Dodgers: A Few Thoughts on Suspension of Spring Training and Delay of Regular Season
Articles about Opening Day rosters are no longer appropriate. Projections pieces about struggling outfielders are at best unfortunate, and at worst mean-spirited.
Would I write a critical column about A.J. Pollock today? No. Will I write of much anything baseball-related that falls outside the scope of Covid-19 topics tomorrow? I don’t know. And frankly, I don’t know what I’ll be doing for at least the next month with Spring Training suspended and the regular season delayed at least two weeks.
Which makes me like the countless others whose work is affected by events surrounding the pandemic, and governmental responses to the current strain of coronavirus. And I don’t think I’m special.
I do have some thoughts about how Major League Baseball might proceed, however. I can’t give you much of a timetable, but whenever the sport becomes active again, another two weeks of ST will almost certainly be required.
Pitchers are going to be especially affected. To use the Dodgers as an example, starters Clayton Kershaw, Walker Buehler, David Price, Julio Urias and Alex Wood were a couple of starts away from pitching five and six innings per outing. The longer the delay for the sport's pitchers, the more work they’re going to need to build back up.
Statement from LA Dodgers PR
Since Los Angeles has a good eight to 10 starting pitching options, they'll be in better shape than most clubs. Per a league decision over the winter, rosters were already set to increase from 25 to 26 men in 2020. My guess is, to assuage concern about new injuries which may occur, the league will go with a 30-man roster (with four spots for pitchers added) for a period of time at the start of the regular season, whenever that turns out to be.
The term “regular season” really isn’t apt this year, however. There will be nothing regular about the 2020 season. Contrary to what you may have read, I don’t believe MLB will make any attempt to play a full 162-game schedule.
Off days are mandated via collective bargaining, remember, so they can’t just stick postponed games into the schedule randomly, or thoughtfully. And because of fall weather, a postseason extending deep into November is also unlikely.
I believe the league will make its first cut to 154 games, as was the norm prior to 1961-1962 baseball expansion. Next, and if necessary, they’ll cut it to 144, as was the case during the work-stoppage season of 1995, which began on April 25th of that year. If they have to cut some more, they'll cut some more.
I imagine that the Dodgers will be as careful as any team in baseball — and any in all of sports — taking every precaution possible to assure the health of their players, employees and fans. Whatever protocols are prescribed, the club will look for ways to go beyond what is suggested.
Though it's been reported that players are still at Cameback Ranch, with the intention to continue to train, I don't believe that'll hold for more than a day or two. Players will be sent home (to their Arizona homes, or their L.A. homes) to await word on what happens next.
After a beat, the Dodgers might begin some form of workouts at the Glendale, Arizona facility, or at Dodger Stadium. If that’s not feasible in a week or so, look for individual players to host private workouts in their own communities. If it’s possible for me to attend workouts at Chavez Ravine or elsewhere, I will, and I'll report what I see. Video if at all possible.
When I predicted that the Dodgers would not win 107 games in 2020, this is not what I had in mind.
And remember, glove conquers all.
Howard Cole has been writing about baseball on the internet since Y2K. Follow him on Twitter.
