Click to see Spring Training attendance totals for each team in Major League Baseball

In a sign that the economy may slowly be thawing, the average attendance for 2010 Spring Training showed a 5.6 percent increase over last year, Major League Baseball announced this week.

Spring Training games drew an average crowd of 7,596 fans in 2010, up from the average of 7,190 during 2009 Spring Training.  It marks the third highest average attendance ever during Spring Training, eclipsed only by 2008 (8,026 per game) and 1994 (7,709 per game).  Overall, 2010 Spring Training attracted 3,509,343 fans, the third highest total ever, throughout 462 dates.

(Select the image to see total attendance figures for Spring Training 2010)

With the World Baseball Classic occurring last year, Spring Training was cut short by one week in 2009. Increases, based on average attendance, allow for proper comparison between the two years.

Clubs that saw major increases included the Minnesota Twins (58 percent increase from an average of 7,209 to 11,366) due to exhibition play in the new Target Field. Other increases came by way of the Nationals who got their bump almost exclusively through interest in pitching phenom, and overall #1 draft selection, Stephen Strasburg. The Nats saw an increase of 61 percent from 4,381in 2009 to 7,059 this Spring Training. Other key gainers included the Orioles, who in their first spring in Sarasota, drew 102,219 fans, an average of 6,815 fans per game, a 39 percent increase from 2009, when the team played their final spring in Fort Lauderdale. The Angels pulled in an average of 9,793 this spring, up 43 percent from an average of 6,849 last spring.

On the decline side of the ledger, the Mets (down 43 percent) and Yankees (down 29 percent) saw decreases due to not having exhibition play in CitiField and New Yankee Stadium as they did last year. Even though the Reds opened a new spring training facility in Goodyear, AZ, the club saw a 20 percent decline in spring attendance (an average of 4,170 from 5,184 in 2009). The other key decline came by way of the Indians who saw a 21 percent decline in average attendance from 5,546 in 2009 to 4,374.

SELECT READ MORE TO SEE AVG. SPRING TRAINING ATTENDANCE FOR 2009, 2010 AND THE INCREASE OR DECLINE FOR EACH OF THE 30 TEAMS IN MLB

2010 Spring Training Average Attendance with % +/- From 2009

Source: Major League Baseball

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