Twins Spring Training Attendance Soars

(KNSI) – Spring training attendance suggests baseball could be seeing a resurgence across the country, but especially in Minnesota.

In 2023, the Twins were one of only six teams in Florida’s Grapefruit League to draw over 100,000 fans. That figure has exploded this year to 120,189, according to Dustin Morse, the team’s vice president of communications and content. Even if you take out the exhibition game against the Gophers this year, the growth is easily into double figures.

The Twins won the American League Central in 2023 with a record of 87-75 and finally broke the postseason slump that dated back to the George W. Bush administration. In October, they swept a best-of-three AL Wild Card Series against the Toronto Blue Jays at Target Field.

The club is the preseason favorite to repeat in the division, which could be spurring excitement among fans. The Twins best spring training attendance in Fort Myers at Hammond Stadium, where they have played since the 1990’s, was the 2011 season. The squad saw more than 129,000 fans pass through the turnstiles that year.

Early returns are also positive for the 16 teams that play in Arizona’s Cactus League. The 1% increase isn’t anything to write home about, but weather was surprisingly a factor in the desert. The growth came even with ten games being rained out.

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