Braves announce spring-training reporting dates, schedule

If two weeks without baseball has you jonesing (or Dansby-ing) for some hardball, here’s a sentence you’ll be pleased to see: Braves pitchers and catchers report to spring training Feb. 14 at Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

The first workout for pitchers and catchers is Feb. 15 at the Wide World of Sports complex, and other Braves position players report Feb. 17. The first full-squad workout is Feb. 18, and the Braves open their Grapefruit League schedule Feb. 25 at home against the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Braves complete the Florida portion of spring training March 29 against the Mets at Lake Buena Vista, then play an exhibition March 31 against the Yankees at new SunTrust Park, the first scheduled game at the Cobb County ballpark that’ll be the Braves’ new home starting in 2017.

This will be the Braves’ 20th spring training at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, where they are expected to stay through 2018 before moving to new spring training site at a still-undetermined location in Florida.

There will be more time than usual spent in buses for the Braves this spring. Because with the Nationals and Astros moved to a new shared spring-training site in West Palm Beach, Fla., the only team located within an hour of the Braves is the Detroit Tigers in Lakeland, Fla.

There are seven trips involving bus rides of more than two hours each way on the Braves’ 2017 spring-training schedule.

Individual spring-training game tickets go on sale Dec. 12 at the Wide World of Sports box office and online at the Braves’ website and Ticketmaster.