It’s baseball time again in Port Charlotte. Spring Training Baseball players for the Tampa Bay Rays will report to Charlotte Sports Park in Northwest Port Charlotte. The stadium is located on El Jobean Rd, Hwy 776. The official start of training is February 12 with the first workout on February 14. Appropriately, love is in the air on Valentine Day for our Rays.
Only 75 miles south of their home at Tropicana Field, Charlotte Sports Park is a fine venue for Spring Training Baseball and the home of the Rays High A minor league team, The Charlotte Stone Crabs.
There will be old faces and new on the team. Charlotte Stone Crabs veterans and Port Charlotte favorites Kevin Kiermaier, Tim Beckham, Curt Casali and Alex Cobb will be on the 40 man roster. Of course we’ll see many of the Rays stars such as Evan Longoria, Chris Archer and Steven Souza, Jr.
The Rays will begin Spring Training Baseball games on February 24 in Fort Myers playing the Minnesota Twins at Hammond Stadium. Their first Spring Training home game will be the next day at Charlotte Sports Park when the Rays host the Pittsburgh Pirates at 1:05PM. Be sure to arrive early so you beat the crowd trying to park.
On March 4 the Minor League camp opens although many of the minor leaguers will have already arrived, eager to get settled in and learn the ropes. They will show their skills in hopes to make it to the Big Show.
On March 8, the Rays will host the Colombian National team for an exhibition game at the park. The game is scheduled to begin at 6:35 and will give Rays fans and major league scouts a chance to appraise the talent on the South American team.
Don’t miss the fun. Bring the entire family for a day in the sun and baseball fun. There are two large, grassy berms where families can stretch out on blankets along the right and left fields. Tickets for the berms are very reasonable for the family.
And don’t forget the Stone Crabs. Minor league games begin only days after the last spring training game.