LAKELAND, Fla. -- Fans will notice the new amenities at the newly renovated Joker Marchant Stadium when the first game is played in nine days.
But as spring training opened on Tuesday, players were already appreciating the new digs inside the guts of the stadium and in the adjacent clubhouse.
In one winter, the Tigers' clubhouse has gone from one of the smallest in the Grapefruit League to one of the biggest and best.
"This is a tremendous facility, it really is," said manager Brad Ausmus. "It's one of the best in the game now and you're filled with a little more pride when you're walking through the clubhouse and out of the clubhouse onto the field.