Chicago Cubs spring training draws record crowds at Sloan Park in Mesa
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Sloan Park in Mesa, Arizona. Photo: Justin Kaufmann/Axios
Cubs fans have begun their annual migration to Mesa, Arizona, for spring training, sunscreen in hand and a World Series run on their minds.
Why it matters: After a strong offseason, the Cubs believe they're positioned for another playoff run.
What they're saying: "The excitement in camp is palpable," Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer tells Axios. "The players are talking about it and the coaches are talking about it and the fans are certainly talking about it."
Zoom out: The Cubs play at Sloan Park in Mesa, Arizona. The stadium and facility are the crown jewel of the Cactus League, setting yearly attendance records for the past 12 years.
- They also shattered the single-game record, drawing 16,161 fans to a game last spring.
- The Cubs say they draw nearly a quarter-million fans each spring training season.
- "We've been heading to spring training for about seven years," Chicagoan Sandesh Bigli tells Axios. "It's like a home away from home. Every year we go, we keep meeting more people and it gets bigger and bigger, like a family."
State of play: The Cubs retooled this offseason after losing to the Brewers in the National League Division Series.
Additions: Most of the team is back. They added All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman and traded for Miami flamethrower Edward Cabrera. They should get ace Justin Steele back later this summer from a back injury.
Departures: The Cubs parted ways with star right fielder Kyle Tucker after he struggled down the stretch last season.
The intrigue: Cubs fans don't need another reason to travel to Arizona for spring training, but the added excitement of being a World Series contender is bringing out big celebrity names early.
- "I used to come to spring training games at Hohokam Park when I was a writer for 'Saturday Night Live' and my brother was going to ASU," actor and comedian Bob Odenkirk told Axios before a Cubs game at Sloan Park.
- "It's been a long time since I've been back, but I got a little space in my schedule and I'm using it wisely."
Odenkirk and fellow actor Chris Witaske have high expectations for the Cubbies, but Odenkirk isn't letting his emotions get the best of him.
- "It is more exciting, but it's a long season, and I'm in for all of it," Odenkirk adds. "One of the things I love about baseball is it's a slower rhythm that we don't get in the world anywhere else nowadays. We need more of this in our lives, right?"
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