Marlins spring training is about to begin. Things will be different. Here’s what to expect
With the Miami Marlins set to hold their first pitchers and catchers workout of spring training on Thursday, their Hall of Fame CEO has a confession to make.
“I probably shouldn’t say this. I really shouldn’t say it,” Derek Jeter said Monday, “but my favorite part of spring training was when it was over because you wanted to get on to the regular season. But you enjoyed it when you got there. You spend more time with your teammates than you actually do with your family. It’s good to get back on the field and get into it because you can work out as much as you possibly want in the offseason. It’s still different once you actually get out there and start playing games.”
Spring training this year will bring some sense of normalcy back to the lead-up to the regular season. The 2020 season was put on hold on March 12 due to the coronavirus pandemic. When teams were allowed to resume baseball activities in June as a ramp up to the delayed Opening Day, daily practice sessions at their home ballparks.
Here’s what you need to know about as the Marlins prepare to start camp.
Key dates to know
Thursday: First pitchers and catchers workout
Feb. 23: First full-squad workout
Feb. 28: First Marlins Grapefruit League game (at Houston Astros in West Palm Beach, 1:05 p.m. first pitch)
March 1: First Marlins home Grapefruit League game (vs. New York Mets, 1:05 p.m. first pitch)
How will spring training be different this year
MLB and the MLB Players Association agreed to a set of health and safety protocols that will slightly alter how spring training operates this year under the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic. There’s a lot going on behind the scenes — a five-day quarantine before reporting, contact tracing tracking devices, regular COVID-19 testing and the continual wearing of masks, among others.
The highlights for what fans will see:
▪ Teams are allowed a maximum of 75 players at their spring training site. Minor-league camp, which usually starts in early March, will be delayed until after Opening Day.
▪ Spring training games will be played in pseudo-pods in order to minimize travel. For the Marlins, they will play six games each (three home, three road) against the other four teams who have spring training sites on Florida’s east coast: the St. Louis Cardinals in Jupiter, Houston Astros and Washington Nationals in West Palm Beach and New York Mets in Port St. Luice.
▪ Spring training games can be shortened to seven or five innings if both managers agree to do so during the first two weeks of games. For spring games starting March 14, both managers can agree to shorten games to seven innings.
Can fans attend Marlins spring training games?
Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium is allowing for a limited-capacity crowd for Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals games of about 21 percent — or about 1,462 fans on a given game day. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday for 2020 spring training season ticket holders, 10 a.m. Sunday for Marlins and Cardinals season ticket holders and 10 a.m. Tuesday to the general public pending availability. All tickets must be purchased online at the Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium website.
Tickets will be sold in groups of two, four and six. Those seating pods are scattered throughout the stadium. The stadium will also not accept cash at the ballpark. Masks will be required and tickets will be electronic. Purchases at the concessions stands and the team store will all be cashless. Suites will be limited to a maximum of 20 people who all consent to sitting together.
A good look at the Marlins’ future
Twenty-three of the Marlins’ top-30 prospects according to Baseball America will be part of big-league camp.
The full list:
▪ Pitchers: Sixto Sanchez (No. 1), Max Meyer (No. 3), Edward Cabrera (No. 5), Trevor Rogers (No. 6), Braxton Garrett (No. 9), Nick Neidert (No. 15), Kyle Nicolas (No. 17), Jorge Guzman (No. 22), Zach McCambley (No. 23), Jordan Holloway (No. 25) and Dan Castano (No. 26).
▪ Catcher: Will Banfield (No. 27)
▪ Infielders: Jazz Chisholm (No. 4), Lewin Diaz (No. 7), Jose Devers (No. 10) and Nasim Nunez (No. 20)
▪ Outfielders: JJ Bleday (No. 2), Jesus Sanchez (No. 8), Monte Harrison (No. 11), Kameron Misner (No. 13), Connor Scott (No. 14), Peyton Burdick (No. 16) and Jerar Encarnacion (No. 18)
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