Phillies Open Carpenter Field, March 14, 1967

When the Phillies big league club began spring training in Clearwater in 1947, their minor league camps were scattered all over the south. 21-year-old pitcher Dallas Green got to experience that first-hand as late as 1956, his first year of spring training. In the space of seven weeks, he went from Clearwater to Plant City, FL (triple-A camp) to Bennettsville, SC (Class A camp).

Paul Owens, a scout based in Bakersfield, CA, was assigned to the Phillies Class A spring training camp in Leesburg, FL, in 1964–65 as coordinator of instruction. The rest of their minor leaguers (Class AA and AAA) were in Dade City, FL. Not an ideal arrangement.

Owens was promoted to Farm Director in Philadelphia early in the 1965 season. His first chore was reorganizing scouting and player development. He decided the organization needed a training facility in Clearwater for all the minor league players. His vision included a large clubhouse in the middle, surrounded by four fields. Once he convinced owner Bob Carpenter, the Phillies and City of Clearwater negotiated an agreement to have a new facility built, sandwiched between Old Coachman Road and Route 19.

The new facility was financed by a no-interest $250,000 loan from the Phillies to the City of Clearwater which repaid the amount over the years. While the Phillies were the primary tenant, the City also used the fields for various baseball programs.

During the dedication ceremonies on March 5, 1967, Clearwater Mayor Joe Turner announced the new facility would be known as Carpenter Field, in honor of the family that owned the Phillies since 1943. The new facility officially opened nine days later.

The one-story clubhouse structure included roof-top observation areas behind home plate of each field. Owens, scouts and instructors would watch games from this position. The four fields were eventually named in honor of the first four Hall of Famers to have their uniform numbers retired, Robin Roberts, Richie Ashburn, Steve Carlton and Mike Schmidt.

At some point the facilities’ name was changed from Carpenter Field to Carpenter Complex.

Consistent instruction was now possible as all players, managers, coaches and athletic trainers were in the same location and following the same daily schedule.

Owens started a fall Instructional League program for minor leaguers. In 1984, the Phillies placed a team in the Gulf Coast League, a short-season league for young prospects not advanced enough for higher classifications. Games were played at the Complex.

Training facilities at Jack Russell Stadium were limited so the big-league club, for many years, held daily spring training workouts at the Complex until the Grapefruit League games began. With the availability of four fields, multiple pitching mounds and batting cages, more work could get done in less time.

During the 1987–1988 off-season, the City of Clearwater renovated the Complex along with Jack Russell Stadium in exchange for the Phillies’ commitment to an additional eight years in Clearwater. Improvements included the addition of four covered batting tunnels, new lockers, and new fencing for all four fields.

Then, during the summer of 2009, the clubhouse was gutted and reconstructed with new offices, new locker rooms, a larger training room, and an elevated observation walkway that allows coaches and scouts to walk around to any of the four fields. The improvements were done in time for spring training in 2010.

The clubhouse was named the Paul Owens Training Facility at Carpenter Complex in honor of Owens’ legacy of service to the Phillies organization. His bronze bust, located on the west side of the clubhouse, was unveiled on February 22, 2012.

The crowning gem at the Complex came in January 2013 with the completion of a $4 million, 20,700-square foot structure, the first indoor climate-controlled training center at a major league spring training site. Used year-round for training, workouts and rehabilitation, the facility houses a weight room (7,200 square feet) and six indoor batting cages and pitching mounds (13,500 square feet).

Five years later the facility was named the David P. Montgomery Baseball Performance Center in honor of the club’s long-time executive, including president and chairman.

Photo Gem

Phillies infield of the future was part of the 1969 FIL program. Don Money (3B), Larry Bowa (SS), Denny Doyle (2B) nd Greg Luzinski (1B).