Unofficial 2010 Baltimore Orioles Spring Training Visitor's Guide

Pitchers and catchers report today! With that in mind, here is my unofficial Baltimore Orioles Spring Training Guide. This is based on my personal experiences from past visits plus information I have gathered from around the web, from the team and other publications. Once I make my trip to Sarasota in early March, I'll post an addendum with even more details but this, in my humble opinion, is a very good start.


Stadium

The Orioles have moved across state to Sarasota. Ed Smith Stadium is due to be renovated, perhaps as soon as this year, but it's already a big upgrade from the crumbling confines of Ft. Lauderdale Stadium. The stadium is located at 2700 12th St. in Sarasota at the corner of 12th and Tuttle. There's a ton of parking available and it's $8 to park there on game day.

The stadium is cozy so there's not really a bad seat in the house. There is little to no shade so if you go to a day game, pack sun screen accordingly.

Again, not a great stadium but much better than what the Orioles left behind.

From Florida Spring Training by Alan Byrd:

"There's little to like about Ed Smith Stadium. While it comes close in size to some of the League's older parks, it's missing the things that would make it quaint...

On the positive side, you'll have no trouble seeing all the action. The box seats are close to the diamond and the other seats aren't too far away."

Schedule

Oriole pitchers and catchers report on February 17th with the first workout taking place on February 18th. The first full-squad workout takes place on February 23rd. Workouts are scheduled to begin each day at 9:00 AM and are free to the public until the games begin. Fans will be able to access the main "bowl" of the stadium but not the back fields.

(edit: Evidently, the previous statement was not true either. You CAN access the backfields during workouts as evidenced by this video by @michaelgbaron )

After the games begin, team practices are closed to the public but you can enter the stadium up to two hours before game time with your ticket.

The full game schedule is available here with the first official game on March 3rd against the Tampa Bay Rays in Sarasota. Most games are at 1:05 with a handful of night games. The seating chart is here.

I am a big fan of attending workouts. It's very laid back and you get to watch fielding drills, batting practice and throwing sessions up close and personal. Some concessions and souvenir stands are open during the workouts and they hand out a roster as you go in so you can identify the players. The workouts also give you the best chance to get autographs. On top of all that, it's free!

Tickets

Tickets for Oriole Spring Training games run from $9 for General Admission ($5 for kids 14 and younger) to $18 for Infield Box Seats. ("Premium games" against the Yankees and Red Sox are slightly more...) From what I can tell during my FanFest visit, there's not a bad seat in the house.

Get you Spring Training tickets here.

Minor League Camp

One of the benefits of the Oriole's move to Sarasota is that the major league facility is now in close proximity to the minor league facility. The facility, known until this season as Twin Lakes, will soon be re-christened Buck O'Neil Baseball Complex and is located at 6700 Clark Rd. in Sarasota, about 10 miles from Ed Smith Stadium.

Minor league pitchers will hold their first workout at the complex on Tuesday, March 2. The first minor league full squad workout will take place on Saturday, March 6. Minor league games begin Wednesday, March 17.

According to the team, the minor league game schedules are "fluid" and are not published. However, all workouts and games at the minor league complex are free to the public and I have to think that some level of game (scrimmage or otherwise) would be played everyday.

edit: via Oriole beat reporter Britt Ghiroli, there IS a published schedule...and here it is:

March 17 AAA/AA Tampa Bay 1:00 Ed Smith Complex

A @Tampa Bay 1:00 Port Charlotte

March 18 AAA/AA @Tampa Bay 1:00 Port Charlotte

A Tampa Bay 1:00 Buck O'Neil Complex

March 19 AAA/AA Boston 12:30 Ed Smith Complex

A @Boston 12:30 Fort Myers

March 20 AAA/AA @Minnesota 12:00 Fort Myers

A Minnesota 12:30 Buck O'Neil Complex

March 21 All clubs Workout TBA Ed Smith and O'Neil Complexes

March 22 AAA/AA @Tampa Bay 1:00 Port Charlotte

A Tampa Bay 1:00 Buck O'Neil Complex

March 23 AAA/AA Tampa Bay 1:00 Ed Smith Complex

A @Tampa Bay 1:00 Port Charlotte

March 24 AAA/AA @Boston 12:30 Fort Myers

A Boston 12:30 Buck O'Neil Complex

March 25 AAA/AA Minnesota 12:30 Ed Smith Stadium

A @Minnesota 12:00 Fort Myers

March 26 AAA/AA @Tampa Bay 1:00 Port Charlotte

A Tampa Bay 1:00 Buck O'Neil Complex

March 27 AAA/AA Tampa Bay 1:00 Ed Smith Complex

A @Tampa Bay 1:00 Port Charlotte

March 28 All clubs Workout TBA Ed Smith and O'Neil Complexes

March 29 AAA/AA Boston 12:30 Ed Smith Complex

A @Boston 12:30 Fort Myers

March 30 AAA/AA @Minnesota 12:00 Fort Myers

A Minnesota 12:30 Buck O'Neil Complex

March 31 AAA/AA @Tampa Bay 1:00 Port Charlotte

A Tampa Bay 12:00 Buck O'Neill Complex

April 1 AAA/AA Tampa Bay 12:00 Ed Smith Complex

A @Tampa Bay 1:00 Port Charlotte

April 2 AAA/AA @Minnesota 12:00 Fort Myers

A Minnesota 12:30 Buck O'Neil Complex

Autographs

I am not big on autographs but the last time I went to Spring Training in 2006, my son certainly was. Here's some tips from my limited experience.

If you really want autographs, go to the workouts. There are always a fair amount of players who will come over to sign things for the fans. From what I can recall, Brian Roberts, Nick Markakis, Rick Dempsey, Jay Gibbons, Ramon Hernandez, Corey Patterson among others all came over to sign a ball for my son. We were able to get a few autographs before one of the games but there was much less jockeying for position at the workouts. Players are much more likely to sign for kids than for adults or obvious "autograph hounds". I remember Kevin Millar in particular ordering "Autograph hounds to the back, kids up front!"

Cute little kids tend to get more freebies too. Stadium workers would go out of their way to give my son foul balls and two players gave him their bat; a Dodger minor leaguer named Tydus Meadows and Matt Treanor, then a catcher for the Marlins. Again, I'm not big on autographs but my kid sure got a kick out of it.

Links and References:

Thanks to Kristen Hudak and Kate Wheeler at MASN and Orioles Public Relations Director Monica Pence Barlow for helping me fill in some of the blanks.

Florida Spring Training: Your Guide to Touring the Grapefruit League by Alan Byrd
Baltimore Orioles at SpringTrainingOnline.com
2010 Baltimore Orioles Spring Training at MLB.com
Sarasota FanFest Post (with pics of the stadium and such)