Welcome to the 2013 Season
As usual the 30+ days of Florida Spring Training Games goes by quicker than expected and the 2013 season concluded on Sunday, March 30 when the Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins wrapped things up at Jet Blue Park in Fort Myers.
Between February 22 and March 30, seven teams set attendance records and more than 1.6 million fans attended Florida Grapefruit League baseball games in 14 Florida locations. Florida Spring Training Baseball has surpassed 1.5 million for the 12th time in the last 14 years.
2013 Florida Spring Training Attendance Totals (click link for press release)
247 games (two rain outs), 1,638,457 total attendance, 6,633 average per game
This year celebrated the 125th Anniversary of Major League Baseball Spring Training in the State of Florida. The annual tradition has evolved from a time when players got into shape from the off season at fields around the Sunshine State.
Here's a look at the final team and individual leaders from the 2013 Florida Grapefruit League Season.
2013 Florida Grapefruit League Final Standings
| TEAM | W | L | PCT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Orioles | 19 | 9 | .679 |
| Detroit Tigers | 19 | 14 | .576 |
| Atlanta Braves | 20 | 15 | .571 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 16 | 15 | .516 |
| Minnesota Twins | 17 | 16 | .515 |
| Boston Red Sox | 17 | 17 | .500 |
| New York Mets | 15 | 15 | .500 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 16 | 17 | .485 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 17 | 17 | .485 |
| Houston Astros | 15 | 16 | .484 |
| Tampa Bay Rays | 15 | 17 | .469 |
| Miami Marlins | 13 | 16 | .448 |
| New York Yankees | 14 | 18 | .438 |
| Washington Nationals | 14 | 18 | .438 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 13 | 18 | .419 |
2013 Florida Grapefruit League Statistical Leaders:
Batting Average: .478, Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals, (32 hits in 67 at bats); .438, Shane Robinson, St. Louis Cardinals (28 hits in 64 at bats); .419, Jackie Bradley, Jr., Boston Red Sox (26 hits in 62 at bats)
Home Runs: 7, Domonic Brown, Ryan Howard, Philadelphia Phillies; Freddie Freeman, Atlanta Braves; Steve Pearce, Baltimore Orioles
RBI: 19, Justin Upton, Atlanta Braves; 18, Prince Fielder, Detroit Tigers; Aaron Hicks, Minnesota Twins; Steve Pearce, Baltimore Orioles
Wins: 5, Josh Johnson, Toronto Blue Jays; 4, Paul Maholm, Atlanta Braves; Rick Porcello, Detroit Tigers; Drew Smyly, Detroit Tigers; Adam Wainwright, St. Louis Cardinals
Strikeouts: 35, Julio Teheran, Atlanta Braves; 33, Matt Harvey, New York Mets; 31, Stephen Strasburg, Washington Nationals
ERA: 0.75, Jon Lester, Boston Red Sox (24.0 IP); 0.79, Clay Buchholz, Boston Red Sox (22.2 IP); 1.04, Julio Teheran, Atlanta Braves (26.0 IP)
Click the Team links for more information.
Baseball and Florida in March are a Perfect Pair!