Jack Laufer is a Contributing Writer for The Bugle. The opinions expressed here are solely his own and are not meant to reflect views of The Bugle staff or The Bolles School.
Spring training has been a tradition embedded in baseball ever since 1890 and is a sign that the season is right around the corner. This event acts as a fresh start for all the teams and allows them to turn the page and officially begin their journey on their new “march to October.” Spring training also gives players an opportunity to escape the harsh weather up north and travel south to shake off some offseason rust and give fans an opportunity to get their hopes up for their team’s upcoming season.
If you aren’t familiar with this event, MLB teams get split up evenly into two leagues. The leagues take place in Florida and Arizona. The league in Florida is the Grapefruit League and the league in Arizona is the Cactus League. Teams normally set up camp at a local minor league stadium or a college facility and play roughly 30 games.
This spring training, the MLB is debuting anew event called Spring Breakout. The action begins on March 14, when the Reds take on the Rangers in Arizona. Spring Breakout is a tournament style event that all 30 teams will partake in. The purpose is to shine light on the next generation of ballplayers. Young stars like Max Clark, Paul Skenes, and Dylan Crews will highlight the rosters of the teams. When asked about Spring Breakout in a press conference, commissioner Rob Manfred said, “Spring Breakout will provide a new opportunity to showcase the future stars of the game as they continue on their journey to the Major Leagues. Our fans will get unique opportunities to meet our best prospects, get autographs and see the next generation of Major Leaguers up close.”
Now, as a MLB enthusiast, I am in love with the idea of Spring Breakout. This gives me an opportunity to cheer on my favorite team and also gives me an opportunity to watch the players I will be hopefully cheering on for years to come.
But this doesn’t seem to be the case for all MLB fans. Why? I don’t know, maybe they just hate fun?
It seems Spring Breakout is getting the same backlash as the World Baseball Classic did last year. When asked about this event, Baseball expert Donald Ford said on a talk show “I’m not a fan of it [Spring Breakout]. It’s just a glorified spring training game that they call Spring Breakout to make a few extra bucks.” Some haters viewed this event as a money-grab from the MLB, but it’s so much more than that. Fans don’t realize athletes trained for months just to finally get a chance to showcase their talent on a big stage at the World Baseball Classic, just like young athletes have been training for months to finally showcase their talent to the world.
Last year, 21-year-old Duque Hebbert was selected off his amateur baseball club in Nicaragua to pitch for the Nicaraguan national team. When he was selected to the team, his one and only goal was to try to pitch well enough to catchMLB scouts’ eyes and possibly even earn an invite to a camp. In his first and only appearance in the tournament, he pitched one inning and struck out three of the MLB’s biggest faces: Juan Soto, Julio Rodriguez, and Rafael Devers. Not even an hour after this game, Hebbert was offered a contract with the Detroit Tigers, allowing him to continue his baseball career at the highest stage.
Stories like Duque Hebbert’s can only happen in baseball. This is why it bugs me that people want to take away this great opportunity for young guys to make their mark. Events like the Spring Breakout are great for Baseball. It’s great for the fans to get to meet their favorite team’s players, and it’s where these young players’ dreams become reality.
Thursday, March 14
Reds @ Rangers, 6:05 p.m. ET
Orioles @ Pirates, 7:05 p.m. ET
Friday, March 15
Marlins @Cardinals, 2:05 p.m. ET
Mariners @ Padres, 4:10 p.m. ET
White Sox @ Cubs, 5:05 p.m. ET
Nationals @ Mets, 3:10 p.m. ET
Giants @ Athletics*, 7:05 p.m. ET
Saturday, March 15
Braves @ Red Sox, 1:05 p.m. ET
Phillies @ Tigers 1:05 p.m. ET
Blue Jays @ Yankees, 4:05 p.m. ET
Rays @ Twins, 4:05 p.m. ET
Dodgers @ Angels, 4:10 p.m. ET
Guardians @ Reds, 7:05 pm ET
D-backs @ Rockies*, 7:10 p.m. ET
Sunday, March 17
Astros @ Cardinals, 10:05 a.m. ET
Brewers @ Royals, 4:05 p.m. ET
* — paired with Major League game as traditional doubleheader
