Written by Alyson Footer at MLB.com
Between the first day pitchers and catchers report in mid-February to the time the regular season opens on April 3, hundreds of Spring Training games will be played in both Arizona and Florida, as front offices whittle their roster down from 60-some to 40-some to 30-some and, finally on decision day, to the 25 who will be on the Opening Day roster.
After thousands of pitches are thrown, swings are taken, pieces of gum are chewed and pounds are lifted in the weight rooms, it’ll be time to vacate the Cactus and Grapefruit Leagues and begin the real thing. Until then, there are several highlights to mark on your calendar, to bridge the gap between exhibition baseball and Opening Day.
With some camps opening today (finally!), here’s a handy guide to everything you need to know about 2016 Spring Training.
Key report dates
Today: This is earliest date for the first pitcher and catcher workouts. Four teams start on this day: D-backs, Reds, Phillies and Giants. Most teams’ pitchers and catchers report between today and Saturday.
Monday: The Marlins will hold the first full-squad workout of the 30 teams.
Feb. 27: The Twins will hold the last full-squad workout of the 30 teams.
First games
Feb. 28: The University of Tampa will play the Phillies in Clearwater, Fla. This game marks the first spring matchup on the MLB schedule.
March 1: The first day of games between Major League teams: Orioles at Braves, Pirates at Tigers, Blue Jays at Phillies and Reds at Indians. The D-backs will also host a game with the University of Arizona, and the Marlins will host the University of Miami as well.
Notable reunions
The offseason provided a flurry of trades and free-agent signings of marquee players, which sets up both Spring Training and the regular season as opportunities for former teammates to play against each other and maybe even bro hug behind the cage during batting practice. Most notably:
March 3, Mets at Nationals: Nationals second baseman Daniel Murphy will likely see a few innings of action against his former club when the two teams gather at the Nats’ spring home in Viera, Fla.
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