SCOTTSDALE, Arizona — 2026 will be my 37th spring training and as a veteran of going to spring games as well as other places in the Phoenix area, I thought I’d post some helpful hints for those of you venturing to the Valley of the Sun for the first time. This is an updated version of the guide last published here a year ago. Some of you left good suggestions in the comments last year, and I have added those here. Spring training games at Sloan Park begin just 18 days from today, Friday, Feb. 20, with the Cubs hosting the White Sox.
If you don’t have tickets to games at Sloan Park yet, the good news is that tickets are still available for all 18 games. Prices can be quite high for certain high-demand games, but you can still get lawn tickets for some games for $20 (plus fees), which is pretty close to the season-ticket price. You can buy a lawn ticket for this game against the Rangers at Surprise for $15 (plus fees) or this game against the Reds at Goodyear for $13 (plus fees).
Almost all the seats in Sloan Park are in the shade, which is helpful if you don’t want too much sun. If you’re looking for sun, there are over 5,000 tickets available on the outfield berms for each game…