Be a star player during FanFest
MLB ALL-STAR GAME, TUESDAY, 7:30 P.M., WOFL-35
MIAMI BEACH – The best players in baseball will be on center stage at Marlins Park during All-Star Week.
That’s the big show. For those who want to experience the game first-hand and brag about it later, FanFest offers a giant indoor playground for fans to pick up tips and show their skills during the next five days at what Major League Baseball calls the world’s largest interactive baseball theme park.
“If you’re a fan or you have any interest in baseball whatsoever, this is the place you need to be,” former Marlin Jeff Conine said Thursday during a preview tour of the sprawling expanse of exhibits and interactive baseball activities at Miami Beach Convention Center.
Conine and Hall of Famer Tony Perez were diving right into their duties as All-Star ambassadors, working with a group of kids from the Boys and Girls Club in the batting cages of the Home Run Derby exhibit where pitching machines lob meatball offerings over the plate and the object is to belt them over an outfield wall a la Giancarlo Stanton.
There are also opportunities to show off your fastball in the fast-pitch exhibit, field popups and grounders and to compete against major-league baserunners (projected on the screen) in the Steal a Base challenge.
“I’ve seen dads with strollers tearing down there [on the base path],” said Jacqueline SeciaraCotto, director of special events for MLB.
FanFest was both a multiring circus and a construction site as crews hustled to complete the setup of the massive exhibition hall in time for this morning’s opening. After the 8:30 a.m. ribbon cutting, FanFest runs from 9 a.m.-8 p.m. each day except Tuesday, when it closes at 6 prior to the All-Star Game.
While there were plenty of details to finish in the final push, the interactive exhibits were up and running and being tested by some young would-be stars.
“That’s what I like the most, the interactive stuff,” Conine said. “We were over there with the Boys and Girls Club, and they get to actually get in there and take swings and field ground balls and throw pitches. And to get instruction by some of the guys who are going to be here, I think that’s probably the coolest thing, for kids any way.”
The coolest interactive challenge, for kids of various ages, is the Virtual Reality Derby, debuting this year. Put on the VR headset and the virtual slugger has the view of the inside of Marlins Park. Then step to the plate with virtual bat in hand and see how many homers you can hit in 90 seconds.
The results are visible to the hitter and to those watching the TV monitor, with balls soaring over the fence highlighted with Statcast distances.
Tickets to FanFest range from $15-$35, depending on age group. Children under 2 get in free.
Seciara-Cotto said MLB research shows that the average visit to FanFest lasts about 3½ hours. There is no additional charge for any of the activities once inside. Those using the FanFest Experience Pass can accumulate points by scanning the QR code at about 30 stations around the hall for prizes, including a chance to win tickets to the All-Star Game or Home Run Derby.
Along with the tests of skill, FanFest offers plenty to look at and learn.