Today I booked my flights to/from Phoenix for Spring Training. I’ll be there March 13-16, taking in at least 4 games. For your convenience, I’ve constructed a Cactus League grid, similar to the regular season grid that I construct every fall. The grid is laid out from Northwest to Southeast in the metropolitan area, so you can see which games are close to other games. Games typically start at 1 PM everyday, though some teams schedule 7 PM night games on occasion (noted in bold). The grid is also split into western and eastern sections relative to Downtown Phoenix. Nine teams cover five ballparks in the more spread out west, whereas six teams hold five ballparks in the more compact east.
Cactus League ballpark map
- Camelback Ranch: White Sox & Dodgers
- Goodyear: Reds & Indians
- Cubs Park: Cubs
- Maryvale: Brewers
- Peoria: Mariners & Padres
- Phoenix Muni: A’s
- Scottsdale: Giants
- Surprise: Royals & Rangers
- Tempe Diablo: Angels
- Salt River Fields @ Talking Stick: Diamondbacks & Rockies
And now the schedule (click image for PDF):
If you plan to be in the Valley of the Sun around the same time I am, let me know and we can plan something. It’s the last hurrah at Muni, so get out there and enjoy it if you can.
newballpark.org 
Definitely recommend this if anyone hasn’t done it. I was just talking with my old man and brother about arranging our trip this year. We’re torn between a return to AZ (we missed last spring due to a pair of family engagements) or trying out Florida for the first time. I’m leaning toward AZ just because you can actually pack 5 games into 3 days which I’ve always loved. Not really feasible back east.
But I’m definitely fitting Salt River (which is just a gorgeous park), Cubs Park (the newbie), and Phoenix Muni (the old girl’s final season) in if possible. Throw in Peoria (which just underwent some extensive renovations) and Surprise (which is also a nice park and my old man’s favorite) and it looks like I have a full slate already. Now to use the grid to find a weekend that works…
And done. Thanks ML… I’m going the weekend of the 14th of March. 5 games in 3 days, always the best way to do Spring Training!
Cool! Maybe we’ll hang out in Scottsdale.
Scottsdale? I take it you meander around to various parks then too rather than just following the A’s around?
@Dan – Yes I do, but I actually mean that I like hanging out in Scottsdale. Or Tempe.
Ah yea in terms of hanging around Scottsdale is definitely the best area. Figures the Giants would have the nice little downtown in Arizona within walking distance their ballpark too. Tempe is also good (and its traditionally where I stay other than the one year we stayed in the Marriott above Tempe Diablo Stadium when my old man had rewards points to burn). Tempe though can also become a little too “college” if you know what I mean depending on the night. That and of course it’s not exactly walkable to either Phoenix Muni or Tempe Diablo from downtown Tempe. But its proximity to Tempe is one thing I will miss about Phoenix Muni. HoHoKam is a nicer park without question, but it’s not exactly near anything.
Though we’ll see if I end up in AZ. My family threw me a curve ball and now is considering Florida for the first time. Which is a far more complex undertaking given the distances between the stadiums. Arizona really does spoil everyone with the proximity all the stadiums share. But I did find a way to make a 5 game weekend out of Florida as well driving up and down the west coast between Tampa and Fort Meyers in a big loop.