Does Spring Training Mean ANYTHING?

When spring training first starts it is extremely exciting as the fans can finally welcome baseball back into their lives. Somewhere around three or four weeks later, at least for me anyway, I grow anxious and impatiently wait for the games to count and mean something. Spring training was designed to get your work in as a player, build arm strength, stamina and get into playing shape for the grind that is a 162 game season. Does spring training really need to last almost two months? Also do the games even really mean anything?

I don't like to speak about a lot of things before my time because anyone can simply do a Google search and become an "expert." Instead I will focus on every season of baseball that I have watched in my lifetime starting with the 1994 season and ending with the 2015 season. I believe this is a large enough sample size to truly determine whether spring training games mean anything other than getting out healthy and alive.

* denotes playoff berth
** denotes American League East title
*** denotes World Series victory

1994 ST: 12-15
1994 RS: 70-43 (World Series cancelled)

1995 ST: 4-8
1995 RS: 79-65 *

1996 ST: 16-15
1996 RS: 92-70 ** - ***

1997 ST: 20-11
1997 RS: 96-66 *

1998 ST: 15-12
1998 RS: 114-48 ** - ***

1999 ST: 14-19
1999 RS: 98-64 ** - ***

2000 ST: 13-20
2000 RS: 87-74 ** - ***

2001 ST: 9-20
2001 RS: 95-65 ** (lost in World Series)

2002 ST: 20-14
2002 RS: 103-58 **

2003 ST: 16-13
2003 RS: 101-61 ** (lost in World Series)

2004 ST: 13-9
2004 RS: 101-61** (one win away from World Series, thanks A Rod)

2005 ST: 14-15
2005 RS: 95-67 **

2006 ST: 15-16
2006 RS: 97-65 **

2007 ST: 14-13
2007 RS: 94-68 *

2008 ST: 14-12
2008 RS: 89-73

2009 ST: 24-10
2009 RS: 103-59 ** - ***

2010 ST: 13-15
2010 RS: 95-67 *

2011 ST: 13-15
2011 RS: 97-65 **

2012 ST: 18-12
2012 RS: 95-67 ** (one Derek Jeter broken ankle from World Series)

2013 ST: 14-18
2013 RS: 85-77

2014 ST: 17-12
2014 RS: 84-78

2015 ST: (record before play Friday) 13-11
2015 RS: ???

In a nutshell, no. These games mean nothing in the grand scheme of things. The earlier some people realize this, the mulch heads (hat tip to Bryan Van Dusen), the better. It's spring training, nothing more.