Scottsdale Stadium Renovations

For those of you who don't know, Scottsdale Stadium and Indian School Park are undergoing major renovation in 2005/2006/2007. The Stadium is supposed to be complete by the start of Spring Training this year. Indian School Park is supposed to be complete by the start of Spring Training in 2007.

The Giants have traditionally done all of their workouts at Indian School Park until Spring Training games start. Then, of course, all games are played at Scottsdale Stadium. Last year (2005) , for the first time ever, while the pitchers and catchers still worked out at Indian School Park........only the young and Minor League position players practiced there. The veteran Major League position players did all of their practicing at Scottsdale Stadium. The real bummer with that situation was that the Giants DID NOT let the fans into Scottsdale Stadium, so no one could get a look at the players' workouts. I took some 250 photos prior to the start of Spring Training last year, and virtually all of them are of youngsters or pitchers at Indian School Park because of this change.

With the remodel this year, the City of Scottsdale is adding a fullsize practice field, a practice infield, batting cages and multiple pitching mounds to the Scottsdale Stadium complex. These additions are being added just outside the stadium, past the RF wall. For those of you who have been to the stadium.......this is all happening where the old dirt/grass parking lot used to be. The idea is that from now on......most of the Major League workouts will occur at the stadium complex. It remains to be seen whether the Giants will let fans into the complex, or whether they will lock us out like they did last year. That is one of my big questions that I want to have answered when I head to Arizona on the 15th of February.

Also involved in the renovation to Scottsdale Stadium, the Giants are going to provide the players with another, larger clubhouse and a "secure" players parking lot. The new clubhouse addition will be between the concourse and the parking lot. There will also be a tunnel from the old clubhouse (and the field) to the new clubhouse and the players parking lot will be permanently fenced in. That means that the players will be able to go from the field to the clubhouse, to their cars in the parking lot, without ever coming into contact with the fans. This will be VERY bad news to those of you who collect autographs. Catching the players as they go to and from their cars has always been the best way to get large numbers of autographs at Spring Training.

The City of Scottsdale has a very nice website with a very detailed description of the stadium changes, including PDF maps/mockups of the proposed renovations. They also have several photos of the construction progress.

View of location of new practice facilities from inside Scottsdale Stadium, looking out toward right field from October, 2005.

Same general view as above, but from January 4th, 2006. ->








View of the new full practice field about the time of my last visit to Scottsdale on January 4th, 2006.







View of the new practice infield (partial practice field) also on January 4th, 2006.







City of Scottsdale Stadium Renovation website:
http://www.scottsdaleaz.gov/projects/giants/#NewFacilities