Casa Grande resort recalls glory days as a mecca for spring training in Arizona

spring training in Arizona
The first Fransisco Grande spring game was played in 1961.

By Scott Craven | The Republic | azcentral.com

The round concrete and brick structure sits by itself in the middle of a now-barren dirt field. Two flights of stairs lead to a 12-foot-high patio surrounded with metal railings, and a circular roof provides shade. It’s not clear what the building’s purpose once was, though it looks like maybe the only survivor of some legendary playground.

In a way, it is.

Half a century ago, the building was an observation tower, with four baseball diamonds arranged around it like leaves on a clover. Each spring, players and coaches arrived mid-February, and major-leaguers like Willie Mays, Willie McCovey and Juan Marichal.

The Francisco Grande Resort thrives still, but now it depends on golf and soccer to support its unlikely place on the outskirts of Casa Grande. And while thousands of visitors come to the Valley to enjoy spring training, not many know that the 15 teams playing in 10 stadiums from Mesa to Surprise can trace their roots to the hotel and training facility that opened in 1961.

Continued:

Share this!

Additional Articles

Top master-planned communities for 2024

By AZ Big Media Here are the Top 10 master-planned communities in Arizona, based on public voting for the 2024 edition of Ranking Arizona, the state’s biggest and most comprehensive business opinion poll. Ranking Arizona

Read More »
News Categories

Get Our Twice Weekly Newsletter!

* indicates required

Rose Law Group pc values “outrageous client service.” We pride ourselves on hyper-responsiveness to our clients’ needs and an extraordinary record of success in achieving our clients’ goals. We know we get results and our list of outstanding clients speaks to the quality of our work.