The arrival of Spring Training ushers in the season it is named for. It’s an exciting time of year for sports, as it is once again time for baseball. Florida and Arizona play host to well over a thousand players and coaches, and fans flock in for a glimpse at the next boys of summer. But with the entire action taking place in just over a few weeks, it’s not too difficult to become lost in all the action that has little impact on the eight months of baseball that follow.

There are many different kinds of Spring Training games. There are regularly-scheduled games, split-squad games (when the team breaks in half for two separate games), intra-squad games (one team plays against itself as two sides), games against colleges, games against minor leagues clubs, B games (unofficial games). Of course on top of this there are countless hours in the workout facilities and practices. Spring Training is one of the most work-intense times of the year, which makes it that much more exciting.

The overall point of Spring Training is to give coaches a look at their players, and players a chance to get ready for the marathon season. Young minor leaguers have a chance to pick the brains of those whose jobs they’re gunning for, and when a position is in doubt, let the battle begin. They say that personal statistics don’t matter, but in many cases, the guy who hits .150 gets a ticket to Triple A, while the guy who hits .350 will play in 50,000-seat stadiums every day.

The biggest disappointment is that more Spring Training games aren’t televised. Fans love to follow the prospects as they come up through the minors and many of them surface in the spring years before they will in the major leagues. It’s also an incredible place to meet the players, as the afternoon games are convenient and the crowds are smaller. It’s a much less intimidating situation for player and fan alike. However, once Opening Day rolls around, everything else is reset. Everybody is in first place until the umpire yells “play ball!”