St. Louis Cardinal Spring Training

Spring training is a wonderful way to experience baseball at its best! You get to watch the minor leaguers trying for their place on the roster and watch the major leaguers prepare for the upcoming season. Everyone is working together to put together the best team possible.

Seven years ago, my husband and I started to travel to Jupiter, Florida each March to watch the Cardinals at spring training. It is a very enjoyable month. We go to all the home games and also watch the practices in the mornings. Sometimes when there is not a home game we will take in a minor league practice game. We get to escape the cold of St. Louis, watch baseball in a sunny and relaxed atmosphere and enjoy the beaches and seafood restaurants in the area. It doesn't get much better than that!

In this lens I will give you some insight into what to expect at spring training and share my photos of the practices and games. I will be updating the photos throughout the month, so be sure to favorite this lens and come back for another look.

Photo of Adam Wainwright taken at practice session. All photos by Mary Beth Granger

On March 6th we started the day by spending some time at the practice fields. At the practice fields you are able to get up close and watch the Cardinals work out. In this photo you see Garcia and the other pitchers going through their practice routines.

Adam Wainwright took some time at the practice session to sign a few autographs for fans and also to pose for the camera. I enjoyed taking his photo.

After a tasty lunch at JJ Muggs, across fromt he ballpark, we took in the Cardinals/Marlins game where we saw the Cardinals win in a 7-2 game. Traveras, Holliday, Adams and Johnson all hit home runs during the game.

This is my sixth year to attend Cardinal spring training and I was anxious to attend my first game today and hear them announce the World Champion St Louis Cardinals. I was not disappointed. Before the game even started we were treated to highlights of the playoff and world series game on the new video board beyond center field. Then we were treated to an outstanding performance of the National Anthem by a young girl with a powerful voice. Her name was Olivia and she was fantastic.

When the Cardinals came on the field they were announced as "your World Champion St Louis Cardinals". Very cool!

The game itself was not really exciting, of course the main purpose of spring training games is to try out a variety of players and see how they work out in different situations. This was certainly accomplished with a lot of new faces playing various positions. Kyle Lohse was the starting pitcher and his pitch count was 26.He was followed by several other younger pitchers including Trevor Rosenthal who is pictured above.

The Cardinals were loosing 4 to 0 as we entered the 9th inning, but true to form the Cardinals turned a rather boring game into some "edge of your seat" excitement. Matt Carpenter hit a double that produced two runs and then was able to make it home himself. The game did end in a 4-3 loss but it was still a fun experience!

I took the photo of Trevor during Saturdays season ticket holder reception

In the bottom of the 8th inning David Freese slammed a 3 run homer over the left field wall. Watching the hit there was no doubt that this was a winner. The Cardinals went on to win the game against the Miami Marlins by 4-2.

Roger Dean Stadium was built in 1998. It is located in Jupiter, Florida. This is the Cardinals 13th season at this stadium and the 8th season for the Marlins.

The stadium has a seating capacity of 6806.

During the baseball season the stadium is home to two minor league teams: the Palm Beach Cardinals and the Jupiter Hammerheads.

I love the size of the stadium, it is small enough to really feel up close to the players and yet big enough to have all the amenities. There are a variety of refreshment venues. My favorite is the Island Grill where I get the Sliders. For just $8.00 you get two crabcake sandwiches and a bag of chips. There are also all the traditional ballgame foods like hot dogs, hamburgers, pretzels, peanuts and popcorn.

The stadium has a nice gift shop where you can buy Cardinal gifts to bring home or shirts and hats to wear to the games.

There was a festive atmosphere in the ballpark for St. Patricks Day. The Cardinals were decked out in their green uniforms and the fans were in rare form taking the "wearing of the green" to the ballpark! Westbrook was the starting pitcher and he started off well with a 1-2-3 first inning. Colby Rasmus hit a long home run. Unfortunately the good luck did not last and the Marlins came out ahead in a 5-2 finish.

Today we spent some time watching the Cardinal pitchers practice during their morning session. We then attended the game between the Cardinals and Astros where Kyle McClellan got the win in the 1-0 victory. Here are some comments by my husband, Ray on the Cardinal pitching rotation.

The St. Louis Cardinals thought their pitching rotation was all set until Adam Wainwright hurt his elbow and had Tommy John Surgery on his pitching arm. The team has turned to their minor league pitchers to help fill the gap. Brandon Dickson and Lance Lynn are trying to find a spot on the major league team. Shelby Miller is a bright star on the horizon but is probably about 2 years off from playing in the majors.

Photo is Kyle McClellan pitching in the game today.

They say all good things must come to an end, and for us March 31st was our last day at Spring Training. The Cardinals do have one more game tomorrow against the Marlins...but our month is up and we will be heading north.

The game today was nothing to write home about. Washington outscored us 9-6 and there were numerous errors from both teams.

We have had a wonderful March and thoroughly enjoyed our Spring Training experience. Today I took a lot of photographs, both at the practice fields and during the game. I hope you enjoy the ones I have picked to share with you.

Now, it's on to the regular season...opening day will be here next week. It should be a fun year to watch the Cardinals.

walk off home run

I find a game that ends in a walk off home run to be very exciting, and today's game was no exception.

The scoring started in the 2nd inning when Ryan Ludwig hit a home run. The Twins came back in the top of the 3rd and took the lead by scoring 2 runs. In the bottom of the 3rd the Cardinals again took the lead when Albert Pujols hit a two run homer. The Cardinals maintained their 3-2 lead until the top of the 9th when the Twins scored to tie the game.

I thought we would go to extra innings ...but Daniel Descalso saved the day with a 2 run homer in the bottom of the 9th. Another Cardinal Victory!

The pitchers in Thursdays game with the Mets were Carpenter for the Cardinals and Maine for the Mets. Carpenter pitched 6 innings allowing only 1 run and 2 hits.

The scoring started off with Brendan Ryan getting a home run in the 1st inning for the Cardinals. In the 4th inning Albert Pujols , in his first game back since back pain, got a home run.

The photo above shows Albert crossing home plate after his home run.

In this photo you see the view from our seats--12 rows above the field.

Today the Cardinals had a split squad. In Jupiter half of the squad played against Boston and in Kissimmee the Cardinals played the Astros.

The game in Jupiter was a make up game for the game that was postponed because of rain on the 12th. This morning when I woke up I thought it would be another rain out. It had rained all night and continued to rain until almost game time. Boston had traveled here from across the state and the Cardinals were determined to get this game in. As it turned out the rain stopped about 1/2 hour before game time and although it was cloudy and chilly the game progressed.

The Red Sox started the scoring in the 1st inning with 2 runs and kept the lead until the 8th inning when LaRue started the rally with a home run. There would be 6 additional runs in the 8th inning and although Boston came back with 1 run in the 9th they could not overcome the Cardinals scoring in the 8th. Cardinals won 13-8!

Since it was a split squad there were not many of the starters in Jupiter. Holliday was back in action and scheduled to be a left fielder. After seeing the field conditions it was decided to use him as a DH.

As it turned out the Cardinals also were victorious over the Astros 6-4!

The day ended in sunshine--both weatherwise and scorewise!

excitement at Roger Dean

The game today was an exciting one. Colby Rasmus hit a two run homer in the 1st inning to lead off the scoring. The Cardinals scored again in the 5th and in the 6th inning before the Mets even got on the scoreboard in the 7th inning.

Then in the top of the 9th with the Cardinals leading 5-2, I was ready to head for the car when Jason Motte opened the door for the Mets allowing 3 runs and a tie game. I sat back down in my seat thinking we would be going into extra innings. The Mets fans were really starting to cheer now and that can be irritating :). But as it would turn out in the bottom of the 9th infielder for the Cardinals, Rubin Gotay, hit a home run to end the game 6-5.

The Cardinals gained a victory!!

Cardinals lose to the Nationals 4-2. It looks like former Cardinal player Chris Duncan may have found a home with the Nationals. He played 1st base on Tuesday and after being walked Duncan came around a scored a run.

Carpenter starting pitcher

After a day off on Friday due to inclement weather, the Cardinals faced Houston on a warm and sunny day. It was a great game with a 8-5 victory before a standing room only crowd. The starting pitcher, Carpenter, pitched 3 innings and allowed 2 runs in the second inning. In the bottom of the 4th inning the Cardinals pulled ahead with 4 runs. They would gain 2 more runs in the 5th and 1 in the 8th.

Although we had a victory, it seemed the players were struggling with the bright, sunny skies and the 30mph winds. Fly balls were misjudged by both sides.

There were two homeruns in the game...one by Ludwig in the 4th inning and one by Lugo in the 5th inning.

This photo shows Mark McGwire, Cardinal hitting coach, observing batting practice before todays game. Allen Craig is at bat.

Cardinals were shut out for the first 8 innings and in the 9th inning rallied to beat the Marlins 5-3. There were three doubles in the 9th inning by; David Freese, Joe Mather and Shane Robinson.

photo by Larry Kreyling

On March 7th the Cardinals had a win over the Marlins, with starting pitcher Kyle McClellan getting the win. Kyle is a St. Louis native. He bats and throws right handed.

In todays game Kyle pitched three strong innings and did not allow any runs. Kyle is one of a number of choices that the Cardinals must make for their fifth starter.

One of the interesting features of watching a spring training game is that the Cardinals will use a variety of players in different positions. As an example, today Albert Pujols (last years MVP) sat out, and Joe Mather started at first base.

This photo was taken at the start of the game. You see the umpires on the field along with hall of famer Red Schoendienst.

Can you tell a ballplayer by his stance? This St. Louis Cardinal ballplayer is shown at bat during the home opener at spring training 2010.

Spring training brings out all of the Cardinal apparel. I was amazed at the wide number of shirts, shorts, hats, purses, earrings, and yes..even clogs available with the St. Louis Cardinal logo!

When a spring training game falls on March 17th the Cardinals have a special uniform and hat. This photo was taken at the game on March 17, 2008. The players are standing for the singing of the National Anthem.

This blanket would be perfect to use if you sit in the Bern area of the stadium. This is an area off in right field where there is a grassy area where people can sit on blankets and watch the game. The players often stop by this area when they are coming out to the field and sign and few autographs.

A great gift for that baseball enthusiast in your life!

Every morning fans can go out to the practice fields behind the stadium and catch the players hard at work. You can see them go through warm up exercises, take batting practice, running drills, and fielding balls. You also see them standing around talking and joking. It is a great way to see the players up close.

In this photo you see coach Mark McGwire standing next to Albert Pujol's son AJ. McGwire had been hitting balls to the outfielders and AJ would catch the returned ball and toss it to Mark to hit again. It is always interesting to see the interaction between players.

Are you headed to spring training? Here is how to get to the stadium.