Cactus League opens with Scottsdale at center stage

Spring Has Arrived Early in Scottsdale — Baseball Season Is Here

If you have been waiting for a reason to get outside and soak up that perfect February sunshine, your excuse just showed up wearing a Giants cap and carrying a bat bag. Cactus League spring training officially opened February 20 in the Valley, and Scottsdale is once again at the center of the baseball universe.

Scottsdale holds the rare distinction of being the only city in Arizona with two Cactus League stadiums within seven miles of each other. Scottsdale Stadium in Old Town is home to the San Francisco Giants, while Salt River Fields at Talking Stick hosts both the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Colorado Rockies. That means on any given afternoon, you could catch a game at one ballpark, grab a cold drink on the patio in Old Town, and still make it to a second game before sundown. Try doing that at any other spring training hub in the country.

This year's season runs through March 24 and carries some genuine buzz beyond the usual sunshine and sunscreen atmosphere. On March 3 and 4, Team USA plays a pair of World Baseball Classic exhibition games right here in Scottsdale, first against the Giants at Scottsdale Stadium and then against the Rockies at Salt River Fields. Expect the kind of intensity and star power you just do not see at a typical spring training game.

The Giants open their Scottsdale home schedule February 22, hosting the Cubs, while Salt River Fields kicks off with a Diamondbacks-Rockies showdown on February 20. Tickets at both venues start in the mid-twenties, though popular weekend matchups are pricing higher this year with dynamic ticketing in full effect.

For the rest of us who just love watching baseball in the best possible weather on the planet, the desert is ready. Play ball.

Sources: Cactus League | MLB.com | ESPN | Fabulous Arizona | Times of San Diego