Spring Training Shop

Books about baseball's preseason

2016 Spring Training Guides Spring Training Trip Guides
Joe Connor's annually updated electronic guides (in PDF format) have complete details on every ballpark and city that hosts spring training and contains travel tips to help you save time and money when planning a trip.
79 pages (Cactus League)
85 pages (Grapefruit League)
Updated for 2016
List Price: $24.95 (Buy at Baseball Pilgrimages)

"This is valuable. It's going to save you so much time and effort you won't believe it."
- Kevin Kietzman, WHB Radio in Kansas City

"Everything you need to know before going anywhere to watch spring training."
- Jerry Greene, Orlando Sentinel

2013 Cactus League Ballpark Guide Arizona Spring Training Ballpark Guide
If you like what you've found on this Web site then you'll love this book, which contains expanded versions of the 10 Cactus League ballpark guides found at Spring Training Connection. The supplemental information includes where to get tickets, a listing of all seating sections and their corresponding ticket prices, tidbits of trivia and contact phone numbers for each ballpark, and a 2012 spring training recap for each team. Additionally, the book features bigger seating charts and 50 extra photos. Compact and convenient, the 6" x 9" fan's guide to the ballparks of the Cactus League is completely updated for 2013.

202 pages
Published in February 2013
Author: Graham Knight
List Price: $19.95 (Buy at Baseball Pilgrimages)

2012 Grapefruit League Ballpark Guide Florida Spring Training Ballpark Guide
For even more details on the Florida ballparks than what you've found on this Web site, get the inaugural edition of the book that contains expanded versions of the 14 Grapefruit League ballpark guides found at Spring Training Connection. The supplemental information for each ballpark includes everything you need to know about getting tickets, a listing of all seating sections and their corresponding ticket prices, tidbits of trivia and contact phone numbers, plus there's also 2011 spring training recaps for each team and details on the practice fields where they train. Filled with 82 photos, the 6" x 9" fan's guide to the ballparks of the Grapefruit League is truly essential for those planning a trip to Florida to see spring training games in them.

246 pages
Published in February 2012
Author: Graham Knight
List Price: $19.95 (Buy at Baseball Pilgrimages)

Under the March Sun: The Story of Spring Training
Charles Fountain's treatise on the annual six-week ritual that dates back well over a century recounts the full and fascinating history of spring training and its growth from a shoestring-budget road trip into a billion-dollar-a-year business. Special attention is given to the recent rise of the Cactus League, the sad story of Homestead, the departure of the Dodgers from Dodgertown, and the methods cities and the two states have used to fund the increasingly pricey complexes that baseball teams demand...and fans flock to.
322 pages
Published in March 2009
List Price: $29.95 (Buy at Amazon.com)

"No one has chronicled the nuts, bolts and civic intrigues associated with baseball's spring training. Not the way Chuck Fountain has."
- Leigh Montville, esteemed baseball writer and author

Florida Spring Training Guide Florida Spring Training: Your Guide to Touring the Grapefruit League
Alan Byrd visited every Florida spring training camp in 2006 to write this guide. He tasted every hot dog and specialty food at each stadium, along with sampling their beer. He sat in box seats and bleachers, stood in standing room, and checked for sun and shade. He found the best spots for getting autographs and completes each ballpark recap with a list of nearby attractions. Also included are five week-long travel itineraries and a forward by 15-year MLB veteran Mike Stanley.
262 pages
Published in January 2007
List Price: $14.95 (Buy at Amazon.com)

"Detailed analyses of each stadium...extensive advice on acquiring autographs."
- Harry Shattuck, Houston Chronicle

"A bible for those who love the spring training sites."
- Orlando Magazine

Spring Training Handbook
Joshua Pahigian wrote this comprehensive guide to the ballparks of the Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues after visiting each during the 2004 spring training season. His efforts produced an unparalleled look at the history of each ballpark and an extremely detailed description of them as they then existed. The handbook is filled with photos and concludes with an appendix that lists the places that each team has trained since 1914.
272 pages
Published in December 2004
List Price: $29.95 (Buy at Amazon.com)

"A resource that is second to none among books on the subject. It's as interesting as it is well-researched and useful."
- Graham Knight, Baseball Pilgrimages

The Rise and Fall of Dodgertown: 60 Years of Baseball in Vero Beach
Granted special access to the team's archives and personal interviews with players, management, and staff, long-time Dodgers fan and Vero Beach resident Rody Johnson offers a fascinating and remarkable history of the sometimes rocky relationship between the city and the team. Beginning with the signing of Jackie Robinson in 1946 and ending with the close of spring training in 2007, this book traces the changes in baseball and society for more than a half century. It is a story of community, passion, and the beauty of an American sport.
256 pages
Published in March 2008
List Price: $24.95 (Buy at Amazon.com)

"There is no spring training site quite like Dodgertown. Rody Johnson was there from the beginning, so he's able to take us on an entertaining trip down through its long and colorful history."
- Fay Vincent, Former commissioner of Major League Baseball

Idols of the Spring: Baseball Interviews About Preseason Training
Dan Zachofsky's book is a compilation of interviews with 23 players, an umpire and a trainer: Chipper Jones, Walt Weiss, Glenn Hubbard, J.D. Drew, Jim Kaat, Craig Counsell, Ryan Dempster, Harold Baines, Andre Dawson, Mike Hargrove, Will Clark, Gary Sheffield, Davey Johnson, Shawn Green, Mike Bordick, Tim Bishop (trainer), Al Clark (umpire), Brady Anderson, Dave Cash, Al Jackson, Robin Ventura, Rondell White, Monte Irvin, Rick Anklel, and Red Schoendienst. Each interviewee shares his own personal spring training experiences and thoughts on why spring training is such a special time of year for the players and fans.
214 pages
Published in May 2001
List Price: $29.95 (Buy at Amazon.com)

"Interesting, entertaining insight about the atmosphere at a major league spring training camp."
- Jim Kaat, Major League pitcher for 25 years (1959-1983)