Cincinnati Reds , Brooklyn Dodgers , and Boston Red Sox followed

8613-924: The war, 1943's Spring Training was limited to an area east of the Mississippi River and north of the Ohio River . The Chicago White Sox held camp in French Lick, Indiana ; the Washington Senators in College Park, Maryland ; and the New York Yankees in Asbury Park, New Jersey . After World War II, some teams trained outside of the United States. The Brooklyn Dodgers trained in Havana, Cuba in 1947 and 1949, and in

8712-512: The weather and watch their favorite teams play. In modern training, teams that train in Florida will play other Florida-training teams in their exhibition games, regardless of regular-season league affiliations. Likewise, Arizona-training teams will play other Arizona teams. These have been nicknamed the Grapefruit League and Cactus League , respectively, after plants typical of the respective states. Spring training typically starts in early February and continues until just before Opening Day of

8811-685: Was a pitcher for the Rockford Forest Citys , Anson played for the Marshalltown, Iowa, team. Spalding convinced the 18-year-old Anson to come play for the Forest Citys at a salary of $ 65 per month. In 1876, when Anson was playing for Philadelphia, Spalding and William Hulbert lured Anson to the Chicago team, which Spalding now managed. After signing the contract, Anson had second thoughts (his future wife did not want to leave her family in Philadelphia), and offered Spalding $ 1,000 to void

8910-453: Was a solid hitter, but not quite a superstar. Both his fortunes and those of his team would change after Anson was named captain-manager of the club in 1879. His new role led to the nickname "Cap", though newspapers typically called him by the more formal "Captain Anson" or "Capt. Anson". With Anson pacing the way, the White Stockings won five pennants between 1880 and 1886. They were helped to

9009-573: Was born in Marshalltown, Iowa . Beginning in 1866, he spent two years at the high-school age boarding school of the University of Notre Dame after being sent there by his father in hopes of curtailing his mischievousness. His time away did little to discipline him. Soon after he returned home, his father sent him to the University of Iowa , where his bad behavior resulted in the school asking him to leave after one semester. Anson played on

9108-566: Was called "Arthur Allyn Park" at the time and contained multiple ballfields. Arthur Allyn was the owner of the Chicago White Sox in 1964 when the league began play. Allyn was highly supportive of the rookie league concept. The Sarasota Rookie League began play on July 1, 1964, with two games scheduled at 11:15 AM and played simultaneously at Arthur Allyn Park. Player salaries in the league were between $ 400 and $ 500 per month. The SRL Braves , playing under manager Paul Snyder , won

9207-622: Was haphazard in baseball until well into the 20th century. Beginning with the publication of the Baseball Encyclopedia , statisticians have continually found errors and have adjusted career totals accordingly. According to the Sporting News baseball record book, which does not take National Association statistics into account, Anson had 3,012 hits over his career. Baseball Reference also credits Anson with 3,012 hits during his National League career; including his time in

9306-464: Was in the Daytona Beach area for spring training, agreed to try to catch the baseball. Flying 525 feet (160 m) above Robinson, Law realized she had forgotten her baseball and threw a grapefruit that she had. When Robinson tried to catch it, the grapefruit exploded in his face, at first leading him to believe he had been seriously injured. Grapefruit League teams primarily play against

9405-540: Was interred at the Oak Woods Cemetery in Chicago. Anson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939 , one of the first 19th century players selected. Over 100 years after his retirement, he still holds several Cubs franchise records , including most career runs batted in, runs , hits , singles , and doubles while being the only Cub in the 3,000 hit club . Defensively, he also holds

9504-551: Was listed in the Newark News as the scheduled Newark starting pitcher. Anson objected, and Stovey did not pitch. Moreover, International League owners had voted 6-to-4 at a 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. meeting in Buffalo on the morning of the game to exclude African-American players from future contracts. Anson was authoritarian as a manager, marching his players onto the field in military formation and banning alcohol consumption during

9603-472: Was not the case. A day and a half to get the ‘Cap’ to sit down and the other half day in egging him on. The story had to be literally dragged out of him. The incidents of his baseball career were apparently fresh in his mind, but when it came to actual dates he was all at sea. When he did give a date nine times out of ten it was wrong and had to be corrected later on." The New York Times said whether Anson "wrote every word in this volume of reminiscences or not[,]

9702-564: Was not uncommon at the time. The New York Giants likely built the first "permanent" spring training facility in Marlin, Texas . The Giants trained in Marlin from 1908 to 1918 and built Emerson Park and adjacent parks for spring training activities. The city of Marlin deeded the land to the ballclub. During World War II, most teams held an abbreviated spring training within easy reach of their cities. In order to conserve rail transport during

9801-597: Was then in the American Association, a major league. Walker sat it out, however, it is uncertain whether he did so to placate Chicago or due to injury; Jimmy McGuire instead did the catching. Both had sore hands, the Toledo Blade had said a few days earlier. Of the two catchers, Walker was seemingly the more injured, as he did not play in Toledo's second-most recent game. Among Anson's incidents, this one

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