Lauren Gilger/KJZZ

Spring training at Scottsdale Stadium in 2023.

After three years of COVID-19 and labor disruptions, Major League Baseball completed its first full spring training since 2019.

More than 1.6 million fans attended games in Arizona this year, but it wasn’t a full return to normal. That was 8% less than attendance in 2019.

Cactus League director Bridget Binsbacher says the weather was partly to blame.

"We had unseasonably cold, wet weather for most of the season, and I think we recorded seven rainouts. That could, would, in fact affected our attendance significantly," Binsbacher said. 

But the Chicago Cubs do not have fair-weather fans. Despite the gray skies, the Cubs once again led the Cactus League in attendance, averaging more than 13,000 per game.