Mike McCann's Field of Fotos

  ...you share it with Matt Stairs , the Phillies reliable pinch hitter on their 2008 World Champions.  His standout moment was a pinch homer off the Dodgers' Jonathan Broxton in game four of the NLCS.   Yet Philadelphia was just one stop on his 20 year big league career, where he set the record as the most traveled position player of all time -- playing for 12 franchises in 13 cities (he was both an Expo and a National) and also suited up for Canada's other club, the Blue Jays. Stairs renewed his Phillies links in mid 2010s as one of their TV analysts, before getting back into uniform as the club's hitting coach.  I snapped the second image of him sitting just outside the dugout during a March 2017 exhibition game against the Braves.   And if you really enjoy baseball rarities: Stairs is one of four natives of Canada to play for both his country's MLB franchises.  The others are Denis Boucher, Rob Ducey and Shawn Hill.

With exhibition games underway across Florida and Arizona, it's time to tap my Wayback button.  We're in Jupiter, Florida ten years ago this spring to catch the Cardinals hosting the Mets.  Teams that now hold their camps about 45 minutes apart on the Atlantic Coast after spending a quarter century sharing facilities in St. Petersburg. (Below:) Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright gets ready for his start, with plenty of teammates looking on. Steven Matz , under the watchful eye of pitching coach Phil Regan, will work the first few innings for the Mets.  Matz had debuted for New York during the final weeks of the 2015 season, posting a 4-0 mark as the Mets won their first pennant in 15 years. (Below:)  Outfielder Michael Conforto  also impressed as a 2015 rookie -- capped by hitting .333 in the World Series, with a pair of home runs against the eventual champion Royals. Tommy Pham takes his lead off 3rd base. (Below:)  The Cardinals proudly honoring their 11 prev...

  ...you share it with future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander .  266 victories over 20 seasons, more than 3500 strikeouts, three Cy Young Awards and the 2011 AL MLP to his credit, the legendary pitcher comes full circle this summer, returning to the Tigers at age 43.  The goal, getting his original team back to the fall classic. He's been a bulldog over the years, leading the American League four times in innings pitched and five times in strikeouts.  Plus, he's been positive clubhouse presence -- who's appeared in nine League Championship Series and five World Series (earning rings with the 2017 and 2022 Astros).  While no player is a "given," especially at his age, Verlander's return to Detroit will likely make the 2026 AL Central race even more interesting. 

With camps now open across Florida and Arizona, several familiar faces have landed deals that will likely lead to jobs this season.  Among them are a pair of former Yankees: Gary Sanchez (above), the two-time All Star and runner up for 2016's American League Rookie of the Year, returns to Milwaukee for 2026, where he'll back up William Contreras and likely get some starts at DH. Mike Tauchman (below), after splitting the last three years between both Chicago teams, will try and join the 160 or so players who've suited up for both New York clubs.  He accepted a minor league contract with a big league camp invite with the Mets. Nick Castellanos , following an happy end to his Phillies tenure, hopes for a turnaround in San Diego, which hopes his right handed power will be a boost at 1st base and DH. Marcell Ozuna , whose big league career began in Miami, before a couple of Cardinal seasons and the past six years in Atlanta, will now call PNC Park home after signing on in wit...

...you share it with Nate Eovaldi .  The Dodger farm system product has produced when he's healthy:  his 102 big league wins include a 14-3 season with the 2015 Yankees, 11-9 with the 2021 wild card Red Sox and 12-5 with the 2023 World Champion Rangers.  At age 36, he'll join fellow greybeard Jacob deGrom at the top of the Texas rotation this summer. I first saw Eovaldi in spring training with the 2013 Marlins.  Now, if you judge by WAR, he's the post productive pitcher ever born on this date. Gilberto Celestino spent a year and change (2021-'22) in the Twins outfield, but didn't hit enough to remain a regular.  The Dominican native has spent the past three years bouncing around the minors, including 2025 with the Mets Syracuse farm club.  After being overlooked despite hitting .272 for the Triple A Mets, he's moved on to Tijuana of the Mexican League for 2026.  

  ...you share it with the Bambino, the Sultan of Swat, the larger than life figure who remains as revered a player and character as when he played in the majors a century ago. George Herman Ruth , the Babe, the gold standard of sluggers... and had the Red Sox not decided his talents better suited an everyday player, he might be the most revered pitcher ever. Born into humble surroundings, to be kind; the product of a blue collar Baltimore family unable to properly raise him and who placed him in a reform school/orphanage.  Ironically, home was just a few blocks from where the city's terrific ballpark Camden Yards now stands.  Do yourself a favor, take a tour of the Babe's boyhood home next time you visit the city.  You know the numbers -- 60 homers in '27, 714 lifetime, 12-time American League home run champ.  But did you realize what a good all-around hitter he was? A lifetime .342 batter, the Babe never struck out more than 93 times in a season and led the le...