Palm Beach County Readies to Host Spring Training

With four teams calling it home and a combined 48 home games from February to March, Palm Beach County will once again be the number one destination in Florida for Major League Baseball (MLB) Spring Training in 2021. Over the four-week Grapefruit League season, the 2017 World Series champions the Houston Astros and 2019 World Series champions the Washington Nationals will play their home games at the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach while 2020 postseason contenders the Miami Marlins and the Washington Nationals will head to Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in Jupiter. For the safety of those attending games, a comprehensive Covid-19 protocol has been implemented including ticketed seating in pods ranging in size from 2-6 seats.

The action begins Sunday, Feb. 28 with the Nationals taking a trip to Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium to play the Cardinals. at 1 p.m. Back at the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches, the Astros host the Marlins at 1:05 p.m. The revamped season ends on March 29 with the Astros facing the Nationals and the Cardinals hosting the New York Mets.

In just four years, the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches has had two World Series champions in the Astros and Nationals. The Astros will look to get into form early this year coming off a playoff run a season ago while the Nationals look to regain momentum after winning it all just a two years ago. Houston and Washington have called West Palm Beach home since the Ballpark’s debut in 2017.

Just 15 minutes north, the Cardinals and Marlins return to Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium as they prepare for the upcoming season. St. Louis, the 2011 World Series Champions, have played spring ball in Jupiter since the stadium’s opening in 1998. The Marlins, the 2003 World Series Champions, make their return to Palm Beach County as they have done since moving into the facility in 2002.

Due to Covid-19, both venues have adopted new measures to better protect fans. Ticketed seating will be available in small groups of six or less persons and will be physically distanced from other groups. Other measures like cashless concessions and mask-wearing will also be in effect. Attendance will also be significantly reduced at each venue to ensure for better social distancing.

“The staffs at Ballpark of the Palm Beaches, Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium, and Major League Baseball as a whole have done a fantastic job of taking the right steps to ensure the safety of all involved in what will be yet another exciting and rewarding season of Spring Training in The Palm Beaches,” said Executive Director of the Palm Beach County Sports Commission. “We are glad to once again partner with the MLB and these two tremendous venues to maintain Palm Beach County’s place as a premier destination for baseball.”

The two stadiums are top-notch destinations for all sports fans and are two of the area’s most versatile venues.

One of the region’s preeminent baseball stadiums for more than 20 years, Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium is the only complex in the country that is home to four Minor League Baseball teams. The stadium seats nearly 7,000 fans and includes box suites, a press box, a professional scoreboard, and a state-of-the-art JumboTron. In addition to the main, lighted stadium field, the complex features 12 full-size baseball fields with professional dimensions—six of which are lit for night play—on nearly 120 acres in the cozy Abacoa neighborhood of Jupiter, Florida.

Opening in 2017, the FITTEAM Ballpark of The Palm Beaches has an elegant wrap-around concourse and inviting sightlines. The 160-acre complex features a fan-friendly 7,700-capacity stadium as its centerpiece, along with six practice fields per team. Beyond Spring Training, FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches hosts elite destination tournaments, community walks, corporate functions, concerts, and festivals, among other events. It features a total of eight professionally manicured baseball fields ideal for tournament setup. Five 120-by-80-yard multipurpose athletic fields are covered in beautiful Bermuda grass and cater to soccer, lacrosse, football, and rugby.