Never Too Early for Baseball

Texas Rangers greet fans across North Texas in 2014 Winter Caravan

With the Dallas Cowboys once again living down to expectations and the Dallas Mavericks and Stars thus far failing to set the world on fire, it's never too early to get excited about baseball season. The Texas Rangers will attempt to get fans revved up with their annual Winter Caravan, starting Saturday, January 11.

Each caravan stop will feature at least two players, coaches or broadcasters, all of whom will be available for a limited number of autographs. The caravan is sponsored by Academy Sports + Outdoors, which means that following a kick-off event on January 11, all of the sessions will be at Academy locations in Texas and Oklahoma.

The following is a tentative schedule of events, with the usual caveat that just because a certain person is listed doesn't guarantee he'll actually be there. Visit Texasrangers.com for full details.

Saturday, January 11, 1:30-3 pm: Frisco Roughriders open house at Dr Pepper Ballpark in Frisco. Scheduled to appear: Michael Choice, Derek Holland, Tanner Scheppers and Shawn Tolleson.
Sunday, January 12, 1:30-2:30 pm: Academy Sports + Outdoors in Flower Mound. Scheduled to appear: Michael Choice and Tanner Scheppers.
Sunday, January 12, 1:30-2:30 pm: Academy Sports + Outdoors in Frisco. Scheduled to appear: Mitch Moreland and Shawn Tolleson.
Monday, January 13, 6-7 pm: Academy Sports + Outdoors in Tyler. Scheduled to appear: Michael Choice, Mitch Moreland and Matt Hicks.
Tuesday, January 14, 6:30-7:30 pm: Academy Sports + Outdoors in Fort Worth. Scheduled to appear: Mitch Moreland, Tanner Scheppers and Steve Busby.
Thursday, January 16, 4:30-5:30 pm: Academy Sports + Outdoors in Sunset Valley. Scheduled to appear: Ron Washington, J.P. Arencibia, Neal Cotts, Derek Holland and Eric Nadel.
Friday, January 17, 4:30-5:30 pm: Academy Sports + Outdoors in San Antonio. Scheduled to appear: Ron Washington, J.P. Arencibia, Neal Cotts, Derek Holland and Eric Nadel.
Saturday, January 18, 12:30-1:30 pm: Academy Sports + Outdoors in Waco. Scheduled to Appear: J.P. Arencibia, Neal Cotts and Derek Holland.
Tuesday, January 21, 4:30-5:30 pm: Academy Sports + Outdoors in Oklahoma City. Scheduled to appear: Adam Rosales, Tanner Scheppers, Tom Grieve and Mark McLemore.
Tuesday, January 21, 6:30-7:30 pm: Academy Sports + Outdoors in Grapevine. Scheduled to appear: Mike Maddux and others TBA.
Wednesday, January 22, 6:30-7:30 pm: Academy Sports + Outdoors in Mesquite. Scheduled to appear: Martin Perez, Eleno Ornelas and others TBA.
Thursday, January 23, 6:30-7:30 pm: Academy Sports + Outdoors in Arlington. Scheduled to Appear: Ron Washington and others TBA.
Sunday, January 26, 1:30-2:30 pm: Academy Sports + Outdoors in Plano. Scheduled to Appear: Matt Harrison and Robbie Ross.

Not appearing on any of those lists, at least not yet, are recent new additions Prince Fielder and Shin-Soo Choo. You can, however, already stock up on their merchandise, as both jerseys and T-shirts with their names on them are now on sale at all three official Rangers stores.

Mitch Moreland and other players, coaches and broadcasters will be signing a lot of autographs as part of the Texas Rangers Winter Caravan.

Frisco Rough Rider Mitch Moreland signing autographs

Frisco Rough Riders Facebook

Mitch Moreland and other players, coaches and broadcasters will be signing a lot of autographs as part of the Texas Rangers Winter Caravan.

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Baseball News

Texas Rangers and MLB set jam-packed schedule for All-Star week

Photo by Kelly Gavin / Courtesy of Texas Rangers

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The 2024 annual MLB All-Star Game, along with its accompanying All-Star Week festivities, were awarded to the Texas Rangers and the Cities of Arlington and Fort Worth way back in 2022.

The week has finally arrived, now with events taking place in Arlington, Fort Worth, and Dallas.

Also known as the "Midsummer Classic," the All-Star Game is an annual professional baseball game sanctioned by Major League Baseball (MLB) and contested between the all-stars from the American League (AL) and National League (NL).

The 2024 game will be played on Tuesday, July 16, at Globe Life Field in Arlington, for the first time since it opened in 2020. The last time the Rangers hosted an All-Star Game was back in 1995 game at their previous home, then known as The Ballpark in Arlington.

The schedule of events is as follows:

Friday, July 12: HBCU Swingman Classic at Globe Life Field, which highlights the history and legacy of HBCU baseball programs while also providing HBCU baseball players with the opportunity to showcase their talent on a national stage.

July 12-15: Two MLB youth tournaments, the All-Star Commissioner’s Cup and Jennie Finch Classic, both of which will be played at the Texas Rangers MLB Youth Academy in Dallas.

The All-Star Commissioner’s Cup features teams of youth baseball players (ages 17 and under) from MLB Youth Academies from around the country and in Puerto Rico.
The All-Star Jennie Finch Classic features teams of youth softball players (ages 17 and under) from MLB Youth Academies and Jennie Finch softball programming.

July 13-16: The Capital One All-Star Village, a one-of-a-kind baseball theme park that will also encompass Esports Stadium and the North Lawn, will be open at Choctaw Stadium (formerly Globe Life Field in Arlington). It will feature a variety of family-friendly activities, including current and former player appearances.

July 14: MLB Draft Opening Night will take place at Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth and will be open to the public. This is the fourth consecutive year that the MLB Draft will also take place during All-Star Week. The draft will continue on July 15 and 16.

July 15: The T-Mobile Home Run Derby will feature a variety of the best home run hitters in the league. Given his participation in the Derby in 2023, his performance in the 2023 playoffs, and this being a hometown game, don't be surprised to see Ranger right fielder Adolis García as one of the participants again.

July 16: MLB All-Star Game, at Globe Life Field in Arlington.

Event-specific ticketing and broadcast information will be announced in the coming months. For additional details, fans can go to AllStarGame.com.

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This story was updated on July 11, 2024.

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