Every spring, 15 MLB teams head to Arizona for preseason games, all within a 47-mile radius of Phoenix. With more than 1.7 million visitors annually, the Cactus League is a unique chance for fans to see their favorite players in action, in extremely close proximity, before the regular season begins and they spread out all over the country.
How did the Cactus League start?
Spring Training has been a part of Major League Baseball for over a century, but teams initially trained only in Florida. That changed in the late 1940s when Cleveland Indians owner Bill Veeck moved his team’s preseason to Arizona. His decision was partly personal – he had a ranch in Tucson – but also a response to racial segregation in Florida. By signing Larry Doby as the first Black player in the American League, Veeck wanted to avoid the challenges of the Jim Crow South.
With no other teams nearby, the Indians had no opponents to play until New York Giants owner Horace Stoneham joined in 1947. Stoneham had a home in Arizona and was drawn in by the promise of warm weather and the mineral-rich hot springs at the Buckhorn Baths in Mesa. The Chicago Cubs followed in 1951, and by 1954, the Baltimore Orioles’ arrival in Yuma made the Cactus League official.
The league got its name from Arizona’s signature desert plant, setting it apart from Florida’s Grapefruit League.
Today, 15 teams call Arizona home for Spring Training, playing in 10 stadiums across the Phoenix metro area. According to The Arizona Republic, the Cactus League generates more than $300 million annually in economic impact.
Where do Cactus League teams play?
The 15 MLB teams that train in Arizona are split among 10 stadiums:
American Family Fields of Phoenix – Milwaukee Brewers
Camelback Ranch-Glendale – Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers
Peoria Sports Complex – Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres
Salt River Fields at Talking Stick – Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies
Sloan Park – Chicago Cubs
Scottsdale Stadium – San Francisco Giants
Surprise Stadium – Kansas City Royals, Texas Rangers
Tempe Diablo Stadium – Los Angeles Angels
When does the Cactus League start and end in 2025?
The first Cactus League game in 2025 is on Thursday, February 20, when the Chicago Cubs face the Los Angeles Dodgers at Camelback Ranch-Glendale. The final games will be played on March 24 and 25, just before the regular season begins.
Where to watch Cactus League games?
Most Spring Training games air on regional sports networks (RSNs), while select games are broadcast on MLB Network, ESPN, and ESPN+.
Mohsin Baldiwala is a Master’s student in Journalism and freelance content producer who got hooked on baseball through Seinfeld’s hapless George Costanza. The same reason why he’s a Yankees fan. He writes about sports because he believes it can offer a brief escape from the world’s chaos. Even if that means enduring the heartbreak of the 2024 World Series.
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