Choosing spring-training destinations isn’t always a set process for either veterans or first-time visitors. In 2027, consider a trip to see this season’s World Series teams training at American Family Fields of Phoenix and Charlotte Sports Park.
Why pay attention to these two facilities? Neither is necessarily a top draw: very few games sell out at American Family Fields of Phoenix, while the luster is slightly off a spring experience at Charlotte Sports Park. The Tampa Bay Rays were formerly a solid draw at Charlotte Sports Park, but as of late it hasn’t been hard to snare a ducat in Port Charlotte. And while attendance has ticked up at American Family Fields in recent years, sellouts are not exactly common.
But there is a truism for World Series teams the following spring: we’re sure to see attendance increases for the two teams playing in the World Series. And there’s room for improvement for both teams.
AmFamFields isn’t one of the most popular venues in the Cactus League, but it should be. While you’ll find plenty of the Brewers faithful at any Milwaukee spring-training game, they’re not usually sufficient in number to consistently sell out the ballpark, unless a dreaded rival like the Cubs or Dodgers are in town. Though traditionally Brewers fans will follow their team on the road during the regular season–try scoring a ticket to Target Field or Wrigley Field when the Brew Crew comes to town–they don’t always make the long trek to Phoenix in the spring.
(Quick note: AmFamFields is located in Phoenix, the only spring-training venue in the city. We’re talking the former Maryvale Baseball Park here, and the reference is to the Maryvale neighborhood in western Phoenix, on the edge of the city limits.)
The inevitable renewed interest in American Family Fields saddens us a little: we liked to think of the place as our little hidden getaway for spring training, the place where there will always be plenty of folks but not so many to make a game an uncomfortable experience. There is so much to like about this ballpark and the Brewers spring training experience–we detail them all in The Complete Guide to Spring Training 2027 / Arizona–beginning with the gentle transition through the training fields to the ballpark, the many Sconnie food options (brats! bratchos! Secret Stadium Sauce!), and the obliging and friendly staff.
We don’t expect this experience to be ruined in 2027–generally speaking, the more Sconnie the better–but we do expect a few longer lines and more crowding on the spacious ballpark berm.
Similarly, we expect some increased demand for Tampa Bay Rays games at Charlotte Sports Park. When the renovated ballpark opened 20 years ago, the Rays enjoyed sellout crowds, albeit at a venue smaller than most spring-training ballparks. But the sellouts have ended, and while there is still demand for the best seats in the house–in the shade, natch–the crowds have definitely dwindled in Port Charlotte.
Oh, sure, there are several reasons for the decline: the ballpark is still a little on the remote side, often lumped in with North Port and Fort Myers spring-training venues. The Rays have scaled back food offerings here, especially when eliminating Minor League Baseball here–we still miss the grouper sandwiches. And while the Rays have performed solidly on the field the last decade, they have not won it all.
Still, we expect demand will rise at Port Charlotte in 2027. (Thinking of going? Check out The Complete Guide to Spring Training 2027 / Florida for all the details.) It’s worth a trip, especially if you’ve never been: it’s old-time Florida in a nutshell, a place where you are likely to see a gator sunning past the left-field fence and where there in a lot of access to players entering the festivities down the first-base line.
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