How Will MLB Playoffs Affect 2020 Spring Training?

It’s no secret that a postseason run will impact spring-training attendance in many situations. Here’s how this year’s MLB playoffs could affect next year’s spring-training travels.

That we will see impacts from this year’s league championships and World Series is a given for many teams. But not all: the Cubs, Red Sox, Yankees, Dodgers and Diamondbacks are going to be solid spring-training draws no matter their record the previous year. Winning will slightly impact spring-training attendance for the Twins and Phillies, while other teams will see a noticeable bump in the spring-training attendance numbers following an appearance in the postseason. And with both the Houston Astros and Washington Nationals experiencing success this offseason, your plans could be affected.

So we expect FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches to be a hopping joint come February. The Astros have turned into a good draw since the move from Kissimmee to Palm Beach. Now that the Nationals are in the World Series for the first time in franchise history and the first time in Washington baseball history since 1933, watch that bandwagon roll and pick up plenty of fans traveling down from the District or within Florida. The Nationals and Astros open spring training on Feb. 22 at FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches.

We don’t expect an appearance by the Yankees in the World Series to affect spring-training attendance, and missing out on the World Series probably won’t impact St. Louis Cardinals spring-training attendance, either. Both teams are solid draws no matter what.

And while the Twins are usually a solid draw, look for even larger crowds in 2020 after a playoff appearance.

But the team that probably will benefit the most from a postseason appearance — besides the Nationals, of course — will be the Milwaukee Brewers. We saw crowds rise after word got out about the upgrades to American Family Fields of Phoenix, and making the 2019 postseason in such dramatic and unexpected fashion will only whet the appetites of Milwaukee fans for a brat in Maryvale. So plan accordingly.