Every February, all 30 Major League Baseball teams head down south to Florida and Arizona and play around 30 exhibition games in hopes to learn their lineup and future stars. 

But recently, we have noticed a ton of injuries, including the New York Yankees’ best pitcher, Gerrit Cole. He will undergo Tommy John surgery on his elbow and will miss the entire season.

“It’s one of the most important parts of the season,” said sophomore Cam Jones. “Spring training isn’t the reason players are getting injured. It’s bound to happen when you are throwing 95 [mph] a hundred times. If anything, it helps prevent injuries when guys are only going 1-2 innings in spring training.”

Although it’s important for guys to get loose, some take advantage by not signing and holding out until they get the deal they want. One example is left-handed pitcher

Jordan Montgomery, who missed all of spring training last year which resulted in a 2024 slump season. 

Nonnewaug assistant baseball coach and history teacher Kyle Brennan shares how the business aspect plays a part in baseball.

“Professional athletes are businesspeople,” Brennan said, “and they ultimately have to do what they believe is best for their business. There is no doubt holding out makes you less prepared. There’s no way that you can replicate training on your own, and that’s a risk that these guys take. It might end up an injury, it might end up lowering performance, or, in some cases, they end up on the team that they wanna be on.” 

Like in the majors, high schools around the country practice baseball together to get ready for a season. The Nonnewaug baseball team started conditioning March 15 to prepare for opening day April 5.

Sophomore pitcher Jackson Demers says spring training is crucial for team chemistry and conditioning.

“I think it’s really important,” Demers said, “especially with the younger classmen joining and building bonds and coming together as a team. This is the time where we can really improve and get ready for the season.”