Upon trading ace Zack Greinke to the Los Angeles Angels last summer, the Milwaukee Brewers seemed content about building for the future. What happened was a late season push that almost propelled them into the wild card game. Entering spring training, the Brewers don’t appear to be as strong as National League Central rivals Cincinnati and St. Louis on paper, but they have a chance to contend if their promising young rotation delivers.
Ace Yovani Gallardo will be joined by Marco Estrada, Wily Peralta, Mike Fiers and Mark Rogers. None are household names, but the latter four are young arms that helped Milwaukee remain in post-season contention after the Greinke trade.
The bullpen had a Major League-high 29 blown saves and a 4.66 relief ERA last year. Currently, the Brewers are debating whether to carry seven or eight relievers on Opening Day. Five spots appear set. John Axford is projected as the closer. Jim Henderson and Mike Gonzalez are slated to share setup duties with Tom Gorzelanny and Burke Badenhop. A starting pitcher who does not win a rotation spot will likely fill one of the remaining openings.
About Maryvale Baseball Park
There is not a bad seat in the house at Maryvale Baseball Park, which is the spring training home of the Milwaukee Brewers.
Situated on the west side of Phoenix, Maryvale has a recessed playing field and a shaded concourse which offers an uninterrupted view of the field.
Maryvale has 7,000 seats and the lush outfield berm. It provides an intimate baseball setting amid the Valley of the Sun.
About Phoenix
Desert character. It can’t be conjured, landscaped or kindled with twinkling bulbs. John Ford knew that. So did Frank Lloyd Wright and Louis L’Amour. Spend a few days in Greater Phoenix and you’ll understand, too.
America’s sixth-largest city still has cowboys and red-rock buttes and the kind of cactus most people see only in cartoons. It is the heart of the Sonoran Desert and the gateway to the Grand Canyon, and its history is a testament to the spirit of Puebloans, ranchers, miners and visionaries.
This timeless Southwestern backdrop is the perfect setting for family vacations, weekend adventures or romantic getaways. Each year, 13 to 15 million leisure visitors travel to Greater Phoenix. They enjoy resorts and spas infused with Native American tradition, golf courses that stay emerald green all year, mountain parks crisscrossed with trails, and sports venues that host the biggest events in the nation.
Dependable sunshine and warm temperatures make outdoor activities a way of life in Phoenix. Golf, tennis, hiking, cycling, mountain biking and rock climbing are popular Phoenix activities. Horseback riding is a great way to see the Sonoran Desert, as is a rugged Jeep or Hummer ride. Thrill seekers can soar above the desert plateau in a glider, sailplane or hot-air balloon, or satisfy their need for speed at the Bondurant School of High Performance Driving.
Hikers can traverse 50 miles of trail at South Mountain Park and Preserve, the largest municipal park in the United States; mountain bikers can climb to the top of McDowell Mountain then hurtle back down again; and climbers can leave their chalky handprints on the granite “hump” of Camelback Mountain.
The Sonoran Desert is also home to the kind of cactus most people only see in cartoons. The majestic saguaro, found in no other desert in the world, can grow as tall as 50 feet and live as long as 200 years. And you don’t necessarily need hiking boots or a mountain bike to see one: Professional outfitters are happy put adventurous sightseers in the saddle of a horse, the seat of a Jeep or the basket of a hot-air balloon.
Phoenix is also the gateway to one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World: The Grand Canyon. Visitors who touch down at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport are only a scenic day trip away from the canyon’s South Rim. Those who seek a quicker and more dramatic route to the Grand Canyon can book an aerial tour that will take them sweeping over the 277-mile geologic marvel in an airplane.
Interesting facts about a few of Greater Phoenix’s resorts:
The historic Arizona Biltmore has hosted every U.S. president since Herbert Hoover, and, ironically, Irving Berlin wrote “White Christmas” while sunbathing next to one of the resort’s pools.
The 7-acre Oasis Water Park at Arizona Grand Resort features a wave pool, a tubing river, a 25-person hot tub, and an 8-story tower with three water slides.
The Boulders Resort and Golden Door Spa offers its guests rock-climbing clinics and nature-photography instruction amid the 12-billion-year-old boulders after which the resort is named.
At The Canyon Suites at The Phoenician, a chauffeured Mercedes awaits guests who need a ride to the spa or mall, and a sommelier hosts wine tastings in the lobby each evening.
Camelback Inn is one of only three hotels in the United States to earn AAA’s Five Diamond status 34 consecutive years, since the awards’ inception in 1977.
The Hermosa Inn is the former guest ranch and studio of cowboy artist Alonzo “Lon” Megargee, whose painting “The Last Drop From His Stetson” adorns the inside of the Stetson Company’s premium cowboy hats.
The Wigwam resort was formerly a cotton farm and winter retreat for executives from the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company.
For more information about Phoenix, visit here.
Milwaukee Brewers Spring Training Information
First Practice Dates
February 12 – Pitchers and Catchers
February 15 – Position Players
Maryvale Baseball Park
3600 N. 51st Avenue
Phoenix, AZ 85031
(623) 245-5500
2013 Ticket Prices
Field Box, $22
Infield Reserved, $16
Outfield Reserved, $13
Lawn, $8
For more information on Brewers spring training tickets, and for a schedule, visit here.
