Next spring training will bring options for Sarasota baseball fans

Starting in 2020, baseball fans in Sarasota will have another option in their search for spring training action.

The Atlanta Braves are coming to North Port’s newly built CoolToday Park next season, leaving their Walt Disney World Resort digs behind. For many fans, especially those in south Sarasota, the drive to CoolToday will approximate the drive to Ed Smith Stadium. That means the Baltimore Orioles won’t have the sole hold on the city’s baseball fandom. On March 24, the Braves held their final spring training game of 2019 at the park (against the Tampa Bay Rays), acting as both a grand opening for the park and a preview of what is to come.

The Braves experience starts with CoolToday Park, which cost $125 million to build. It is all anyone at the game — player, fan, legend — could talk about. That’s good, since Sarasota County contributed approx. $21,262,000 in tourist development tax money to its construction. It would be a shame if that cost led to a disappointing end result, but have no fear: CoolToday Park is a hit.

The drive to the stadium, which is nestled inside West Villages, is something from a movie scene, with palm trees lining the street. The park’s grass is bright green and neatly trimmed. Sightlines allow for a view of the field from anywhere on the concourse, even in center field. When you are in the park, you cannot see the outside world, giving it a momentous feeling.  Bullpen catcher Jose Yépez and first base coach Eric Young Sr. were so impressed, they started taking pictures of the place from the outfield during warmups.

“It has a ‘wow’ factor,” Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman said. “It is a beautiful ballpark. They have done a great job, in a short amount of time, too. It’s pretty amazing. We are blessed to have a facility like this.”

The 90-acre facility contains the main CoolToday Park field and six others, three of which are designated for the Braves’ minor league affiliates. The main field seats 6,200 and can fit 1,800 more people in its general admission (or standing room only) sections. There is not a bad seat in the house. Freeman said some features, like the square-shaped players clubhouse, were carried over from the team’s Atlanta home, SunTrust Park. I can’t speak to that, but I can say it looks sharp.

It’s also spacious, something legendary Braves former manager Bobby Cox noted will help the players feel comfortable, as will its beauty. If there’s any opinion you should trust, it is his. The 77-year-old was in professional baseball for nearly 40 years as a manager.

“I’m blown away, to be honest,” Cox said. “I have never seen a spring training facility like this. It has got every little thing you would ever need, and it is going to be a year-round thing for the community. It is a win-win. It is magnificent.

“North Port can be proud of what has happened here, that is for sure.”

The fans love it, too. Tanya and Vic Skidmore have been Braves supporters for 30 years. The game in North Port was their first in-person Braves spring training game, and they could not have had a better first experience.

“They did an awesome job,” Tayna Skidmore said. “The field looks great. Everything looks nice. The concessions are well done. It’s nicely placed. We’re looking forward to the other events they are having here, too.”

Vic Skidmore said the couple had previously been to Charlotte Sports Park, where the Rays play, and Ed Smith Stadium. CoolToday Park is on a similar level to those two parks, he said.

Tickets will range from $10 (general admission) to $45 (behind home plate). Concession prices seemed standard: The chicken sandwich and French fries basket I ate cost $10, and the souvenir soda I drank cost $7 — it also came in a nifty lid that snapped closed, a nice touch that will keep those pesky bees from flying in fans’ drinks.

Of course, aesthetics only attract people so much if the on-field product does not deliver. In that department, the Braves are ahead of the Orioles, who self-admittedly are in the beginning stages of a rebuild. You can go to Ed Smith to see the Orioles’ players of the future, or you can go to CoolToday to see the Braves’ players of right now. Outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr., 21, and second baseman Ozzie Albies, 22, are two of the most exciting young players in baseball. The Braves won the 2018 National League East on the backs of those guys and veterans like Freeman, outfielder (and former Oriole) Nick Markakis and starting pitcher Mike Foltynewicz. They will be contenders again in 2019 and for the foreseeable future.

I can’t tell you which team is your best spring training bet. But I can say that attending both stadiums will be worth the prices of admission. The Orioles have proven that throughout their Sarasota history, and if the Braves’ preview game is any indication, they are well on their way to doing the same.

If you want to get on the priority list for 2020 season tickets, or if you want more information, visit braves.com.