When Does Spring Training Start? 2024 Offseason Outlook

Dan compiles the schedules for the opening weekend of 2024 spring training and highlights some key games to look forward to. When does your favorite team resume play?

It’s February! And even though most of us are dealing with dreary winter weather, the calendar turning over to the shortest month of the year is cause for celebration. Why? Pitchers and catchers report this month! And then come full-squad workouts! And finally, at long last, the resumption of real live baseball with the first spring training games of the new season!

Spring training is the unofficial start of the new baseball season for those of us who cannot wait until Opening Day. It is the first chance we get to see our favorite teams back in action and how rosters gel after offseason shakeups. The highly anticipated preseason event is full of excitement and optimism for all.

Teams don’t all start their spring training schedules on the same day. The first games are staggered over a few days, so keeping track of which team is beginning on which day can be muddling. I’ve compiled the schedules from spring training’s opening weekend here and found some key matchups that will be worth watching.

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Thursday, February 22

Spring training opens with a single game on February 22, and with good reason. Major League Baseball wants nothing to take away from Shohei Ohtani’s debut in a Dodger uniform. Los Angeles will face the San Diego Padres in a preview of the “Seoul Series” set to open the 2024 Major League Baseball season in March.

Friday, February 23

The reigning champions, the Texas Rangers, open up against the Kansas City Royals. Texas will already be down Corey Seager due to recent surgery, but top prospect Wyatt Langford is likely to see some action.

It is not uncommon for big league ball clubs to host a game against a college team in an exhibition match during spring training. The Red Sox will do just that to kick off their schedule facing off against neighboring Northeastern University. The Huskies aren’t exactly expected to steal a win (the Sox are 47-0 in these matchups) but prospect hawks can catch a glimpse of outfielder Mike Sirota, who will likely be a first-round draftee in 2024.

Saturday, February 24

On February 24, every team will finally see game action. National League MVP Ronald Acuna Jr. will flash his skills for the first time in 2024 when the Atlanta Braves take on the Tampa Bay Rays. The Cincinnati Reds youth movement carries on as Elly De La Cruz and company take on the intrastate rival Cleveland Guardians. And in one of the last games on the slate, the Dodgers square off against the Los Angeles Angels, pitting Ohtani against his former team for the first time.

Spring training standings and statistics don’t count for anything once the regular season begins, but for true baseball fans, the month-long tuneup is a sweet reward for making it through the offseason. Keep RotoBaller bookmarked and check back often for more MLB news and analysis up to and through spring training as we await the new season’s arrival.

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