I had a pretty good weekend after a few horrible days of graphing in the City. I had plan for a trip to Sacramento a few weeks ago and went up there this past weekend. I found out that Yoenis Cespedes was going to be on a rehab assignment with the Sacramento Rivercats and made it my mission to go out there and graph(wasn't my intentions when planning the trip). I decided to head to the ball park on Friday night after dinner to see if I can catch Yoenis Cespedes on his way out. It was my first time graphing at this ballpark so I took a lap around the park before figuring out where the players enter/exit. By the time I made my way to where the players exit after the game, the two graphers who had been waiting there told me I had missed Yoenis by ~3 minuets. The two of them got some balls and photos done but he declined to sign their bat. With this new information, I felt confident I would be able to get Yoenis to sign for me the following day. 
I spent Saturday exploring Sacramento with the gf. By the end of the day, she was too tired to go to the ball game but I wasn't going to let that stop me from getting this autograph. I dropped her off at the hotel and headed to the game. I decided to buy the cheapest ticket to get into the ballpark to catch batting practice and try my luck before the game. 

$10 Ticket for a lawn seat.

It wasn't that hard to get the players autograph as the ballpark setup made it extremely accessible. Even with the cheapest ticket, you're allowed to head down to the dugout to watch bating practice. As game time approached, the players make their way to the dugout from a gate/door from center field. As they are walking, people are asking for autographs and photos and the majority of them were more than happy to comply. 

Grant Green & Daric Barton signing autographs before the game

Grant Green

Dan Straily

Once the game started, I made my way around the ballpark to get a sense of what it had to offer. I ran into two of my friends from college and we decided to grab a beer and catch up while paying close attention to Yoenis as he was the designated hitter that day. I had a feeling Yoenis was going to leaving early, as he was scheduled to be reactivated from the DL the following day in the last game of the Orioles series. 

Yoenis in his first at-bat

He came up to bat three times and made his way towards the locker room in the top of the 5th inning. Once he left, I cut ties with my friends and made my way to the players exit. Once I got there, the gate was open with a security guard at the gate. The guard was nice enough to tell me no one had left and asked me whom I was waiting for. He turned out to be extremely helpful and told me to wait at the end of the driveway because this was where players who drive are obligated to stop and make a right turn onto 5th street. As I waited, two graphers came each with a picture and a jersey for Yoenis. The guard I had talked to earlier gave the 3 of us constant updates-color and type of car Yoenis was driving and when he was heading out. The wait was about 45mins that concluded with Yoenis stopping and signing for the 3 of us.

Yoenis Cespedes

I thought it was a great first experience graphing at Raley Field and made up for the week I had graphing the Diamondbacks and Orioles. I found the ballpark to be fan friendly by allowing people to stand by the dugout up until 5mins before game time regardless of ticket. Im almost certain that I will be coming back to graph top prospects and current MLB players on rehab

For those who are interested in graphing the Sacramento Rivercats at Raley Field, some pointers are:

1. You can go down to the dugout regardless of what section you are sitting in. Keep in mind that the home dugout is on the third base side and visitors is on the first base side. 
2. Players (both visiting and Rivercats) make their way to the dugout before game time by coming from a gate/door in center field. You can get their autographs by standing by the dugout and calling them as they walk pass you towards the dugout. 
3. If you miss a player before the game, you can try afterward the game when they make their exit on the corner of 5th Street and Tower Bridge Gateway. There's a driveway a few yards from the corner of 5th and Tower Bridge. At the top of this drive way is a gate that players enter and exits. If they are driving, you can wait at the bottom where they are obligated to stop to make the right turn onto 5th Street.

I'd like to thank Grant Green, Dan Straily, and Yoenis Cespedes for signing. I'd also like to thank the security guard for passing information along to the 3 of us who were waiting-your help was much appreciated! And finally my gf, who puts up with this hobby.