Florida! Land of palm trees, beautiful beaches, sunny days and, in February and March, spring training for baseball.

Spring Training 2018

Major League Baseball teams have been traveling to Florida for more than 100 years to train for the season under blue skies, enjoying the mild temperatures of the Sunshine State in March.

Fifteen teams still train here (the other 15 are in the Cactus League in Arizona). This year, the schedule runs from Feb. 23 through late March. MLB provides a schedule as well as a place to buy tickets.

If you’re thinking about coming down this year – you should – the following is a quick look at the Grapefruit League teams and where they play.

Atlanta Braves – Walt Disney World

The Braves play their home games at Champion Stadium in the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort.  If you’re a Braves fan with kids, welcome to heaven.

Baltimore Orioles – Sarasota

The Orioles play their home spring training games at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota. They moved there eight years ago, and already almost 900,000 fans have come to see them play. That might be partly because of this.

Boston Red Sox – Fort Myers

The Red Sox play their home training games at JetBlue Park at Fenway South.

Detroit Tigers – Lakeland

The Tigers play at the newly renovated Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium, where they have agreed to play spring training for the next 100 years.

Houston Astros – West Palm Beach

The World Series champion Astros play their home games at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches, part of a 160-acre complex.

Miami Marlins – Jupiter

The Marlins play home spring training games just a hop, skip and occasional traffic jam up I-95 from Miami at Roger Dean Stadium, which they share with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Minnesota Twins – Fort Myers

Over on the southwest Florida Coast, the Twins play their home spring training games in Hammond Stadium at the CenturyLink Sports Complex.

New York Mets – Port St. Lucie

The Mets play their home spring training games at First Data Field, about two hours from Orlando.

New York Yankees – Tampa

The Yankees play their home spring training games at George M. Steinbrenner Field, named after the late, legendary Yankees owner who lived in Tampa.

Philadelphia Phillies – Clearwater

The Phillies play their home games at Spectrum Field. The team has held spring training in Clearwater since 1948.

Pittsburgh Pirates – Bradenton

Just south of Tampa Bay, the Pirates play their home games at LECOM Park in downtown Bradenton. This year marks the team’s 50th season of Pirates spring training ball in Bradenton.

St, Louis Cardinals – Jupiter

In a rare stadium-sharing deal in the Grapefruit League, the Cardinals share their home training schedule with the Marlins at Roger Dean Stadium.

Tampa Bay Rays – Port Charlotte

The Rays, who everyone should root for, play their spring training games at Charlotte Sports Park, down the west coast from St. Petersburg.

Toronto Blue Jays – Dunedin

The Blue Jays play home spring training games at Dunedin Stadium – the only place the team has ever played spring training in franchise history.

Washington Nationals – West Palm Beach

The Nationals share The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches with the Astros, one of only two shared stadium arrangements in the Grapefruit League.

There are many ways to get ready for the baseball season. But you’ll never regret starting it with a trip to Florida for spring training. Make sure to bring sunblock, flip flops and a little patience with the traffic.