A small percentage of dedicated fans make their way down to the warm weather of Florida or Arizona each spring to watch Spring Training, a ritual almost as old as professional baseball. They come to watch the big leaguers, to catch the first glimpse of the big deals during the off season: The high dollar vets, and the minor leaguers about to cross over to the those scarce new spots in the lineups that play in the Show. Few fans, and surprisingly even a few major league journalists know much about the other 100 to 165 players who report to camp.
Major League Camp
The forty-man roster in Spring includes all of the major leaguers, the cream of the crop of the minor leaguers from the club's farm system, and best invitees to camp.
Beyond the 40 man roster is the "Non-Roster Invitee" list. Who gets "invited"? Invitees range from other minor league players with promise from the farm system to major league players cut by other clubs to players from Indy baseball and foreign leagues. There isn't a set number of players on the list, but it usually adds a third to fifth deep player to the position spots, and another half-dozen to dozen pitchers.
The players on these two lists report to camp, starting with the pitchers and catchers in early February, and the position players following in the latter part of the month. They will work out on the "major league" side of camp. These are the players under the most intense scrutiny, who have the best shot of keeping, or taking away, a major league roster spot.
Minor leaguers from all classes of the farm system can get the call to the major league side of camp. They probably will move up, in the case of a Class A or Class AA player, at least one level if they have a good Spring.
Winter Camp
The rest of the players in the developmental system report to Winter Camp, which usually starts around March 8th.
Depending upon the club, and how hard they want to work their farm system, players will actually show up as early as January to get in extra work with instructors.
Winter camp is the more invisible side of Spring Training to most fans. The Dodgers are one of a shrinking handful of teams that have their practice fields open to fans to watch minor leaguers work out.
The Red Sox have their minor league facility down the street from the major league area. Some clubs, like the Orioles, have their minor camp in a different city. You'd have an easier time accessing the FBI's Washington D.C. fortress than you would of getting to watch minor players from the Marlins and the Cardinals, to name a few, work out.
Minor leaguers have their own facilities: Locker rooms, weight rooms, and showers. Some have different batting cages and practice fields. Where the major and minor league shares facilities, the major leaguers get the cooler morning hours outdoors, and let the bushers sweat out the afternoons.
