MiLB Spring Training: What You Need to Know Before You Go
You’ve got a chance.
I was signed to a minor league contract at 23. The Diamondbacks bought my contract from the Windy City Thunderbolts. I didn’t receive a signing bonus, I didn’t need an agent. I was just given a standard seven-year contract and told to report to spring training the following March.
I had a chance. And that’s all I needed.
But no one ever informed me of what to expect at spring training. I didn’t have anyone to sit me down and say “Hey, this is what your first day will be like,” or “Hey this is what a daily schedule will be at most orgs.” Mostly, I was told to pray that I wasn’t left in extended spring training. Spoiler alert: I was, and I’ll get to that in a minute.
So, I wanted to take this time to talk to all the new prospects and tell you about your first spring training and what to expect.
Before hopping into that, you have to understand that you have a chance. There is no promise you will make it out of spring training. There is no guarantee that you will make it through multiple rounds of releases and find a team at the end of the month. The organization, if they see fit, can terminate your contract at any point and release you.
Do not fear this. Look at it as an opportunity to prove to the organization that you are the best possible fit for the job. Give it everything you’ve got, so that when the day comes that they say, “good luck in the future” you don’t have any regrets.
Now that that’s out of the way, let’s hop into your first few days.
Quick Facts:
If you don’t want to read the whole thing, here are some quick facts for you heading into your first MiLB Spring Training
- You don’t get paid.
- You get $25 a day for meal money and incidentals.
- 8–10 hours of playing baseball every day.
- You’ll live in team hotels or dorm rooms
- Two rounds of releases with the possibility of staying at the complex for extended spring training.
What’s the first day going to be like?
The first day is usually the report day — the day the organization expects you to check-in at the team hotel or living quarters. Obviously, this is completely different from org to org. For example, the Tigers have dorm rooms for all their players. When I was with the D-Backs, we stayed at the hotel across the street. You will have a roommate, a bed, and probably some sort of food served at the hotel or facility.
Depending on the organization, there will be hotel rules. These usually can vary from room checks and curfews to no alcohol and no guests other than teammates. Be sure to know those rules or else there will usually be some form of punishment.
If you’re brand new to org, it’s the perfect time to walk around the hotel complex and surrounding area to get a lay of the land and meet some of your future teammates.
The organization will also give you money for meals and incidentals at some point during the first day or two. This will be around $25 a day and it will be given to you each Monday directly into your account or in cash.
Do not spend all of it right away. This money is also used to pay and tip the clubbies. This will be anywhere between $2–$5 a day. Don’t be that guy that doesn’t pay the clubbie — they do great work and you should definitely tip them.
That’s usually the setup for the report/travel day.
What are assessments like?
The following day is usually when all the tests and assessments are done. Again, depending on the organization this will be done on the night of the report day or the following morning.
This assessment will be a full body checkup including blood work, your first pee test (which is crazy awkward so prepare yourself), as well as an array of other tests that the organization wants done. These include a range of motion test, maybe some sort of strength or speed assessment, and uniform fitting.
On the assessment day, which was the night of our travel day, I wore khaki shorts and a button-up t-shirt that took forever to take on and off. But, before taking my advice, be sure to check the dress code.
Usually, after the range of tests, there is a meeting for newcomers to go over expectations, rules, and philosophy. The staff will introduce themselves and go over more things that are important to know as a player. This season, the Director of Player Development, Field Coordinator, or GM might make a speech about minor league contraction. Ultimately, they will tell you that there are fewer teams, which means fewer spots to win, which means competition will be more intense than in prior years.
Turn your phone off and pay close attention to what they say. The next month is going to be an insane amount of baseball.
What is the daily schedule in spring training like?
The following day is the first day of an entire month of baseball. You might get a day off, or you might not for the following 30 days.
Get the complex as early as you can and make sure you eat a good breakfast. You might have a nervous stomach, but it’s important to eat something — the day is going to start at 8 am and you won’t get lunch until 1 or 2 when the day is done.
Overall, that is the rough outline of what the day will be like. You get there early, get food, and a warm-up. You’ll head out to the fields for stretch and running, then throw from 15–20 minutes. Afterward, you’ll split up into groups and head to either the bullpens if you’re a catcher, or to the fields to get defense and independent work done.
From there, you’ll head to the cages to get loose for BP. This will usually last around 30–45 minutes so that everyone can get their tee work and flips in. Again, organizations do things differently so sometimes tee and flip work will be done in the morning before team stretch. Then off to BP for 4–5 rounds of whatever your org preaches.
Finally, it’s game time. These games are played differently, though. The games are dependent on how many pitches the pitcher is allowed to throw per inning. So, the inning will be “flipped” if the pitcher hits his limit regardless of the situation.
Everyone who is not playing in the game is doing extra work, working out, or seeing the trainer.
These days go from 7 or 8 am to 2 or 3 in the afternoon. It is a job. You are there to play baseball 8–10 hours a day. But, you don’t get paid for spring training.
Be prepared for 30 days of that type of work. If you want extra work, Driveline is offering affordable training in Arizona right now until the beginning of April.
What if I get released?
During the 30 days of nonstop baseball, there will be two, possibly three, rounds of releases. The first round will come about half-way through camp. The second and third will come toward the end of camp.
Dependent on the organization, there will be ways you will be released. Some organizations will just clean your locker out for you and put everything in a garbage bag. When you show up to the complex and can’t find your locker, it’s a bad sign. Some orgs will call you in for a meeting at the end or beginning of the day and send you home from there.
If you are released, I’m sorry. That sucks. It is a childhood dream crushed. But, there are ways to keep playing. If another organization likes you enough, they’ll scoop you up for extended or the rest of camp. If not, there is independent baseball. Do not turn your nose up to that — there is plenty of good baseball in the Frontier League, the American Association, and all the new leagues that are forming because of minor league contraction. Their spring training doesn’t start until the beginning of May so you won’t have a ton of time in between.
Again, do not be afraid of this. Play your ass off. This is a job interview — force them to keep you on the roster.
Extended and beyond
If you’ve made it through releases, but don’t find a home at a full-season team, then you are stuck in EXTENDED. Don’t be afraid, though. The only thing that really sucks about it is the grueling heat. In Arizona, in April and May, it gets to about 110 in the shade.
Other than that, extended is more of the same. Wake up early, play baseball until the middle of the afternoon, go back to the hotel and sleep for a while. On the plus side, you get Sundays off.
That is how Spring Training is run! You don’t get paid or a day off, but you get to do what you love for eight hours a day every day until you get sent off to a full-season team.
Get excited! Hopefully, we can start soon.
Further Reading
The Bullpen Gospel — Dirk Hayhurst