Trip to Angels Spring Training (Part 1)

I had the great fortune to travel to Angels Spring Training earlier this month. The Angels hold their Spring Training in Tempe, Ariz. I went to shoot some video of former Kernels/current Angels that we'll be able to use on our LED video board during Kernels home games this season.

I was there from March 8-13, during the first full week of Major League Spring Training games. I usually arrived at the complex around 8:00 in the morning. Each day when I arrived, I found hundreds of Angels fans already in the parking lots and around the stadium. Fan excitement and media attention is certainly surrounding the Angels camp this season, largely due to the fact that the Angels made the biggest splash in the free agent pool this offseason by signing slugger Albert Pujols. New Angels number five jerseys were ever-present as fans tailgated and waited to catch of glimpse of their favorite team's stars.

The players routinely arrived as early as 6:30 or 7:00 in the morning to get their lifting or rehab work in and to possibly get a few swings in the batting cage. Around 9:00 the teams made the walk outside to the practice fields. Fans lined the guard rails to get pictures and autographs as the Angels walked by. Spring Training is a great way for fans to get close and personal to the team.

The Major Leaguers went through infield drills and took batting practice on the practice fields while the Minor Leaguers went through more fundamental and situational work. During the first couple weeks of Spring Training, the Minor Leaguers were not playing daily games like the Major League team.

The Minor Leaguers went through a full-scale practice, as they were divided into affiliate-based workout groups. With the fields beings in such close proximity, many Minor Leaguers moved to different workout groups throughout the day to see how they would perform against stiffer competition.

The Major Leaguers left the practice fields around 11:00 or 11:30 in the morning to head over to Tempe Diablo Stadium for the day's game. This gave fans another opportunity for pictures and autographs. At this point, most fans decided to head inside to get settled in for the 1:00 Spring Training game. However, other fans took the short walk to the Minor League fields. Here, they could get a look at the top prospects getting their work in.

The pitchers tended to have a lighter and shorter day than the position players. Pitchers would throw a bullpen session, go through their conditioning, and be done for the day in the early afternoon. Depending on the day's practice schedule, the position players could be on the field as late as 3:00 or 4:00.

With the Major League Spring Training games happening only a short walk away, many Minor Leaguers went over to watch the game, depending on their practice schedules. The players were given a VIP pass to walk in and out of the game as they please.

This was the typical schedule during my stay in Tempe. As the month of March moved along, the Minor Leaguers began to play daily games against other organization's equal-level affiliates. Before I left, the players were looking forward to playing games to break up the monotony of the long, daily practices.

Keep checking back for more stories from my trip to Spring Training. The Kernels open on the road April 5 at Wisconsin, and our Home Opener is April 9 vs. Clinton!

By: Morgan Hawk, Kernels Radio Broadcaster