“At the peak, we had 1,200 workers a day, many staying until 11pm.  Construction exceeded a 2-million man-hour mark.”

Workers broke ground in November 2009.

Fast-forward 15 months, and Salt River Fields is gracing the reservation right off the 101 at Indian Bend.

“We probably have the finest baseball complex in all of Spring Training right here in the Salt River community; right here in Scottsdale.”

Since the Diamondbacks’ inception, they trained in Tucson, but now our sluggers are in Scottsdale.

Dunne says the stadium is made up of 11,000 seats; 7,000 in the bowl, and 4,000 on the lawn; the largest lawn in any spring training complex.

Fans will easily embrace the intimate environment, Dunne describes as awesome and rare. You can literally walk up a ramp and look right into the batting cages; plus, you can get as close to the bull-pen as you can possibly be.

“I talk to the players all the time and everyone is just blown away by it.”

Our new stadium is bound to attract crowds, giving our local economy a much-needed boost.

During the off-season, expect Salt River Fields to house concerts, festivals, and other events; however during the month of March, it’s all about America’s favorite pastime.

While many of us will fill up feasting our eyes on those all-star-players, others will head to the snack-shack.

If you’re like me, a game’s not complete without a hot-dog and cold beer, but if you prefer something a little more snazzy, you can dine on Salty Senorita, Native New Yorker, or Crust Pizzeria.

“Every day I come here and I just can’t believe how beautiful it is.”

It’s a beautiful way to kick-off the D-Back’s season, as baseball-lovers savor the new Salt River Fields.

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