Even though baseball spring training is still a month away, and the Major League and minor league seasons don’t begin for a couple months, this is a great time of year for baseball fans.

It’s banquet and caravan season. This is the time of year current and former Major League players have the time in their schedules to make the rounds to FanFests and fund raisers.

Here’s a list of upcoming events you may be interested in, to see some of your favorite players and get some autographs.

Cardinals In Springfield/Joplin

The St. Louis Cardinals Caravan will make a stop in Springfield and Joplin, Missouri, this weekend. Members of the Cardinals organization scheduled to appear are; Broadcaster/Former player: Ricky Horton, Current Players: Jordan Hicks, Giovanny Gallegos, Lane Thomas, Junior Fernandez, and Alumni: Tom Pagnozzi and Al Hrabosky. The schedule is as follows; Friday, January 17, Hammons Field, Springfield, 12:30 p.m., JQH Arena, Springfield, 7:15 p.m. For information call, 417-863-0395. Saturday, January 18, Young Gymnasium (MSSU), Joplin, 12:00 p.m. For information call, 417-625-9777. [Springfield evening program is autographs only – requires ticket to Bass Pro Tournament of Champions event.]

Royals FanFest

The Kansas City Royals will be hosting their FanFest on Friday, January 24, 2–9 p.m., and Saturday, January 25, 11 a.m. – 7 p.m., at the Kansas City Convention Center. The event will feature autograph sessions with current and former Royals, interactive games for fans of all ages, main stage programming and more.

Tickets are $12 for adults and $5 for youth, children 5-under – free. For information go to; www.mlb.com/royals/fans/fanfest.

Rick Monday In Claremore

Two-time Major League All-Star Rick Monday will be the keynote speaker at the 15th annual Claremore Field of Dreams Baseball Banquet, January 27, 6 p.m. at the Claremore Conference Center, 1400 Country Club Road.

Monday, was the first player taken in the first ever Major League Baseball draft in 1965. That year, he had been named College Baseball Play of the Year, and won the College Baseball World Series with Arizona State. Monday went on to play 19 seasons in MLB, with the Kansas City Athletics, Oakland Athletics, Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers. He is currently an Emmy Award-winning broadcaster with the Dodgers.

Tickets for the event start at $90 for a single ticket, but groups can also purchase tables at a discount. All proceeds go to support the baseball programs at Claremore High School, Rogers State University and the summer baseball program. For information and to purchase tickets, contact Ryan Neely at 918-341-0622.

ORU Diamond Dinner

The Oral Roberts University baseball team will host its annual Diamond Dinner Friday, January 31, 6 p.m., at the Glenpool Convention Center with featured speaker Jeremy Hefner.

Hefner, a 2007 First Team Mid-Continent All-Conference selection, was a fifth-round selection by the San Diego Padres in the 2007 MLB Draft. Recently, Hefner was named New York Mets new pitching coach for the 2020 season. He will be joined by special guest and 2020 ORU Hall of Fame inductee, Jose Trevino. As a Golden Eagle, 2012-14, Trevino was a three-time all-conference performer. He was selected in the sixth round of the 2014 MLB Draft by the Texas Rangers and has played two seasons in the majors with the Rangers.

There will be a silent auction. Some items up for bid include a Bo Jackson autographed item, a Houston Astros ticket package and the use of a suite at a Tulsa Drillers game.

Tickets and table prices are as follows: Individual Tickets $60, Seating for six with two current ORU players $500, Seating for eight with two current ORU players and VIP room access $1,000. For tickets or more information call Bobby Baehr at 918-495-6668. All proceeds benefit the Oral Roberts University baseball program.

The Texas Rangers Caravan will not come within a four-hour drive of Tulsa, but for information you can go to the Rangers web site.

The Tulsa Drillers and Oklahoma City Dodgers will schedule their FanFests in March, closer to the opening of their season.