Cactus League Baseball
The Cactus league spans more than eighty years and two states, although it is now centered in central Arizona. The Cactus League is one of two spring training leagues operated by Major League Baseball. The locations included in this tour explore multiple teams, various locales, and destinations that many did not even know had an association with Spring Training or baseball in Arizona
Rendezvous Park
The Early Days of Spring Training in Mesa
The early history of Spring Training in Mesa runs through Rendezvous Park. Enjoying a nearly 80 year run of baseball, Rendezvous Park was called the Jewel in Mesa's crown. Playing host to both the Chicago Cubs and later the Oakland Athletics, Rendezvous park is an essential part of not just Cactus League Baseball history, but also the history of Mesa.
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The Francisco Grande
The forgotten mecca of spring baseball
The Francisco Grande is Casa Grande is a forgotten relic of baseball's past. Tucked away between Phoenix and Tucson, the now golf resort once boasted one of the most state of the art baseball facilities on the west coast. The San Francisco Giants called its training facilities home, but a multitude of issues would lead to its abandonment as a sports training ground and its rebirth as a golf…
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Hohokam Park
Spring Training in Mesa
Mesa's Hohokam Stadium has hosted both the Chicago Cubs and the Oakland Athletics; its long history reveals the history of Cactus League Baseball.
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The Pink Pony
Across 19 major-league baseball stadiums in 19 states, are scattered the ashes of former Pink Pony owner, Charlie Briley. Perhaps one of the most well-known fans in the history of American baseball, Briley is largely responsible for bringing the Cactus League to Phoenix. It was his prime rib, stiff…
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Phoenix Municipal Stadium
The Rising Phoenix of Spring Training Stadiums
It’s February 13th, 2015. The Arizona State University Sun Devils take the field at Phoenix Municipal Stadium for the first time on this warm February evening. Hoping for a successful season in their first year at Phoenix Municipal, the Sun Devils sought to further their own legacy of success. The…
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The Arizona Biltmore & Wrigley Mansion
The Wrigley Family in the Valley of the Sun
The Chicago Cubs have called the Arizona home during the spring months for over 60 years. Each February, Cubs players make the trek to the Valley of the Sun to prepare for the grueling season ahead of them. However, the Cub’s ties to the Valley go even further back than the team’s Spring Training…
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