Governor Rick Scott announced that Florida’s Spring Training Baseball reached a record high per game attendance this season. The average per game attendance of the 2016 Major League Baseball Spring Training Games was 7,096, marking the first time the number has topped 7,000 in over 100 years of Florida Grapefruit League games.
Governor Rick Scott said, “I am proud to announce that Florida’s Spring Training reached a 100-year record high per game attendance this season. Spring Training and Major League Baseball are a major attraction for families and visitors, and have an incredible economic impact on the local communities that host these fifteen Florida Grapefruit League teams. Last year we welcomed 105 million visitors to our state, and we will keep working to support the tourism industry so we can reach another record year in Florida.”
The total attendance for the 215 games played between Major League teams in the state of Florida was 1,525,570. The 2016 season, played between March 1 and April 2, marked the 14th time in the last 17 years that Florida Spring Training attendance has surpassed 1.5 million. Since 2000, a total of 26,576,761 fans have attended Spring Training games in Florida. Attendance figures are compiled by the Florida Sports Foundation from daily box scores of games, between Major League teams played in the State of Florida, and verified by each of the 15 teams in the Florida Grapefruit League.
The Houston Astros, playing in Kissimmee’s Osceola County Stadium, showed a 15.3 percent per game attendance increase. The 2015 National League Champions, the New York Mets, playing at Tradition Field in Port St. Lucie, had a 13.2 percent increase. The St. Louis Cardinals, playing at Jupiter’s Roger Dean Stadium, had a 6.4 percent average per game attendance increase, and the Toronto Blue Jays, playing at Dunedin’s Florida Auto Exchange Stadium, saw a 5.1 percent per game attendance increase.
Renovations to the Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota (Baltimore Orioles), McKechnie Field in Bradenton (Pittsburgh Pirates), Hammond Stadium at the CENTURYLINK Sports Complex in Fort Myers (Minnesota Twins), and construction of Jet Blue Park in Fort Myers (Boston Red Sox) have helped increased seating capacities. By the 2017 season, Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland will receive renovations and the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach is expected to open. The Detroit Tigers will also complete a $48 million renovation and the Houston Astros and Washington Nationals will debut in the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches.
2016 Team-by-Team Florida Spring Training Attendance
Atlanta Braves – Disney’s Wide World of Sports, Lake Buena Vista
16 Games (2 rained out): 103,574 total attendance; 6,473 average per game
Largest Crowd: 9,029 vs. Washington Nationals, Saturday, March 12
Baltimore Orioles – Ed Smith Stadium, Sarasota
16 Games: 119,029 total attendance; 7,439 average per game
Largest Crowd: 8,518 vs. Boston Red Sox, Saturday, March 28
Boston Red Sox – JetBlue Park, Fort Myers
15 Games: 149,397 total attendance; 9,960 average per game
Largest Crowd: 10,103, vs. Minnesota Twins, Thursday, March 10
Detroit Tigers – Joker Marchant Stadium, Lakeland
15 Games (2 rained out): 116,061 total attendance; 7,737 average per game
Largest Crowd: 9,074 vs. Toronto Blue Jays, Tuesday, March 22
Houston Astros – Osceola County Stadium, Kissimmee
12 Games (1 rain out): 50,870 total attendance; 4,239 average per game
Largest Crowd: 5,191, vs. Toronto Blue Jays, Thursday, March 17
Miami Marlins – Roger Dean Stadium, Jupiter
14 Games (2 at Marlins Park, 2 rained out): 88,375 total attendance; 6,313 average per game
Largest Crowd: 7,489 vs. Boston Red Sox, Tuesday, March 22
Minnesota Twins – Hammond Stadium, Fort Myers
15 Games: 121,005 total attendance; 8,067 average per game
Largest Crowd: 9,109 vs. New York Yankees, Sunday, March 20
New York Mets – Tradition Field, Port St. Lucie
14 Games: 96,552 total attendance; 6,897 average per game
Largest Crowd: 7,710 vs. Boston Red Sox, Sunday, March 20
New York Yankees – Steinbrenner Field, Tampa
16 Games: 160,849 total attendance; 10,053 average per game
Largest Crowd: 11,159, vs. Tampa Bay Rays, Thursday, March 24
Philadelphia Phillies – Bright House Field, Clearwater
15 Games (1 rain out): 112,781 total attendance; 7,519 average per game
Largest Crowd: 11,122, vs. Tampa Bay Rays, Thursday, March 17
Pittsburgh Pirates – McKechnie Field, Bradenton
15 Games (1 rain out): 103,762 total attendance; 6,917 average per game
Largest Crowd: 7,791, vs. Boston Red Sox, Wednesday, March 9
St. Louis Cardinals – Roger Dean Stadium, Jupiter
13 Games (1 rain out): 90,985 total attendance; 6,999 average per game
Largest Crowd: 7,671, vs. Boston Red Sox, Monday, March 21
Tampa Bay Rays – Charlotte Sports Park, Port Charlotte
13 Games (1 rain out): 68,584 total attendance; 5,276 average per game
Largest Crowd: 6,876 vs. Boston Red Sox, Friday, March 18
Toronto Blue Jays – Florida Auto Exchange Stadium, Dunedin
14 Games (1 rain out): 72,661 total attendance; 5,190 average per game
Largest Crowd: 5,549 vs. Boston Red Sox, Friday, March 11
Washington Nationals – Space Coast Stadium, Viera
12 Games (2 rain outs): 71,085 total attendance; 5,924 per game average
Largest Crowd: 7,718 vs. New York Yankees, Wednesday, March 23
Florida Spring Training Total Attendance
215 Games (15 rain outs): 1,525,570 total attendance; 7,096 per game
