Cactus League spring training in Phoenix: Photos through the decades

Before many Major League Baseball stars step up to the plate on Opening Day, they head to Arizona.

For more than 70 years, Cactus League spring training has turned the desert into baseball’s preseason home. It started in 1947 as a simple pitch: The Valley offered blue skies, dry air and room to train.

Early spring training games played out in modest parks across Arizona. Mesa helped anchor the league’s rise, and eventually other ballparks began dotting the state as the Cactus League found its footing.

Stars such as Chicago Cubs icon Ernie Banks and the famed Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox came to the Valley to train. Countless legends followed in their footsteps, including greats like Hank Aaron.

Baseball, though, is prone to change, and the Cactus League evolved along with it. Teams relocated, stadiums upgraded and facilities modernized over the decades. Today, about a dozen Cactus League ballparks sit within the Phoenix metro area, including facilities in Scottsdale, Glendale, Tempe and Peoria.

The growth translates into serious numbers. In 2025, Cactus League attendance hit nearly 1.7 million fans and generated $764 million in economic impact. Both figures are expected to grow even larger this year.

During spring training each February and March, baseball fans are everywhere. Local hotels fill to capacity. Tourist attractions that have sprung up near stadiums draw steady crowds between games. Restaurants stay packed with fans in jerseys.

In celebration of the 2026 Cactus League spring training season starting this week, here’s a look back at vintage photos from more than 70 years of baseball fun under the sun.