PRO BASEBALL
Former Lobo Wolff isn’t loving life in alternate site — but he’ll take it He’d rather be playing minor league ball, only there isn’t any right now
Alternate site has become a familiar baseball term during this bizarre summer of COVID-19.
Alternate universe might be equally fitting.
Reserve players hoping to get a shot at the major leagues this summer are having to adjust to an odd daily routine, even by pandemic standards. Stay ready and stay healthy are the prime directives, but the fun and excitement normally associated with professional baseball are largely absent.
With the 2020 minor league season having been canceled, major league teams are keeping roughly 30 extra players active this summer in case their services are required. They work out daily at various facilities — minor league ballparks, etc. — known as alternate sites and spend the rest of their time quarantined in nearby hotels.
Former University of New Mexico pitcher Sam Wolff has spent the last five weeks at the San Francisco Giants’ alternate site in Sacramento, California. He described the experience with a movie reference.
“It’s like ‘Groundhog Day,’” Wolff said. “You keep living the same day over and over. Just wake up and do it all again.”
Wolff is not complaining. Far from it. The 29-year-old right-hander knows he’s part of an unusually small fraternity of players who have remained active during the coronavirus pandemic.
Still, unlike baseball players on active rosters or their NBA, NHL or MLS counterparts, alternate-site occupants have no games on their schedules. Wolff was quick to acknowledge that playing minor league baseball beats this alternate existence.
“Definitely,” he said. “Playing actual games with crowds is a lot more fun. We have to follow pretty tight protocols here and we all understand the situation, but it does get pretty boring.”
Wolff estimated alternate-site players spend about 80% of their time at the team hotel. They are fed lunch upon arrival at the ballpark and provided with takeout dinners when they leave.
The Colorado Rockies announced in June that Albuquerque and Isotopes Park would be used as an alternate site, but those plans changed when New Mexico imposed a COVID-related, 14-day quarantine on anyone entering or re-entering the state. The Rockies instead set up an alternate site in Denver.
Isotopes general manager John Traub said he was looking forward to hosting a training site, even though he was not anticipating spending much time around the players.
“The way I understood it, the (Rockies) organization wanted to keep the circle of contact for those players very, very low,” Traub said. “I could’ve gone two months without really seeing those guys except through my office window. As far as them having contact with fans or the media, the answer was going to be no.”
From a baseball perspective, Wolff believes the alternate sites provide good preparation. Players work out in small groups and get together for shortened intrasquad games several times a week.
“The idea is to keep guys fresh, especially pitchers,” Wolff said. “I’m feeling really good, had some strong outings lately. The training’s been good.”
Off hours, on the other hand, tend to drag. Wolff talks with his wife and parents frequently by phone and spends more time than he’d like watching television.
“We do get to watch most of the Giants’ games,” he said. “That’s cool because you normally can’t do it during a minor league season. I feel like I know the big-league team pretty well.
“Other than that, it’s a lot of watching Netflix or whatever,” Wolff added. “It’s such a unique season, only two months long, so we can definitely make it work. It just feels weird to spend so much time hunkered down during baseball season. No one’s used to this.”