Yankees Spring Training FAQs, important dates
TAMPA, Fla. -- The Yankees are celebrating their 25th spring at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Expectations are sky-high for the club this season following the addition of ace right-hander Gerrit Cole.
“We just added one of the best pitchers in the game to our team,” catcher Gary Sánchez said through an interpreter. “We had a really good rotation, that’s what I believe, and now we have the opportunity to add Gerrit Cole. It’s great. If you look at what he has done the past couple of years, it has been incredibly impressive. To add someone like that now on our team, it just gets better.”
New faces to know
Cole was the Yanks’ major offseason addition, having agreed to a nine-year, $324 million contract in December. The 29-year-old is coming off a season in which he led the Majors with 326 strikeouts while going 20-5 with an American League-best 2.50 ERA for Houston, finishing second in AL Cy Young Award voting.
Top prospects to know
Right-hander Deivi Garcia (No. 92 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 Prospects list), outfielder Jasson Dominguez (No. 54 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100), outfielder Estevan Florial, catcher Anthony Seigler and right-handers Luis Gil, Clarke Schmidt (No. 88 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100), Nick Nelson and Michael King.
Where is the facility?
This will be the Yankees’ 25th spring at George M. Steinbrenner Field, which was originally named Legends Field. Located at 1 Steinbrenner Drive in Tampa, Fla., the 11,026-seat facility resides adjacent to Raymond James Stadium, home of the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Can fans attend workouts?
George M. Steinbrenner Field will be open to the public beginning on Thursday. Admission is free until the club’s first Grapefruit League exhibition game. The Minor League complex, on Himes Avenue in Tampa, permits free admission when games begin in March.
Who are the guest instructors?
The roster of past Bombers expected to suit up at various times this spring features Ron Guidry, Reggie Jackson, Tino Martinez, Hideki Matsui, Lee Mazzilli, Stump Merrill, Andy Pettitte, Willie Randolph, Mariano Rivera, CC Sabathia, Alfonso Soriano, Nick Swisher and Bernie Williams.
Last game in Florida
The Grapefruit League slate concludes on March 22, when the Yankees host the Tigers in a 1:05 p.m. contest at Steinbrenner Field. The game will be televised on YES.
Additional exhibitions
After concluding business in Florida, the Yankees will travel north of the border to play a two-game exhibition series against the Blue Jays at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium, the former home of the Expos. The games will be played on March 23 and 24, both at 7:07 p.m. ET.