5 takeaways as MLB’s potential return takes shape
Major League Baseball is on the brink of setting a date for a second spring training, and the parameters around the game’s possible return are starting to take shape.
Detailed reporting from ESPN, The Athletic and USA Today, along with individual reporting at the Herald, indicate there is hope for an MLB season to come. The key word: flexibility. Safety will be paramount, but in order to keep everyone safe, the players and owners must stay flexible, allowing for games to be postponed or canceled if there are localized coronavirus outbreaks, stadiums to close temporarily and games to be moved to other locations.
Nothing is set in stone yet, and it’s likely it won’t ever be. All plans are to be drawn in pencil. Here’s what it’s starting to look like:
When will baseball return?
July 1 looks like the target date to start meaningful games again, which would put a three-week spring training starting around June 10. That leaves about a month for position players to start ramping up their activity, swinging a bat and getting their bodies back in shape. And pitchers, who have been typically asked to throw four or five times a week (getting off a mound twice a week), will need to start throwing with more intensity. Starters might need to get on a five-day build-up plan.
Some spring training facilities, including JetBlue Park in Fort Myers have already reopened, and local players are being allowed in to get medical treatment and work out. played without fans, which is the expectation here, too.
Concerns have been raised over some players refusing to return in a scenario that would require them to stay away from their families, which is looking like a non-starter, hence why “the Arizona bubble plan” is just about dead and home stadiums would be much more appealing. available to the public before MLB would feel comfortable hoarding thousands of tests to keep their players safe. 60-man squad should be locally available and continue to train at the home parks or close by.