Area minor-leaguers’ careers merely on hold?
Imagine being hired for your dream job then getting furloughed just weeks after starting.
That’s essentially what has happened to thousands of young prospects after Minor League Baseball was canceled last week because of continued concerns about covid-19. The decision affects a handful of young players from Northwest Arkansas, including a few who, under normal circumstances, would be playing their first full season in professional baseball.
Players are told they’ll be brought back next season. Maybe. Hopefully.
Cody Davenport is a former Fayetteville High School and University of Central Arkansas star who was drafted in the 20th round by the Kansas City Royals in 2019. He was expecting to receive plenty of work on the mound after pitching in 12 games last season in a Royals’ rookie league.
“Having the season canceled is definitely something you don’t want to hear,” said Davenport, who went 7-4 with a 1.98 ERA and made All-Southland Conference as a senior at UCA.“It’s something you never expected to happen, but you never expected a worldwide pandemic to happen, either. It’s out of our control.”
Cody Scroggins was among seven University of Arkansas players who were drafted in 2019. He pitched 12 1/3 innings as a rookie last year after being selected in the ninth round by the Boston Red Sox.
A year later, Scroggins spent July 4th weekend at the lake when he’d much rather be in uniform trying to advance his career in professional baseball. That plan was put on hold in March then killed last week when Minor League Baseball was canceled before getting started in 2020.
“I was hoping we would get at least 40 games in or something,” said Scroggins, a former football and baseball star at Bentonville. “Obviously, I’m disappointed but I’m not surprised, either.”
Logan Gragg of Prairie Grove has stayed busy doing farm and construction work after returning home from spring training in Florida nearly three months ago. Gragg pitched in 17 games as a rookie in 2019 after being selected in the eighth round by the St. Louis Cardinals.
“There’s nothing you can do about it,” said Gragg, who used part of his signing bonus to buy his own piece of land near Prairie Grove. “I’m not going to put any pressure on myself. I just go with the flow.”
Thirteen former Razorbacks, including Blake Parker of Fayetteville, were included on 60-man player pools submitted by each team when Major League Baseball resumes later this month. Only players on the 60-man player pools are eligible to be called up to the big leagues. The list includes Ty Tice, who has advanced quickly in the minor leagues after being selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 16th round in 2017.
Tice, 23, spent part of 2019 at Triple-A Buffalo, where the right-hander was 2-1 with a 3.27 ERA in 26 games. If Tice makes his major league debut this season, he’ll be the second player in three years from Prairie Grove to reach the big leagues. Jalen Beeks made his major league debut in 2018 with the Boston Red Sox before being traded to the Tampa Bay Rays. Local guys like Davenport, Gragg, Scroggins, and Jake Reindl (17th round Chicago Cubs) have just begun the climb as recent signees. There’s been no discussions for fall or winter leagues, which means a pitcher in the minor leagues could go nearly a whole year without facing a batter in real game.
“That’s the concern, to go a full year with no baseball,” Gragg said. “Pitching is about motion and mechanics. So, it’s got to be tough on your body to shut everything down.”
Major League Baseball teams have agreed to continue to pay their minor leaguers a $400 per week stipend through September. That’s good news for young prospects who are just beginning their careers, but they’d rather be working instead of hoping for a phone call to play ball again.
“I’ve, basically, been stuck at home in Bentonville with my parents for about three months,” Scroggins said. “I just miss baseball. But I understand with all this covid-19 going on.”
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Rick Fires can be reached at rfires@nwadg.com or on Twitter @NWARick.