Baseball’s spring training is a time in which a new breed is born. It’s a time when career minor leaguers finally get the feeling of “the show.” It is also one of baseball’s purest experiences for the loyal fan.

However, spring training is much more than a preseason. The month-long mini-season is a time in which the players actually get to interact with fans. Spring training draws fans into neutral sites in which baseball’s faithful can interact with others loyal to the game.

In baseball’s regular season, players are usually too busy with preparation for meaningful competition to notice an 8-year-old stretching his arm with all his might for a blessing from his role model. In spring training, the player can now look twice and notice fans — and many of them do. Fans line up on both the home and away dugouts’ railings, asking one another who is signing and sharing their tales of previous games. 

Kansas City Royals catcher John Buck successfully steals second base while Cleveland Indians second baseman Asdrubal Cabrera attempts to make a tag at a spring training matchup in Goodyear, Ariz. - Wade McMillin /The Lumberjack

In the Cactus League, fans can watch three games in a day if they wish to drive across Phoenix. Supporters who don’t mind a little bit of driving can even head to Tuscon to see the Diamondbacks and Rockies play at their home facilites. Within Phoenix’s valley, fans can witness the Cactus League’s 10 other teams in nine different facilites. The city of Goodyear introduced a new and beautiful facility that will host the Cleveland Indians and Cincinnati Reds. The Scottsdale stadium plays home to the San Francisco Giants and looks very similar to the Giants’ regular-season homepark, AT&T Park. At Tempe Diablo Stadium, a larger-than-life Los Angeles Angels batting helmet overshadows the centerfield wall and is an easy find  from Interstate 10. All the parks are all-access, and action is within minutes of each playing site.

The true baseball fans can actually get their share of America’s favorite pastime in one neutral site instead of waiting for their favorite teams to play at home or following the club on the road. The spring training contests also offer fans a preview of what teams could be in the regular season.

Each squad brings its 40-man roster, and a few chosen others as non-roster invitees, to compete for a spot in “the show.” Spring training can take away veterans’ hard work over the years and give the new stud rookies a roster spot. In position battles, it only takes one error or a few strikeouts for a veteran to be sitting in the minors while the new blood experiences that former player’s glory. Nevertheless, spring training forms baseball teams into what they will become. The formations might not be permanent, but any given starting lineup in a spring training game will be one of a combination a club will use in the regular season — guaranteed. All in all, this mold of a baseball team brings fans closer to the game by letting them experience the actual whole team and then, with a little luck, meet part of the team.

While the superstars of the teams have signed countless autographs and done their share for the fan base, the career minor leaguer is tickled to death by a few seconds with a fan. Just like the fan is overwhelmed to spend a few seconds with an actual professional baseball player.