What Could Save Baseball in 2020?

First, let’s do a temperature check on where we’re at after a week of games.  There was excitement as the Nationals and Yankees prepared to open the season.  Optimism that they’d be able to pull it off.   Then, a few hours before first pitch, word breaks that Juan Soto has tested positive for COVID-19.  Optimism turned to concern, for Soto, and for the viability of a baseball season during a pandemic. 

Still, opening night went off without a hitch for the most part.  We had some players wearing masks, air high-fives, a handful of players out in the stands, piped in crowd noises and cardboard cut-outs of fans behind home plate.  Different, but for now, the new normal and it worked.

On Friday the rest of baseball got underway and we were off and running.  At least, until MLB tripped up just a few days later after reports of a few Miami Marlins players testing positive for COVID.  What started as a few, turned into half of the team within 24 hours and the Marlins were shut down until they could get the situation under control.  Now, when one team goes down, there is a domino effect.  Of course the team the Marlins were just playing needs to get tested and have their games postponed.  The teams that those teams were supposed to play can’t get in there and before you know it, one team impacts at least 3 others.  In this case, the Phillies, Yankees and Blue Jays. 

What could doom this season is multiple outbreaks at the same time and worry came down this weekend when 2 Cardinals players tested positive.  Could the Cardinals be the next team to have an outbreak?  It appears that it is confined to 3 players, but you still have to test the team they were just playing, the Twins, and while awaiting test results the Cardinals can’t play the scheduled series vs the Brewers.  As long it stays confined they can get back at it early next week.

But all of this then brings into question the legitimacy of the season.  If all teams can’t play 60 games, if teams can’t field a competitive squad, or an outbreaks causes the league to pause for 2 or so weeks and 60 games turns into 45 then what?  We already have some unusual rules in play – runners starting on 2nd base if the game goes into extras, 7 inning games for doubleheaders, 16 teams making the playoffs – which essentially means all teams that can be .500 by the end of the year will get in. 

Ultimately this season could be remembered for just being a huge mess.  Whoever wins the title will be looked at more like the winner of the NCAA Tournament than the winner of the World Series.  Awards like MVP, Cy Young, ROTY could be questioned as well.

What could turn all of that around is what actually happens on the field, so let’s take a look at that…

As of publication the American league looks about right – The Yankees, Twins and Astros all lead their divisions.  Tampa and Cleveland are next in line, and you’ve got the Orioles at 3-3, Mariners at 4-4 and Tigers at 5-3.  In the national league the Braves pace the east at 5-3, Cubs lead the Central with 5-2 and the Padres hold the lead in the west at 6-2.  Getting off to a quick start is imperative this season.  If the Mariners, Tigers, Padres and 4-2 Rockies can play .500 ball the rest of the way they’ll be in the playoffs and have a shot.  That’s great for them, but not great for baseball.  Nothing would add taint to the season like a Tigers and Padres World Series…sorry Detroit and San Diego fans.  Baseball needs the Yankees or the Dodgers in the World Series this year in the worst way.  The one thing that would save the legitimacy of the season would be for a runaway Yankee or Dodger team to go something like 50-10 or 45-15 and win the World Series.  Fans and talking heads could agree that they were the undisputed best team and would have been the best bet to win in a 162 game season. 

We’ve seen some players get out to some scorching hot starts; Seattle Rookie Kyle Lewis has an OBP of .500 and is 15/33 with 2 homers and 8 RBI through the first week.  Dansby Swanson down in Atlanta is tied for the major league lead in RBI with 11 and his hitting .387.  At 40, Nelson Cruz is enjoying a fantastic start to the season with 3 home runs and 11 RBI.  Tommy Pham already has 5 steals.  3 players already have 4 home runs, I could give you 100 guesses and you probably wouldn’t be able to name 1 of them, Teoscar Hernandez from the Blue Jays, Colin Moran from Pittsburgh and Christian Vazquez with Boston.  In fact, Ronald Acuna, Cody Bellinger, Nolan Arenado and JD Martinez still haven’t hit their first yet.  On opening day, Kyle Hendricks threw a complete game shut out, which could be the only one we’ll see all year with how most pitchers are being handled.  Gerrit Cole has won both of his starts as he begins his Yankee career and Shane Bieber might just mow down everyone this year, he’s 2-0 with 27ks with 14 innings and an 0.00 ERA and 0.57 WHIP. 

We’re also going to see an incredible number of high profile rookies make their debut.  In the last week Nate Pearson, Nick Madrigal and Daulton Varshow got the call from their clubs.  Rookies will be in abundance this season, and that’s a great thing.  Ultimately what will save baseball will be the performance on the field.  This year more than ever we need a Kyle Lewis to tear up baseball, we need Shane Bieber to go 12-0 and strike out over 100 batters, we need no-hitters and perfect games, we need 4 homer, 5 homer and 6 homer weeks by players.  With all of the craziness and all of the distractions, there will be players who are laser focused and capitalize.  That is what baseball needs, that is what could save the season.  

Buster Posey, who eventually opted out of the 2020 season, wears a mask during Spring Training 2.0.

The 2020 MLB Season - Every Game is a Gift...

It didn’t seem likely that we would get a 2020 season…but here we are. It’s July 31st, 2020 and the San Francisco Giants are playing a baseball game against the Texas Rangers at Oracle Park in San Francisco, California. However, I consider this game - and every game during the 2020 Major League Baseball season - a gift and possibly the last of the season.

With the way the virus has already spread this season throughout the league within the first few days of the season, it would feel like nothing less than a miracle to actually get through a 60-game season and witness any type of playoff baseball in 2020. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred basically agrees and, per ESPN, told MLB Players Association executive director Tony Clark on Friday that if the sport doesn't do a better job of managing the coronavirus, it could shut down for the season.

This near-nightmare (Manfred insists it’s not a nightmare scenario yet… well, in that case, it’s a pretty terrible dream) began with the Miami Marlins, who, despite at least four positive tests within the organization, went forward with their game on Sunday against the Phillies. Since then, at least 16 more Marlins have tested positive as well as multiple members of the Phillies. Neither team has been able to get a game in since. Meanwhile, the St. Louis Cardinals announced this morning that two of their players also tested positive and the game between the Cards and Brewers would be postponed.

Because players, coaches and managers have been caught multiple times on camera violating all the basic coronavirus-related rules such as spitting on the field, it stands to reason their behavior is even worse behind the scenes. There are rumors that the Marlins decided to have a night out in Atlanta, which led to the original outbreak.

It is possible that if every player, coach, manager and employee took the coronavirus threat seriously and did everything they could to social distance and stay away from this virus, no games would have to be postponed. This may be a dream scenario, however. And even if over 1,000 people suddenly became this disciplined, what about the players families? Players do go home during home stands and could easily pick up the virus from their loved ones.

At the end of the day, the season is looking more fragile than ever. Just like the expression that every day is a gift - every GAME is a gift in 2020. Don’t take them for granted.. the last one could be any day.

MLB Owners Shoot Down MLBPA Proposal and REFUSE to Send Counter-Offer!

In a move that surprised no one, the MLB Owners denied the 114 game proposal sent by the players that included pro-rated salaries. What may be a bit surprising is that the owners also said that they will not send a counter-offer! This is certainly bad news, and another indicator that a 2020 MLB Season is becoming more and more unlikely.

Rumors have indicated that the owners would prefer a much shorter season that will end around late September as to avoid any possible “second wave” of the coronavirus. This seems logical but may require a season as short as 50 games. In my opinion, there are actually some pros to such a short season (as a one time thing!):

• Every team, including the Marlins, Giants, Mariners and Orioles, has a chance to get hot for a few weeks and make the playoffs

• The season will hit the ground running and every game will be huge

• There will be a higher probability of finishing the season without any player or MLB employee getting infected, causing an early shutdown

• If there is a second wave of the coronavirus, it may be avoided

These are advantages for the owners and fans, but do the players care? They would not get paid more for less games, and may not care about the possibility of sneaking into the playoffs as an underdog. Most MLB players are confident and don’t go around thinking that their team has "no chance”… so, perhaps there is little about a shorter season that would appeal to them. This is evidenced by their 114 game proposal — they want to play as many games as possible.

All in all, things do not look good for baseball in 2020…. and keep in mind, even if these two sides do come to an agreement, there are several other hoops to jump through in order to get a season going. I hope I’m wrong, but I believe it will be a long time before we see some meaningful baseball.

Prediction: There Won't Be a 2020 MLB Season

It’s time to admit the truth: there likely will not be an MLB Season in 2020. There are just too many obstacles in the way, including the ongoing dispute between the Major League Baseball Player’s Association and the MLB Owners. This is just one hurdle, however. Even if they are to come to an agreement (which is not a guarantee — see 1994), there are also so many other factors including, but not limited to…

• Making sure all the players, coaches, umpires, and every employee involved are able to get constant testing throughout the season.

• Finding places to play when there are still many cities and states that have strict laws on public gatherings (even without fans it would still be a fairly large public gathering)

• Dealing with the public scrutiny of using up resources needed for others in order to play a game

• Finding a way to play a semi-normal baseball game while trying to comply with social distancing laws

These are just some of the many obstacles that may stop a 2020 MLB Season from happening and in my opinion, they will be more than enough. This prediction has nothing to do with what I want to happen or what I think should happen. I want nothing more than an MLB season, even if it is a little weird. I love baseball more than anything else and cannot imagine the toll it would take not having it for an entire year or more. However, as said, there are just simply too many obstacles in the way.

As for a Minor League Season, it is all but guaranteed to be cancelled. Well, on the bright side, I guess that means the Sacramento River Cats get to be reigning Triple A Champions for another year.

New MLB Proposal Has All Teams Playing In Their Own Stadiums... But Still No Fans.

The proposals began almost immediately after Spring Training stopped. MLB owners and executives are desperate to bring back Major League Baseball into people’s homes so that some type of revenue can start being generated. However, thus far, every proposal has been met with extreme challenges that proved too much to overcome.

First, there was the Arizona plan… then the Arizona/Florida plan… then the Arizona/Texas/Florida plan… and now it’s the 3-Division plan. In this plan, there would be 3 separate divisions of ten teams each, with each team playing in their own ballpark. The plan surfaced through a report by Bob Nightengale of USA Today, who said that MLB officials are “cautiously optimistic” that the season will start in late June, and no later than July 2, playing at least 100 regular season games. This plan would not include fans and the ten teams in each division would only play among themselves.

Of course, nothing can happen until medical experts agree that it is safe and widespread testing is available. Also, even with the 10 teams in each division only traveling to teams within their own division, there will still be plenty of travel. Under the current proposed divisions, teams like the San Francisco Giants would be traveling to places like Houston and Arlington, while the Yankees would travel to Miami. To further complicate matters, the plan calls for an abbreviate Spring Training in each teams’ Spring Training Complex. This would require even more moving around for the players and personnel.

What also must be taken into account is the fact that these games would be televised. Therefore, the amount of people at each game, even without fans, would easily be in the several hundreds. Think of the cameramen, reporters, producers, coaches, extended rosters, umpires, network personnel, announcers, clubhouse assistants, trainers, etc etc… and this would be in multiple states during a pandemic. The governors of these states would have to approve the plan and MLB would have to be prepared for the backlash it might receive from the general public, who, believe it or not, are not all baseball fans. Unless the social climate improved tenfold within the next 30 days, this plan simply feels impossible.