2020 Dodgers Spring Training Primer

The Dodgers will begin their first full squad workout today in Glendale, Arizona. Now in their 12th spring training at Camelback Ranch, the team returns as the seven-time defending National League West champions.

Mookie Betts and David Price join most of the team that won 106 games last season.

Walker Buehler and Clayton Kershaw will top the Dodger rotation and Blake Treinen joins a bullpen with Kenley Jansen, Joe Kelly and Pedro Baez.

The lineup should be pretty consistent at the start of the season. Betts will likely bat leadoff and then Roberts can alternate Max Muncy, Justin Turner and Cody Bellinger at the top of the lineup.

Corey Seager will be an additional year away from his surgeries. Joc Pederson and A.J. Pollock will platoon in left field.

Rookie of the Year candidate Gavin Lux will likely get first crack at second base and Will Smith should be the Opening Day catcher.

But before all that happens, we’ll have five weeks from this Thursday to go before the Show starts and a lot of spring training games to play.

Here are some of the basics you need to know as the Dodgers start their preparations for the 2020 regular season.

What happens each day in the Cactus League

For the next few days, teams will have their opportunities to workout without having to worry about playing a game.

The Dodgers generally work out after having a morning meeting. They will also have mandatory meetings with the Players Association and also some other things with MLB during spring training.

Unless something newsworthy happens, manager Dave Roberts will meet with the media just once until the games start. Those scrums take place after the morning meetings in the clubhouse, usually between 10-11:00 a.m. local time. Note that until Daylight Savings Time begin, Los Angeles will be one-hour behind Arizona local time.

Starting Saturday, the usual plan is Roberts will meet with the media after their early meetings and then again for a shorter session after the game.

The clubhouse is open for about an hour in the morning and then when games start, the media will usually do a quick media hit with the starting pitcher.

State of 40-man roster

The Dodgers have 22 pitchers, 3 catchers, eight infielders and seven outfielders on their 40-man roster. Currently, the Dodgers do not have any pitchers that have to keep on the active-roster because they don’t have any options.

In fact, the only player on the 40-man roster where that could be an issue at some point would be catcher Austin Barnes who used his last option in 2019.

There are players where I said their option status was not applicable (“N/A”) and that was due to the likelihood of that player ever being optioned.

Will any Non-roster invitees make major league team this spring?

Right now, I am going to say no. First, most of the non-roster invitees are minor leaguers already in the Dodger organization. Those players will get to spend these first few weeks of spring training on the major league side and perhaps get into games until they are sent back to the minor league side of the complex.

And second, the Dodgers have enough depth on their 40-man roster to cover any of the usual places for an addition from the NRI list, left-handed reliever, spot starter or utility player.

Here is the current list as of February 17, 2020.

No, that really is someone different walking out to the mound this year

Dave Roberts will enter his fifth season as Dodger manager with a new pitching coach. Mark Prior moves from the bullpen to become the Dodger pitching coach this season.

Rick Honeycutt was the Dodger pitching coach since 2006 and he now becomes a special assistant to the organization. Prior turned 39 last September and he had been the bullpen coach for the last two seasons. This will be his first pitching coach position.

Josh Bard returns as Dodger bullpen coach, a role he held for two seasons, 2016 and 2017. For the last two seasons, Bard was the bench coach for the New York Yankees.

Connor McGuinness will be the Dodgers assistant pitching coach. He was the pitching coach for the Dodgers California League team, the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes for the last two seasons.

Danny Lehmann replaces Chris Gimenez as the Dodgers game planning and communications coach. Gimenez will be a roving coach in the Dodgers minor league organization this year.

Brant Brown joins Robert Van Scoyoc as the Dodgers hitting coach this year. Brown was the hitting strategist for the Dodgers in 2019.

Games start when and how can I watch

The Dodgers will play 33 spring training games this year and it all starts on Saturday. For the games scheduled in February, please click here. And then for March, just go here.

The annual Freeway Series begins on Sunday, March 22nd at Angel Stadium and then concludes with games on Monday and Tuesday nights at Dodger Stadium.

Opening Day will be on Thursday, March 26th when the Dodgers host the San Francisco Giants.

Currently, if you have MLB.TV, it is possible to see 32 of the 33 spring training games. If you have SportsNet LA, they will show a game every day the Dodgers play before the regular season starts, that means 30 games on those 30 days.

To check out the schedules, here is the February broadcast schedule and for March, check this out.

The Dodgers have three split-squad dates, that means on those days, the Dodgers will play two games. This year, those games will almost always be played at or around the same time.

Only on the first split squad day will the Dodgers be playing a game with no television broadcast scheduled. On February 29th, the Dodgers play at the Rockies and while there will be a Rockies radio broadcast, there is no TV scheduled.

But the two split squad dates in March, the Cubs are broadcasting their game against the Dodgers (it is also on MLB Network) and the last split squad against the Angels will be on Fox Sports West.

To experience the Cactus League in person, just head East on the 10

There is no question that the move to Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona made traveling to spring training for Southern California easier. For many of us, it was just get on the 10 freeway and drive many hours until you hit the Phoenix metropolitan area.

For information about Camelback Ranch, you can check out this link. Here’s a link to the full Cactus League schedule. Most of the games will be at 1:00 p.m. local time but there will be occasional games in the evening.

If you are a fan of chain restaurant breakfast food, Phoenix might be your thing. There are Waffle Houses, Denny’s and Cracker Barrels in the area.

The Athletic’s Keith Law occasionally writes about his food experiences in the Arizona area and here is a solid review of places to eat in the areas around various spring training facilities. This is from 2016 so be sure to check and make sure your choice is still open before heading there. A recent favorite of mine is Little Miss BBQ, there are two locations in the Phoenix area.

Finally, there is one thing you probably won’t miss in your travels around Phoenix, your friendly neighborhood QuikTrip. There are 95 locations in the city and it can be your beverage and snack stop during your drives around the area.