Spring Training: The Seattle Mariners Fan Experience

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The Mariners 2017 spring training is coming to a close and opening day is just around the corner. Plenty of M’s fans were able to travel down to Peoria to watch the team ease into season form this March. Fortunately, I was one of them. Here’s all of what you can do next year at Mariners spring training.

For me, this week was the first time I have ever been able to go to Spring Training. Over four days, I went to two games and experienced all there was to offer.

The first night I was there, Saturday, March 25, I went to dinner at a fast food place in Peoria near the complex. As I sat down with my food, in walked my old high school baseball teammate Jordan Cowan who last year played 43 games in Advanced-A ball in the Mariner’s system.

He was with a pair of teammates, second baseman Donnie Walton and third baseman Nick Zammarelli, and we all talked for about 15 minutes.

That just goes to show the type of atmosphere there is at spring training and gave me an early glimpse into the kind of player access a fan has down there.

The first game I attended was against the Reds on Sunday in Goodyear, and the second was against the Padres in Peoria on Monday. Prior to each game, I explored the practice complexes and watched the teams workout.

Each fan is unique, and everyone has different expectations of what they want to do on their trip to spring training.

While some fans just want to go to watch the games, others may want to go view the practices, collect autographs or even sample the different food and drink options at the stadium. Then there are the fans who look to absorb everything there is to offer.

For those fans who have yet to travel to spring training and those that have been but want to gain a new perspective, this article will summarize the different fan experiences and shed light on what to expect your first time down to spring training in Arizona.

Mar 23, 2017; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Overall view of Scottsdale Stadium during a San Francisco Giants game against the Seattle Mariners during a Cactus League spring training game. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

Going to Games

This is the most obvious thing to do at spring training. Buy a ticket to a game and sit either in the seats or on the grass berm for as little as $8 at the Peoria Sports Complex.

Not only are the games affordable, but they’re enjoyable too. Baseball games have a relaxed environment, but even more so at the spring games in Arizona.

These games have the feel of a minor league game, with more fan comradery between people from all over the country. In the first game, I went to at Goodyear, I sat on the Mariner’s side just beyond the first base dugout, grouped with other Mariner fans.

The next game in Peoria, I sat above the Mariners dugout on the third base side around more Mariners fans including several of whom I had met at the game the day before. One man I talked to at both games had come all the way from Indianapolis.

As far as where to sit, it depends on fan preference. The outfield berm is affordable and comfortable. Who wouldn’t want to lay out in the sun and enjoy a baseball game?

Then there are the infield box seats which are a little more expensive but provide a better view of the action. The upper box seats tend to provide shade more often if the sun isn’t your best friend. Although, the stadium does offer free sunscreen in hand dispensers all around the ballpark.

Then it comes to the concessions. The stadium has the classics like hot dogs, hamburgers, and fries along with soda and beer. In addition to these things, the Peoria stadium has a few rows of food trucks with options ranging from rice bowls to ice cream.

There is almost any kind of food you could want at the game. And although it can get pricey, it is still slightly more reasonable than the food and drinks offered at Safeco Field.

There is a spot for every type of fan at the game, no matter what preferences they have. Win or lose, it is a blast to attend a Spring Training game.

Mar 30, 2016; Peoria, AZ, USA; Fans look on as Seattle Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez warms up in the bullpen prior to the game against the San Diego Padres during a spring training game at Peoria Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

Player Workouts

Watching the players practice was one of the more enjoyable parts for me. The team heads out onto the practice fields around 9:30 a.m. and goes to about 11:30 a.m. I got to the fields around 9 a.m. and they allow fans to walk around the complex.

The pitchers on the major league roster all walked to field two to warm up and the hitters went to field one to work on fielding. The minor leaguers were scattered throughout the back four fields on the Mariners side of the complex, ranging from Triple-A to Rookie League players.

Once the pitchers finished their warm-ups near 11 a.m., they entered the indoor gym facility. Field one finished infield and outfield around 10:30 a.m. and hit the cages for batting practice. Once the big league players went in for lunch at 11:30 a.m., the minor leaguers kept practicing until noon.

The fan experience here was phenomenal. I was allowed to walk virtually anywhere I wanted between the fields to watch everyone practice. Foul balls aren’t very common, but there are a few that find their way out of the fields.

It isn’t just walking and standing the whole time either. There are bleachers at each field as well as several shaded areas and bathrooms for the fans.

Autographs

This is the fun part. As a kid, and even now, I love to get player autographs. And at spring training, there are plenty of opportunities to do so. The best place to get autographs for me was the practice fields.

Getting there around 9 a.m. before the players took the field allowed time to walk around and get a sense of where to go. All the pitchers stopped and signed on their way from the indoor facility to field two, including Felix –although he only signed for the small kids.

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As the team workout ensues, players will sign sporadically between things and different coaches will sometimes wander around the complex. In these situations, you need to be assertive and speak up to ask for an autograph, or they’ll go straight to where they need to be. It is their job, after all.

After that, the next best place to get autographs is at the stadium. Here, you have two options. First, players will sign on their way back into the dugout after pregame warmups just before and after the national anthem.

The other place players will be is in, what is called, “Autograph Alley.” Located just beyond the right field corner, this is where players walk between the clubhouse and the field. Many players and coaches will stop and sign there on their way to the field before the game, and on the way back to the clubhouse after the game.

The last way to get autographs at spring training is to just be prepared. Have a baseball and a pen with you when you go out to dinner or are walking around Peoria on the team’s off day. Who knows, you just might run into a player who is more than willing to sign that ball for you.

Mar 4, 2017; Salt River Pima-Maricopa, AZ, USA; General view of the game between the Colorado Rockies and the Seattle Mariners during a spring training game at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports /

The Overall Experience

As a whole, this interaction with the team I have grown up watching was unlike any other. At every regular season game, there are thousands of Mariners fans in the seats with the same common interest. But at spring training, most fans attend two or three games in a row if not more.

This creates a community of these fans who have traveled from all over the country to see each other for more than one game while sharing the same excitement for the Mariners.

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The shared comradery among the fans attending games in the tight-knit seating area of the stadium is a fun environment, everyone knows the team and is excited for the season to begin.

From the perspective of player access, spring training brings the fans closer together. There are so many different ways to get close to your favorite player down there.

Either watching them practice first hand or waiting around for their autograph, it almost feels as though you are part of the team when you are down at Spring Training.

To the fan who still has the trip to spring training on their bucket list, all I can say is that I highly recommend it. Go down to Peoria for Mariners spring training as soon as possible.

Although the games don’t count, the bonds you can build with the team and the fans around you are unlike anything else. young and old, the spring training experience for a Mariners fan is something that will create lasting memories for a lifetime.

Next: Rant of the Week: Playoff System

Don’t forget to also make long-lasting memories all season long starting April 3rd against the Houston Astros as the Mariners seemed more primed than ever to make the playoffs since they were last there in 2001.

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Spring Training: The Ultimate Seattle Mariners Fan Experience In Peoria, Arizona