The Kansas City Royals & TX Rangers share Spring Training
facilities in the Phoenix suburb of Surprise, Arizona.
Our time was spent exclusively on the side that hosts
the reigning Champions of the American League.
Each team shares the main stadium for ticketed games.
DJ is partial to the royal blue seats.
The many practice fields open to the public daily at 10am.
Each field is meticulously maintained.
It seems like every square inch is a reflection of the
hard work & pride of the Royals' baseball organization.
It was fun & interesting to see what is all involved
with Spring Training in MLB's Cactus League.
So much more than 30 days of 'practice' games!
When we arrived, the minor-league level Royals
were reporting to their position coaches.
We estimated there must have been between 60 to 80 players!
In addition to the big bats & heat hurlers of
Lexington, Wilmington, Springdale & Omaha,
we met World Series Royalty:
How awesome is this?
The fastest man in baseball takes time for a photo with DJ!
He was playing in the World Series a few months ago.
It would have been very understandable if he would have
said 'sorry' (or even ignored us) and just kept walking.
Instead, he apologizes for not wearing his famous #0
and stops for a great photo!
(he was wearing Sal Perez's #13)
Perez is 6'4" and Gore is 5'6" ...was someone pulling a prank?
Terrance Gore is a class-act all the way around!
Behind the tree are players going through stretching routines.
Davis was able to follow along
with a few of the more complex stretches.
Royal Pride!