MLB Spring Training Is Back!

An Inside Look Intro Sports' Most Exciting Pre-Season

By Dan Kaplan February 5, 2025

Photo credit: CBS Sports

What is Spring Training?

Spring Training signifies many events beyond simply the beginning of the next Baseball season. Spring Training means the end of cold, snowy months and short days where it’s pitch-black by 4pm; it’s a time of great opportunity, new beginnings, huge storylines to follow all summer long, and the return of our nations’ pastime.

In this blog and the several following, we are going to do a deep dive into what exactly Spring Training is from the team perspective. We will break down what storylines are happening, what players are attempting to do during this time, what coaches are, and also what the responsibilities are of the front office. On the surface, Spring Training may seem like a simple time to ease players back into the rigors of a demanding sport, but there is so much more to this six week long stretch than meets the eye.

MLB Spring Training gets split up into two leagues with 15 teams each; the Cactus League in Arizona, and the Grapefruit League in Florida. It is in these sunny destinations where families can plan their vacations to get that first tan of the new year in while they watch their favorite teams prepare for the marathon-like 162 game season that is to come, and hopefully with some exciting new additions made in the off-season.

The Structure

During Spring Training, the pitchers require the most time to truly prepare to get back into action. Why? Every player has a different off-season training schedule that ideally prepares them physically for the season starting in a 5-man rotation or being a reliever that may have to pitch back-to-back. For this reason, pitchers and catchers report first to Spring Training, typically around Valentine’s Day, much to the chagrin of the partners of these players surely. Why catchers you might ask? Well, firstly, someone needs to actually catch the pitches these pitchers begin throwing; and second, catching is a very fatiguing role that requires ample buildup as well before being able to physically catch a 9 inning game let alone multiple ones a week.

Following “Pitchers and Catchers” report day, 5-7 days later will come the Position Players. Upon arriving to Spring Training, before doing any on-field activities, all players will take a physical exam. This allows them to be cleared as being healthy and ready to perform what is known as “Baseball Activities”. Remember, players are away from their teams from the conclusion of the season through the report date for spring, during which time any number of injuries or ailments could have befallen them, and it is the duty of the team to ensure they are in good health to perform. After or even during these physicals, many teams will put players through what is known as “intake testing” where different athletic and biomechanical tests and measurements are taken to record elements such as mobility, flexibility, strength, weight, explosiveness, and more. This establishes what is known as a “baseline” that teams can create plans for going into the season, and refer back to whenever necessary.

Getting Ready For Games: Pitchers

After physicals and intake testing are done, the players need to start getting ready for game action. For pitchers, the adrenaline rush, and fatigue/recovery of pitching in games against other actual players in a non-controlled environment is completely different than any off-season training. Injury Prevention is one of the most important elements of the game that all thirty clubs are devoting massive resources to, and ramping pitchers up to be at comfortable pitch count thresholds to start the season is one of the most important times of the entire season for each team.

What does this look like? Well, for pitchers it looks like having several “Bullpen Sessions” with increasing pitch counts each time and working in different pitch types with each session. This allows for slow progression in controlled environments until they’re comfortable throwing each pitch type for upwards of 20 or so pitches per bullpen or “inning”, as that is what a regular game will call for each time. After several bullpens, they will then begin throwing “Live BPs”. These are simulated games, on a baseball field instead of just a mound, where hitters are in the box and trying to hit off you. This environment is still controlled, in that coaches can control how many pitches per at bat, and per inning get thrown by the pitcher to make sure he does not overexert himself, but does allow him to be challenged. After several of these Live BPs, where a pitcher may start throwing 1 inning and end at 3 or 4, they are now fully stretched out and ready to throw in a game against another team, where these controls are removed and he will get 100% real game practice.

Hitters

Preparing hitters for the season is far less formulaic and structured than it is for pitchers in Spring Training. While pitchers need systematic increases in workload, you will find that most hitters simply want to hit as much as possible before the season starts. Hitting is a reaction and relies on a high level of repetition facing high velocities, nasty sliders, and other elements that are hard to replicate when taking swings in batting cages at home during the off-season.

While there are developing technologies that are making it easier for hitters to face MLB level pitching even during practice such as iPitch or Trajekt; most hitters will tell you they need to step in the box against another person who is trying to get them out to feel the adrenaline and quick-twitch timing mechanisms they need to successfully hit as they do during the season.

Hitters spend an enormous amount of time at spring training working on drills in the batting cages, facing different pitch types, working on mechanical swing-related changes and more while leading up to game reps. Hitters will begin seeing their first taste of live pitching as they face their own teams’ pitchers during Live BPs as we mentioned before. Hitters can use this opportunity to stand in the box against real pitching and either track, hit or both. Tracking means you just stand in the box and watch the pitches come out of the pitchers’ hand all the way to the box with no intention of swinging. Tracking allows the hitter to get his eyes and body in time and accustomed to the speed and movement of a pitcher coming at you. After they’re comfortable with this, they can then begin hitting and doing their best to get their timing right before the season begins, when every swing decision matters and every run helps you win real Major League games.

This period of “ramping up” happens from around February 15th-22, essentially one week, before teams begin playing each other toward the end of February. After that, the game is on and depending on your role in the organization, it’s time to compete!