My 2017 IP Grapefruit Spring Training Experience

[walker066]

Just got home from an 8- day Grapefruit Spring Training Experience. This was my 2nd year in a row, but I decided to go to less games to spend more time with my parents and wife. Also on tap was two huge games I had tickets to. I'm going to break these up in multiple threads for a better read. Overall I think I did "ok" and probably beat myself up a little too much though.

Sunday March 5th- Tigers @ Phillies

My parents bought us tickets, but I wasn't overall thrilled of the Phillies split squad. However, it was Phillies alumni game and I saw some of the names with the hopes of getting some. Well we get to the game about 2 hours early and I see the line for Kruk and some others and decide it wasn't for me. As I walked around the stadium I could have gotten any alumni at their tables, but none of the big names were signing. So I decide to go to the Tigers side bc Miggy and Upton were playing. Well after about 10 mins, I felt like I was wasting my time and decided to go on the Phillies side. I got along the wall near where the players come out. Well this guy (maybe 60's) who has an aisle seat near this spot started to yell that it was 12:20 and people need to go back to their seats. He started to call all the Phillies personnel to tell people to go to their seats. Mind you there was no more than 10 people in this spot. An usher tells me that he wants us gone so he gets the autos. Finally after a few minutes, he starts to get verbal with another guy and pushed the guy. Well at this point, the ushers tell everyone to sit down until the players come out. Well they come out 2 mins later! At this point I'm only a couple people back. I got a few players...

ROMLB:
Mark Appel (#1 pick who maybe turn it around??)
Aaron Nola
Dylan Cozens (Decent Prospect

Then I get back to my seat and my wife tells me my father took some and got other autos. The only problem is he was handing them to a women infront of him and she was using a black sharpie on ROMLB!! Appreciate what my father did, just wish it wasn't a sharpie!

ROMLB:
Sean Kingery
Zach Eflin
An auto I can't figure out!

[walker066]

Wednesday March 8th- Dominican Republic vs Pirates exhibition game

My wife and I get there about 45 mins until they open the gate. I've graphed this ball park a couple times, so I was aware of the layout. We go near the buses but it is gated off and the players are eating lunch. I waited, but only Juan Samuel came over and I didn't want him. So I went in line with my wife who waited for me and was 2nd in line. The gates open and I make a sprint to the 3rd base where the players are warming up (I bought 1st row tickets just past 3rd base). Starling Marte comes over and talks to a couple girls, but says he can't sign. Then this kid (maybe 12-14?) kept yelling for Batista to sign and finally he turns around and says he may sign. The kid was being annoying about calling on players so I told him that players will sign for kids, but the more you annoy them the less they will come over. So after warmups, Marte comes back to where the girls were and started to sign the opposite way from me! Then I notice Batista is signing, but near the dugout and mobs and mobs of people (maybe 5-6 deep in areas) are pushing so I didn't want to waste my time. Then most players are leaving, but I see a player who is signing by the dugout and go over there because it was only a few people. It ended up being Jonathan Villar, so I got him. Then I decided that if I were to get some not big name players that I'd just do a team ball. I got Mel Rojas Jr. shortly after Villar.

I got back to my area I was before and Cano and Machado come out to have a catch right in front of me. Well after they are done, Cano heads over in my general area and Machado goes down the line the other way. I got Machado in the minors, so I was after Cano. Luckily for me, Cano is heading towards me. He was talking to someone on the field and was working backwards. So he gets to me and I give him my pen and ball and say "sweet spot, please." Welp I guess my voice got his attention and he hands my ball back saying kids only. DAMN! 1st time it's ever happened to me! After that, more players come out, but I was in the wrong spot because nobody stopped by us.

So the game is about to start and I'm in the 1st row and Fernando Rodney is signing, so I ended up getting him. Then Alex Colome tells a guy he'll come back to sign later. Well he comes back and signed for us. Then I get Fernando Abad between the innings. So during the game I overheard Moises Alou was behind homeplate and it's the 8th inning so I go over as were other people and got him as well. Then the game ends and I just miss Carlos Santana and Tony Pena!

After the game, my wife and I are near the buses with about 20-30 people. Mel Rojas comes over to sign a few, but nobody else. Then I tell the wife I'm ready to leave and she asks if I'm sure, so we stayed but I moved my spot. Well Carlos Santana comes out to talk with people and these guys ask for him to sign their cards. He does with a blue sharpie, but these guys wouldn't move after the signature, so I stuck my ball and pen up there and he grabs the ball and side panels it with the blue sharpie, damn! We leave after that game to head to Fort Myers.

ROMLB:
Jonathan Villar
Fernando Rodney
Moises Alou
Carlos Santana- blue sharpie on sidepanel
Team Ball: Colome, Rojas Jr, Abad

[walker066]

Thursday March 9th- USA vs Red Sox exhibition game

Being a huge Red Sox fan, I really wasn't interesting in any Red Sox because I have gotten them before. My main focus was the USA team. So we get there around 8:45am and I talk to a few people and find out that the night before the USA team signed against the Twins. Well the buses pull up and everyone gets in line. No players signed! I was thinking maybe it won't happen. So I walk around the Red Sox complex and watch the minor league players practice on multiple fields. Then I decided to get in line at the gates to get to the 1st base side. They open the gates and it was a mad dash to a spot along the 1st base side. Well people were all near the dugout and behind the dugout so I just stayed down the 1st base line.

I notice early on that only the relieve pitchers were in the outfield. David Robertson starts having a catch with a kid in the stands for a couple mins and then when they were done the father asks for an auto. I ran over and got him after he signed for the kid. He probably signed for 8-10 people. LuCroy walks by but won't sign. Then Archer walks by and someone calls him and he comes over. I was like 5th to get him, but people were pushing like crazy so I was stop in my spot. A few of us talked with him and joked around with him. He ended up signing for probably for 30-40 people.

So the USA team starts to bat and some of the players are signing behind the batting cage and in front of the dugout. I decide to not move and just wait it out. After batting practice the players leave the field. About 25 mins before the game, the players are warming up and I see a teenager national team player talking to this guy who tells him that he is the agent for Stanton, Arenado and I go up to him and ask him and he says he is trying to get them to come over. I thought, maybe this is my chance! Well Jake McGee comes over and talks to him and I pass on that. The agent keeps trying to get the players to come over, but it never happened and he says to me they probably won't because so many people. DAMN!

I go to my seat on the 3rd base side and know that the players exit near there. Well as the USA players come off the field, I go down near the exit. Most passed, but I did get Sam Dyson. So I'm in prime spot at the game ends and the players go to another exit. So I run over there and nobody signed.

I exited the stadium to get in line where the buses were. I guess during the game, they put up a rope for people to stand behind. At this time, there was probably 125 people, but I was close to the front of a spot. Well players start to come out and sign and the people are sweaty and pushing everytime a player stopped to sign. Posey and A Miller sign a couple, McCutchen and Harrison don't stop, Clippard, Neshak sign for a few mins. Then Kinsler stops and starts with the a couple away from me and goes the opposite way! Goldschmidt stops to sign and people were pushing. He signed for about 10, then moves to another spot. Arenado signs for a few people and then stops. Hosmer signed a few. Then as people were moving around, I get into a better spot. Tanner Roark starts to sign near me, then says after about 10, kids only so he passed me. Then my last hope is Daniel Murphy, who signed for about 20 people, but only kids so he passed over me! My wife tries to get a teenager and Murphy goes "Didn't I just sign for you." The teenager says "this is for my friend." Well Murphy decided to not sign it!

ROMLB:
Chris Archer
David Robertson
Sam Dyson

[walker066]

To some it up, I was either in the wrong spot, wasn't a kid, or spoke Spanish to the DR players. I'm happy that I got some good players, but bummed that Cano took my ball then handed it back. I respect the kids only thing.

I will say most of the stars on the DR and USA team did sign, so I respect that considering there were tons of people and people were pushing like crazy. As much I enjoy the chase of the autographs, the pushing was too much. Things will be much easier in my Single-A ball park.