Pitchers and catchers report in days, and construction crews are nearly finished with the $48 million renovation at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland.
- $48 million in renovations almost done at Joker Marchant Stadium
- The project manager said everything will be done on time
- Detroit Tigers first Grapefruit League home game is Feb. 24
Tim Ferris, the project manager with Bartow Malow, said everything will be done on time.
"No pressure, no pressure," he said Friday, the same day the Detroit Tigers started moving their gear in ahead of spring training.
Workers were also installing equipment in the stadium's weight room.
Fans stopped by to check out the merchandise and pick up tickets.
"Oh, unbelievable," said Peter Sherwin, describing the changes at the stadium. He's a former high school and college baseball coach.
"I saw it in 1984 and I thought it was a great stadium," he said. "Every year, it's just gotten better and better."
Georgia Scholl, a season ticket holder, said "it's pretty impressive."
"We like this scoreboard more than the one they used last year, that's for sure," Scholl said.
Scholl said he hopes the parking will be better, as well.
Bob Donahay, parks and recreation director for Lakeland, said the Tigers will have the best spring training facility in the area.
"Every area that you're going to look at was done first-class," Donahay said.
The stadium's new hydrotherapy room has $600,000 worth of equipment, including an underwater treadmill.
The renovations won't just benefits the players, either.
"Better bathroom areas, better air-conditioned spaces, shaded areas and also ADA-accessible areas," Donahay said. "We used to have one elevator, and now we have three."
The Tigers' first team workout of spring training is Feb. 14. The Tigers will play Florida Southern on Feb. 23 in an exhibition game.
The team's first home Grapefruit League game is at 1:05 p.m. Feb. 24 against the Baltimore Orioles.