Home    |     FGLA Members    |     Florida Sports Foundation
                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Tampa Bay Rays


New in 2009
Port Charlotte Sports Park
Ticket Information: (727) 825-3250

2008 Ticket Prices: Field Boxes $20; Loge Boxes $17; Grandstand $15; General Admission Berm $7



2008 Rays Spring Training - By the Numbers

2008 Record:
  18-8

Rays Leaders
 

At Bats

 57, Jonny Gomes, Eric Hinske

Games

10, Grant Balfour

Hits

 23, Elliott Johnson

Innings Pitched

27.2, Edwin Jackson

Runs

 17, Elliott Johnson

Wins

3, James Shields

Home Runs

  5, Carlos Pena

Strikeouts

13, Edwin Jackson, Matt Garza

RBI

  18, Carlos Pena

ERA (min 10 IP)

0.75, J.P. Howell (12.1 IP)

Batting Average
 (min 40 ab)

  .418, Elliott Johnson
          (55 ab)

 

 

2008 Attendance Figures
11 games (two cancellations); 54,960 total attendance; 4,996 average per game
Largest crowd: 6,759 vs. Cincinnati Reds, Friday, March 28

Tribute to Al Lang Field
St. Petersburg bids farewell to lovely lady by the bay
Published, March 28, 2008 - By Stephanie Hayes, St. Petersburg Times

14 games; 87,596 total attendance; 6,257 average per game
Tampa Bay Rays Spring Training Location History
1998-2008 St. Petersburg (Progress Energy Park, Home of Al Lang Field)
2009 Port Charlotte Sports Park


Port Charlotte Sports Park
Port Charlotte Sports Park, which once hosted the Texas Rangers Spring Training, will undergo an extensive $27 million renovation and be ready for the 2009 Florida Grapefruit League season.  The site is located approximately 75 miles south of St. Petersburg.

The move will help the team expand its fan base, and expose Rays baseball to more people throughout the state of Florida.

The state-of-the-art facility will contain 6,000 fixed seats, and will also have additional berm seating and party areas.  A new suite level and group areas will be added and a 360-degree pedestrian concourse will ring the stadium.  The renovations are being modeled after Clearwater's Bright House Networks Field, home of the Philadelphia Phillies spring training.

In addition to spring training games, the facility will house the Rays training complex.  There will be five full fields and one-half field at the complex.  It will home to extended spring training for the Rays, and the site could be used for a Florida State League or a Gulf Coast League team.

The renovations to Charlotte Sports Park are being financed by contributions from Charlotte County, the State of Florida and the Rays.  While the Rays will have exclusive access during spring training, the county will be able to use the venue throughout the year for concerts, youth sports, recreation and community events.

The project is being designed by internationally renowned HOK Sport, designers of 14 of the 30 current major league teams and three spring training facilities including Bright House Networks Field.  HOK will partner with The Hunt Construction Group.  Considered one of the top builders of sports facilities in the world, Hunt built the new Busch Stadium in St. Louis and constructed the new major league park for the Nationals in Washington, D.C. in partnership with HOK.

Port Charlotte preparing for Rays move in 2009
Naples Daily News article, March 27, 2008 (pdf document)
 

Rays Spring Training Attendance (2000-2008)
  20002001 20022003 20042005 2006 2007 2008
Total Attendance 65,495 55,604 47,185 51,324 43,916 65,461 70,756 79,044 54,960
Number of Games 1613 1315 914 15 16 11
Average Attendance 4,093 4,277 3,629 3,422 4,880 4,676 4,717 4,940 4,996


Official Tampa Bay Rays Web Site