Guest Editorial: Giants’ Training Program Move A Big Boost For Scottsdale

By Scottsdale Pinetop
 
Baseball has long been a staple of the greater downtown Scottsdale identity with Scottsdale Stadium and Indian School Park Complex being an integral part of that success. Home to one of the more popular Cactus League baseball teams, the San Francisco Giants have outgrown their current practice facility at Indian School Park and looking to move.
Thanks to a unique partnership between Phoenix and Scottsdale, the Giants’ training program will find a new home at the currently vacant Papago Park. It’s where the Oakland A’s used to practice until they moved to Mesa. The Giants’ spring training games with still be held at Scottsdale Stadium in March.
The Indian School Minor League Complex has been home to the Giants minor league for many years. Along with hosting training programs and minor league games, the fields are also used as community field open to a series of recreational leagues and Little League teams. But with the popularity and demands of the Giants’, it can be difficult to reserve one of these fields. This move will change all that, enriching Scottsdale area youth and the families.

The team is expected to move into The Papago fields in December, pending final approval from Scottsdale City Council.
While this deal benefits both Phoenix and the Cactus League, it’s also a great deal for Scottsdale not just economically – but also as a community. In recent years, Scottsdale has lost as significant amount of its public park space. This has left many families without a place to play, really play on the weekends. With Scottsdale’s demographics getting younger every year, this is a great opportunity for the city to redirect one of its key resources into something that can benefit everyone.  Kudos to the Scottsdale Parks Department, surely the best municipal group in the Valley, for again showing Scottsdale how home runs are hit.