Phillies Spring Training Stadium Now Known As BayCare Ballpark

CLEARWATER, FL — When the Philadelphia Phillies take the field in Clearwater for the home opener of the Grapefruit League's spring training games March 1, the stadium will look the same but the name on the sign will be different.

On Thursday, the Phillies announced an expanded role for its longtime partner, BayCare Health System, that includes giving BayCare the naming rights to the stadium.

The stadium at 601 Old Coachman Road is the spring training base of the Phillies and home of the minor league team, Clearwater Threshers. It was previously called Spectrum Stadium after Spectrum Communications purchased the naming rights in 2017.

Now the stadium will be known as BayCare Ballpark as part of a six-year agreement with a five-year renewal option. In addition, BayCare Health System will be the exclusive health care system partner for the Phillies in the Florida market.

Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Clearwater has been the spring training home of the Phillies since 1947.

The nonprofit BayCare Health System, which operates 15 Tampa Bay hospitals including Morton Plant Hospital in Clearwater, St. Anthony's Hospital in St. Petersburg, St. Joseph's hospitals and Mease hospitals, has been a partner with the Phillies for more than 17 years.

“BayCare is an important part of our community, as they have set the standard for high-quality compassionate care and health care excellence for so many individuals and families in our area,” said John Timberlake, Phillies director of Florida Operations. “We are extremely proud to welcome a leading healthcare hero as our new naming rights partner, as their commitment to helping others is second to none.”

Ed Rafalski, BayCare’s chief strategy and marketing officer, said the community-owned health care system is looking forward to using its affiliation with the Phillies to raise public awareness about healthy lifestyles.

“If we have learned anything in the past year, it’s how important it is for everyone in the community to work together for better health,” said Rafalski. “We see our partnership with the Phillies organization and the Clearwater Threshers as a way to reach deep into the community and share information that could impact individuals’ health but also improve our community’s collective health.”

BayCare Ballpark is the Phillies' third Clearwater spring-training home. The team moved to Clearwater in 1947 and played at the Clearwater Athletic Field from 1947 until 1954 when the city opened its new Jack Russell Stadium in 1955.

After outgrowing Jack Russell Stadium, the current stadium, originally called the

With the stadium aging, the Phillies and the city built the current stadium with an 8,500-seat capacity in 2004.

The Phillies' first home game in the newly renamed is Monday, March 1 at 1:05 p.m. against the Baltimore Orioles. To see the team's spring training game schedule, click here.

Click here for game tickets.