Baseball cards have a long history in Arizona dating back to the early 1900s. Some of the earliest baseball cards produced featured players from spring training games held in Arizona as major league teams began utilizing the warm Arizona climate for pre-season practice in the late 19th century.
One of the first spring training sites established in Arizona was in Tucson in the 1890s. Teams like the Chicago White Stockings (now Cubs) and Pittsburgh Pirates would travel by train to Tucson each year to hold spring workouts. This helped spark early interest in baseball across Arizona and the production of some primitive baseball cards featuring players from these early exhibition games.
It wasn’t until the 1920s when the modern baseball card era began that Arizona started to see more cards produced focused on spring training. In 1927, the Chicago White Sox moved their spring base of operations to Catalina Island off the coast of Tucson. This helped raise the profile of baseball in southern Arizona and more regional baseball card companies began creating cards showcasing White Sox players.
Through the 1930s and 1940s, more major league teams established spring training sites across Arizona in places like Scottsdale, Mesa, Tempe and Tucson. The Cleveland Indians trained in Scottsdale starting in 1947 and the Giants set up camp in Phoenix that same year. This surge of big league exhibitions during spring meant a growing pool of players to feature on baseball cards each year by regional producers.
National card companies also began focusing sets on spring training during the post-World War II era. In 1951, Bowman Gum Co. produced a set devoted entirely to Cactus League exhibition games. Top Arizona players like Bobby Bragan who starred for the Phoenix Senators were included alongside major leaguers. Topps also started incorporating spring training photos into their annual sets in the 1950s which further spotlighted Arizona’s role in priming players for the season.
Into the 1960s and 1970s, spring training in Arizona became a permanent fixture. More teams either moved their operations entirely to the state or held split-squad games between Arizona and Florida sites. This solidified Arizona’s place in the baseball card world, as virtually every player who suited up for an MLB team could potentially be photographed during spring workouts in places like Scottsdale or Tucson.
Top regional producers like Fleer and Donruss established Arizona offices to photograph spring training action up close. Their photographers would capture one-of-a-kind action shots of stars like Willie Mays taking batting practice or Tom Seaver warming up in the bullpen. These unique images were highly coveted by collectors and highlighted Arizona’s starring role in the early months of each new baseball year.
In more modern times from the 1980s onward, Arizona has become synonymous with spring training and many teams have built permanent player development complexes and stadiums. Greats like Randy Johnson, Luis Gonzalez and Curt Schilling all made their spring training homes in the Phoenix area and were regularly featured on cards. In the 1990s, Upper Deck even produced an entire parallel set focused on “Arizona Edition” cards shot in spring camp.
Today, Cactus League spring training games remain hugely popular tourist attractions across Arizona in March each year. Over 1 million fans annually flock to watch their favorite teams in places like Scottsdale, Mesa and Peoria. This has kept the state front and center on the baseball card landscape. Modern producers like Topps, Panini, Leaf and Donruss continue spotlighting Arizona’s role in priming players and teams for Opening Day through special parallel photo variations, memorabilia cards and more.
From those early 20th century experimental cards produced in Tucson to today’s high-tech parallel inserts, Arizona has cemented its place alongside Florida as a spring training epicenter immortalized on baseball cards. The Grand Canyon State’s warm climate, array of Cactus League stadiums and devoted fan base have made it an ideal setting for priming players for each new season—a legacy now spanning well over 100 years captured through the collecting hobby of baseball cards. Arizona’s deep roots in spring training continue being recognized within the baseball card world today.
