2026: My 1st Tigers Spring Training ever!

[1984Echoes]

OK... so go easy on me here...

I'm a rookie fan in spring training, never done this before.

And my digital camera is a little crappy so, did the best that I could. Plus, we're behind a chain link fence when they're practicing in the distance so... no closeups here. I did crop some photos to sort of "zoom" in, although that might affect the quality a bit (makes it blurry?)

Well... since I fibbed already... when the guys were walking to the field they pass right by so all the autograph-seekers are lined up (I don't really pursue autographs so I was just happy to take some photos.... I was on the minor league/ catchers & pitchers side today, tomorrow or Wednesday I'll go back and take some photos from the Major Leaguers side...

One last thing, I don't know many of the minor leaguers by facial recognition, and not all of the Detroit Tigers...

But just wanted to share some spring training photos... Best I could do... I'll try to describe what little I can.

Also... met a "veteran" spring training dude, Norm, who was as nice as anybody I've ever met... he talked me through some of the "do this, not that" of spring training. Talked me into a Thursday BBQ with the team as well (run by the Lakeland Chamber of Commerce). Free food & beer for the minor leaguers so they'll mostly show up, a few of the MLB guys too. I'm not a big autograph guy so I'll be happy to just sit and shoot the breeze with whoever is there.

[1984Echoes]

Here's a bunch of walkway pics where mostly minor leaguers but also pitchers and catchers were walking towards their practice field...

[1984Echoes]

[1984Echoes]

That 1st pic, far down the length of the building (about 2/3's) you can see another walkway (sort of) going to a separate field for the non-catcher Detroit Tigers.

[1984Echoes]

Blurry picture of Jake Rogers but I was late on the snap so I only got him as he was walking by...

[1984Echoes]

A few pics from a machine firing grounders at the catchers, at the plate...

Working on scooping up a throw and "tagging the runner"...

I don't think they had this machine calibrated very well (or anchored in the ground) though because the balls kept going further and further towards the guys that were standing in line... I had more photos of this but they were all blurry and only a few came out well enough to post:

This first pic shows the "grounder machine" all the way at the right...

 

A couple of pics with the catchers trying to chase some errant "throws":

 

 

[1984Echoes]

My "Expert Zoom" capabilities:

Edited 16 hours ago by 1984Echoes

[1984Echoes]

Infield Practice:

 

 

 

 

 

[1984Echoes]

Outfield practice (coach is sitting in a chair that "pops up" flyballs)...

You can see Parker Meadows and Maxx Clark in there, and possibly Riley Greene (unless it was one of the "blurry" ones that I had to toss out...):

 

Edited 16 hours ago by 1984Echoes

[SoCalTiger]

Very nice. Thanks so much and enjoy your adventure . 

[AlaskanTigersFan]

Yea, thanks for sharing! Very cool. 

[IdahoBert]

Cool

[IdahoBert]

I don’t know why I was able to access this thread on my iphone because every other thread I’ve clicked on I got 10 ads in a row which I had to watch in their entirety. 

[casimir]

So awesome.  Thank you for sharing.

[papalawrence]

Great pics, thanks for sharing! Been a Tigers fan ~55 years and have yet to get to ST