MLB Introduces ‘Spring Breakout’ Prospect Series For All 30 Teams In 2024
Editor’s Note: The dates have been corrected to the accurate dates.
For a number of years, the most interesting and in many ways toughest spring training game to get into was the Padres-Mariners prospect game.
Once every spring training, the two teams put their best prospects on one team, brought them to the big league park and played a night game. You could see both teams’ best prospects face off in a game that generally proved to be a prospect-watcher’s dream.
There was only one problem. The game was not open to fans. It was played in a near-empty stadium with team officials and scouts for both teams as well as few other invited guests.
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This year, MLB is going to ensure that every team will hold their own version of a spring training prospects game, but this time, those games will all be open to the public.
For 2024, MLB has announced that it will hold a “Spring Breakout” series, where all 30 MLB teams will field rosters of their top prospects to play games in teams’ MLB spring training stadiums.
The games will be played from March 14-17. Most teams will play one prospect game, but because there are an odd number of teams in Arizona and Florida, two teams will play two games to ensure that every team gets at least one game.
The idea is to tie these games to regularly scheduled MLB games. The prospect game will take place either before or after the MLB spring training game as part of a traditional doubleheader (where one ticket gets admission to both games).
The prospect games will also have a fan involvement component, where there will be meet and greet and autograph sessions where fans can meet their team’s best prospects.
The 2024 version of the Spring Breakout series will be used as a proof of concept to see how well it is received. But there’s a possibility that it could grow into something bigger in future years. A prospect tournament sounds interesting in theory, but it could be difficult to pull off, as it’s different to ask pitchers getting stretched out to compete in games that matter rather than a one-game showcase exhibition.
The games are largely scheduled for the weekend to both ensure that they can draw the largest crowds, but also to help ensure as many as possible will be streamed for fans who aren’t in Arizona and Florida. Weekend spring training games are broadcast more often than weekday games, and the hope is that the majority of these games are broadcasted by the same crews that work the MLB game.
MLB plans to stream any Spring Breakout game for which there is a feed.There is a question as to how teams will deal with prospects already in MLB camp. If a player is competing for a job on the big league club, will he play in the prospects game or stay with the big league club that day?
We don’t know the answer to that yet, but it will probably be fun to find out.
